Taking some 100kg equivalent off the MCS

[Sealobo]

My MCS will arrive in around 2 months, and I am already coming up with a weight-saving plan.

(1) Get rid of the heavy alloy

17" is standard for what i am getting, and it's full 50 lbs at each corner; over 200 lbs combined. I will get SSR Type-C 17" to replace the stock 17". Each piece of Type-C is only around 13 lbs so weight saving is around 48 lbs combined. (Given that the weight of the tires remain the same). Multiply the weight differential according the theory of angular inertia it will be like taking 200 lbs. off the car. This will greatly improve acceleration and braking distance.

(2) Get rid of the spare tire?

Hong Kong is small, I have a cellphone, so i don't need a spare tire in my car. The downside is that the weight distribution will further shift to the front.

(3) Get a pair of Recaro seats

Can save at least 30 lbs I guess.

(4) H&R Coilover

Don't know how much i can save with this replacement yet, probably not much. However the car needs to be lowered for a lower CG. I might as well bias the ride height to the rear to offset the weight distribution a little bit.

(5) More balanacing

Put a 30 lbs woofer box at the rear to balance the car a little more.

[Tonyt3]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sealobo
My MCS will arrive in around 2 months, and I am already coming up with a weight-saving plan.

(1) Get rid of the heavy alloy

17" is standard for what i am getting, and it's full 50 lbs at each corner; over 200 lbs combined. I will get SSR Type-C 17" to replace the stock 17". Each piece of Type-C is only around 13 lbs so weight saving is around 48 lbs combined. (Given that the weight of the tires remain the same). Multiply the weight differential according the theory of angular inertia it will be like taking 200 lbs. off the car. This will greatly improve acceleration and braking distance.

(2) Get rid of the spare tire?

Hong Kong is small, I have a cellphone, so i don't need a spare tire in my car. The downside is that the weight distribution will further shift to the front.

(3) Get a pair of Recaro seats

Can save at least 30 lbs I guess.

(4) H&R Coilover

Don't know how much i can save with this replacement yet, probably not much. However the car needs to be lowered for a lower CG. I might as well bias the ride height to the rear to offset the weight distribution a little bit.

(5) More balanacing

Put a 30 lbs woofer box at the rear to balance the car a little more.

Some other things you might consider...


You could replace the battery with a high performance 'mini' battery, should weigh about 1/3rd of original.

Take out all the speakers, should save a few pounds...

Take the rear seats out, how often you going to use them anyway?

Never put more than 10 liters of fuel in the tank (will save around 40 lbs....

Go on a diet....

Cut your hair shorter...

Have your teeth removed, especially good if you have gold fillings...

Drive naked...

[Lilly-May]

Don't forget the badge at the back, oh and the windscreen wipers and the spare change in the cupholders and ......

[Prowse]

Er, how about sell the MCS and buy a Lotus Elise!

[Keevan]

... and drive naked

[KJ_daGreenMini]

i wish female cooper drivers drove naked more often :|

i'm thinking of taking the two seats out of the back actually to make room for something else.

The thing about the alloys... would reducing the weight of them so much not effect the road handling ability?

[aircanuck]

Doors and tailgates weigh a bit as well. And now that the doors are gone you can remove the brakes, just stick your foot out the door to slow down. French Fries under the seat will also slow you down, so never carry that spare snack aroud.

So enough kidding, why are you so obsessed about dropping a few pounds? (wedding coming up??)
We do something here in North America that doesn't change the weight, but crams as much horsepower under the hood as possible. Thats more fun to me. But do fill me in, I am curious why you're willing to sacrifice so many goodies on your car.

[Sealobo]

Quote:

Originally posted by KJ_daGreenMini
The thing about the alloys... would reducing the weight of them so much not effect the road handling ability?

with lighter wheels (and higher concentration of mass near the center)... the following will happen while holding all other factors constant:

- better road holding
- better acceleration
- shorting braking distance
- a more comfortable ride

you will get a more comfortable ride because the suspension geometry can react QUICKER due to a reduce in mass of the wheel. lets say if the wheel is mighty heavy and it rolls on a small bump, the shock and spring wouldn't be able to compress as fast and the irregularity will directly transferred to the cabin through the suspension.

so, lighter wheel does improve ride quality.

[Sealobo]

Quote:

Originally posted by aircanuck

So enough kidding, why are you so obsessed about dropping a few pounds? (wedding coming up??)
We do something here in North America that doesn't change the weight, but crams as much horsepower under the hood as possible. Thats more fun to me. But do fill me in, I am curious why you're willing to sacrifice so many goodies on your car.

I used to drive a moderately tuned M Coupe when i was in Toronto for 3 years. I would NEVER get that kinda power from a Mini. The point is, i know how does it feel to drive a powerful car, and while it could be obssessive, the Mini offers something different.

Weight saving is particularly important for the driving environment in Hong Kong - all windy roads and lots of ups and downs. The Mini has a great chassis and by taking more weight off the car it will turn even better. I am a control freakn, i like that goKart feeling.

Also, i am not sacrificing anything. I am just replacing this and that with lightweight materials and parts.

[CT MINI]

Are we overlooking something here? Does anybody's MCS have a spare tire? Don't we all have runflats with no spare? Did I get gyped?

[goin440]

Scrap MINI and get a go-kart. With the savings you could put in for a title run in your local karting series. Then, scrap kart for F1 contract.

[Antranik]

Sealobo I support your weight-savings plan on the Mini big time! You can also get an aftermarket exhaust (the stock one weighs 45 pounds! Aftermarket exhausts shave 10-25 pounds depending on the systems and add power further lowering the power to weight ratio. The stock exhaust is known to be fairly restrictive, although I am very impressed of the sound of it. The same goes for the intake as far as easily freeing up a little bit of power.

If you do the main things you planned and some basic (simple) modifications to the engine related systems, the difference should be very significant.

[Bilbo Baggins]

Quote:

Originally posted by CT MINI
Are we overlooking something here? Does anybody's MCS have a spare tire? Don't we all have runflats with no spare? Did I get gyped?

I think in the USA at least that the "S" comes with run-flats and no spare. Heck, one of the mufflers is where the spare should be. I think our friend, saelobo, from Hong Kong is just mistaken.

[Sealobo]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bilbo Baggins
I think in the USA at least that the "S" comes with run-flats and no spare. Heck, one of the mufflers is where the spare should be. I think our friend, saelobo, from Hong Kong is just mistaken.

Yup... my mistake indeed. There is no spare for the S~

[swamos]

Quote:

Originally posted by Prowse
Er, how about sell the MCS and buy a Lotus Elise!

I agree. You're just playing around the edges with the MCS. If you want to experience the benefits of driving a light car, then you really need one of these. They have airconditioning now, so you'll be right in HK