light weight vs grip

Continuing on from Terribleturners thread "to strip or not to strip"

The other night i was delivering some leaflets for a friend, my boot was completely full up, they must have weighed in total something like 80kgs.

If the roads are not bone dry my car normally suffers with lack of grip but when i had the leaflets in the boot i was gob smacked with how much extra grip i had - virtually no wheel spin at all !

I'm thinking how much would this benefit me on a 1/4 drag strip (especially slippy santa pod). i.e. would the time saved by getting a better 0-60 ft out way the time lost due to the extra weight overall ?

has anyone experimented with this ? or noticed a big difference like me ?

Continuing on from Terribleturners thread "to strip or not to strip"

 

The other night i was delivering some leaflets for a friend, my boot was completely full up, they must have weighed in total something like 80kgs.

 

If the roads are not bone dry my car normally suffers with lack of grip but when i had the leaflets in the boot i was gob smacked with how much extra grip i had - virtually no wheel spin at all !

 

I'm thinking how much would this benefit me on a 1/4 drag strip (especially slippy santa pod). i.e. would the time saved by getting a better 0-60 ft out way the time lost due to the extra weight overall ?

 

has anyone experimented with this ? or noticed a big difference like me ?

I had a couple of lardy friends in the back of mine once and it was like you described very good grip especially from a standing start

lady friends in the back? how old where they people dont fit in the back of supra's

edit: you didnt say lady, lardy wish i could read sometimes

I wish it was a spelling mistake but alas no , Lardy mates,you can fit people in the back if they dont mind being uncomfortable

There are better ways of getting good drag times than adding static weight to increase traction. It's a cheap and dirty fix, that *MAY* aid the first part of the launch, but for the duration of the run where traction wouldn't be an issue without weight you are hamstringing the cars potential. Spool LSD, drag race tyres, redesigned suspension geo giving a lot of rear weight transfer, getting what weight you neeed to make the car run further back, and maybe higher in the car, blah blah. It is bizarre how people will buy an expensive titanium exhaust aand yet have tons of sound stuff in the car, a dirty big heavy steel space saver, and assorted other junk, that could be jettisoned FOC

It is bizarre how people will buy an expensive titanium exhaust aand yet have tons of sound stuff in the car, a dirty big heavy steel space saver, and assorted other junk, that could be jettisoned FOC

So it'd make more sense buying a heavier SS system

Don't get me wrong, weight is important, so if the price of a titanium exhaust doesn't make you wince, buy one by all means:) I was a bit horrified to weigh my Skyline at Donington on Saturady and find it weighed 1375 kilos, rready to run. Was hoping for nearer 1250.... Guess I'll have to start it on a serious diet soon.

There are better ways of getting good drag times than adding static weight to increase traction. It's a cheap and dirty fix, that *MAY* aid the first part of the launch, but for the duration of the run where traction wouldn't be an issue without weight you are hamstringing the cars potential. Spool LSD, drag race tyres, redesigned suspension geo giving a lot of rear weight transfer, getting what weight you neeed to make the car run further back, and maybe higher in the car, blah blah. It is bizarre how people will buy an expensive titanium exhaust aand yet have tons of sound stuff in the car, a dirty big heavy steel space saver, and assorted other junk, that could be jettisoned FOC

as i'm saving up for a wedding i like the idea of a dirty cheap fix but i do take onboard everything you say.

cheers

Just out of interst...the Toyota designers get paid bundles perfecting the weight distribution of the supra and by fiddling about taking bits out here and there to lighten the weight, depending on where abouts these were taken could this affect the overal "balance" and therefore make things worse with regard to performance/handerling/grip etc ?