What does my MINI weigh?

[GregF]

Is there a way to roughly figure my car's weight?

I recently read a review of the JCW S and the article listed the curb weight as 3,165 pounds(!). Isn't a base Cooper more like 2,500?

Anyway, I know it all depends on options selected. Is there a way to find out what options weigh? What does the factory alarm weigh, for example? And DSC?

[mimicar]

If you really want to know for sure take the car to a commercial truck scale and have it weighed. Many truck stops have scales and as an ex-trucker I can tell you that they won't mind if you weigh the car there. It should only cost you 7-8 bucks.

If you choose this method to weigh the car just drive the car onto the scale's forward most segment (commercial scales are segmented to weigh trucks by the axle) and then run inside and tell the counter person that you want a weight slip. Pay them and you're done.

[goin440]

My cooper is lightly optioned and tipped the scales at 2700 lbs.(including driver, moss skid plate, and aftermarket wheels). I'm pretty sure I had a lot of gas in it when I weighed it too. The technical FAQs list the Cooper at a base weight of 2535 lbs. Figure my weight, weight of the fluids, weight of options and wheels, and any bits I had laying in the car, gaining 200 lbs. is reasonable.

Like mimicar said, best bet is just to go weigh it.

[stryder]

mimicar is right, though if you're going to pay for the truck stop scales, you might as well find your weight distribution, so park the front wheels on one pad and the rears on the next pad. Then you get the extra benefit of knowing how much is on each axle.

I still think they'd find it funny if you weighed a MINI on a truck scale though, they would just take your money and laugh to themselves, and you'd have your weight.

[mimicar]

I thought about suggesting weighing two different axles but decided to keep my original post simple. If you do weigh both axles you will get an independant axle weight and a total vehicle weight reflected on the weight slip. This will give you the vehicle's true front to rear weight distribution. A person could even get their corner weights but it would cost a bit.

The gal at the Williams truck stop did get a laugh out of seeing our Miata on the scales. But I've weighed semi's, Ryder moving trucks with and without auto transporters, U-Hauls with auto transporters attached and individule cars. The truck stop operators don't care what's on the scales as long as they collect their money. I'll probably run our MCS through one day just for the heck of it. It's fun!

[GregF]

Thank you for the replies.

Weigh the car. Why didn't I think of that?