Rosiecki Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 NASA GTS Challenge BMW Weight System For those with a BMW E36 or E46 chassis looking to add ballast for GTS Challenge look no further. I have a weight system (best there is) built and designed by Fall-Line Motorsports that weighs exactly 100lbs. The plate goes on the passenger side floor where the seat is located. Along with the small plate, there are 25lbs bricks that can go on top. I was very meticulous with my BMW and the attention to detail was first-class. This system is not your play-it-again sports work out weights. This is a professional race setup! Located in Chicagoland area. Contact [email protected] for more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 just as an FYI you may want to check out the latest CCR for mounting guidelines if the GTS rules do not supercede that particular item sounds very slick, wish this was availible for other cars too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianacole Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 just as an FYI you may want to check out the latest CCR for mounting guidelines if the GTS rules do not supercede that particular item They do not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 ugh, sucks for you guys then - its 1 bolt per 5 (five) lbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eric W. Posted January 14, 2010 Members Share Posted January 14, 2010 ugh, sucks for you guys then - its 1 bolt per 5 (five) lbs WTF.. that is the stupidest thing ever. I dont think I can put 5 bolts through my 25# brick, lol. Guess it is time to drill 3 more holes. I think this would be more unsafe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 It could be a typo - I don't have to worry as the PT rules supersede (1 bolt per 15lbs) - but you guys might want to start shaking some trees to see what falls out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eric W. Posted January 14, 2010 Members Share Posted January 14, 2010 It could be a typo - I don't have to worry as the PT rules supersede (1 bolt per 15lbs) - but you guys might want to start shaking some trees to see what falls out Definitely not a typo. "15.20 Ballast Unless superseded by class rules, all ballast shall be solid metal such as steel, lead, or uranium, and consist of a minimum of five (5) pounds per piece. Each piece should be bolted in place with through-bolts, fender washers, and a locking-nut / system (e.g. jamnuts, Nylox, etc.). All bolts should be grade five (5). There should be at least one 3/8” diameter bolt for every five (5) pounds of weight (e.g. 10 pound block uses two bolts)." But I agree. 1 bolt per 15# sounds more proper. I know guys who use 50# dumbell weights. Youre telling me it's safer to mount 10 3/8" bolts through your floorpan, than two larger bolts? Im no Mechanical Engineer, but it would seem to me that drilling all those holes would be weaker. Edit: Actually, after re-reading, the term "should" isnt the same as "required", "shall" or "must be". Should seems to suggest a recommendation, not a requirement? That would be my interpretation. One bolt / 5# is just plain ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSCoupe Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 ...Edit: Actually, after re-reading, the term "should" isnt the same as "required", "shall" or "must be". Should seems to suggest a recommendation, not a requirement? That would be my interpretation. One bolt / 5# is just plain ridiculous. Looks like a loophole to me! One that I would use (after discussing with Chief of Tech.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eric W. Posted January 14, 2010 Members Share Posted January 14, 2010 ...Edit: Actually, after re-reading, the term "should" isnt the same as "required", "shall" or "must be". Should seems to suggest a recommendation, not a requirement? That would be my interpretation. One bolt / 5# is just plain ridiculous. Looks like a loophole to me! One that I would use (after discussing with Chief of Tech.) I also want to know where I can find a brick of uranium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 and we'll all be able to spot Eric as he walks through the paddock at night, he'll glow in the dark after he puts uranium ballast in his car I know its not the textbook definition of a typo, but surely the didn't mean 5 and something just got fouled up (? I hope) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwjoon Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I can't believe they listed uranium and didn't list the 3 pounds of lead you need to cover your "junk". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosiecki Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 Comes with heavy duty hardware for install and if this piece has problems in tech (which it won't), ballast should not be allowed in cars because it doesn't get much safer than this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eric W. Posted January 14, 2010 Members Share Posted January 14, 2010 Comes with heavy duty hardware for install and if this piece has problems in tech (which it won't), ballast should not be allowed in cars because it doesn't get much safer than this. Ryan, perhaps a price and maybe pics would help move this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakermc Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 1 bolt per 5 lbs is either a typo or simply a mistake by someone who did not understand the safety issues and picked out 5 lbs kind of randomly. The surface area of a lead brick, given its density, does not lend itself to a 1 bolt/5 lb ratio. The lanuage using the word 'should' instead of 'must' is a loop hole that I would expect everyone to jump through. I would have a hard time seeing an experienced tech inspector enforcing that ratio since they would have seen enough ballast applications to know that 1/5 is not a proper ratio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesnake Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Not to mention that eventually you could have people adding more bolts due to the 'ballast' weight of their bolts... long slippery slope. Its a ridiculous rule anyhow, it does nothing to specify grades or size only qty... all of which would lend a hand to helping the ballast stay put. I'll be using the loophole argument myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakermc Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I've received word that a change is coming so that it will be 10 lbs/bolt, not five. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottbm3 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I've received word that a change is coming so that it will be 10 lbs/bolt, not five. That's still a ridiculous ratio. So 50lbs. of ballast would only require 5 bolts instead of 10...... come on. Just for reference here's what the requirements are from BMW Club Racing: Each segment of ballast must weigh not more than 50 pounds, and must be fastened with a minimum of two 12 mm bolts and positive lock nuts of metric grade 8.8 or better, and must utilize large diameter, load-distributing washers. In 5 years of racing with ballast I've never had a problem nor have I ever heard of anyone else having their ballast come loose or cause a safety problem. Just my opinion. -Scott B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakermc Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I've received word that a change is coming so that it will be 10 lbs/bolt, not five. That's still a ridiculous ratio. So 50lbs. of ballast would only require 5 bolts instead of 10...... come on. Just for reference here's what the requirements are from BMW Club Racing: Each segment of ballast must weigh not more than 50 pounds, and must be fastened with a minimum of two 12 mm bolts and positive lock nuts of metric grade 8.8 or better, and must utilize large diameter, load-distributing washers. In 5 years of racing with ballast I've never had a problem nor have I ever heard of anyone else having their ballast come loose or cause a safety problem. Just my opinion. -Scott B. Agreed. Especially when a 200 lb driver in a 30 lb seat is only held by 4 bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory M Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 The one 3/8" bolt per 5 or 10 pounds rule was clearly written by someone with no technical background in engineering or machine design, for a grade 8 bolt the factor of safety is in the thousands. In my opinion the risk posed by drilling so many holes into the support structure is a greater concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I've received word that a change is coming so that it will be 10 lbs/bolt, not five. 15lbs/bolt is still overkill... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eric W. Posted January 19, 2010 Members Share Posted January 19, 2010 I've received word that a change is coming so that it will be 10 lbs/bolt, not five. 15lbs/bolt is still overkill... <--- Looks for his old AC compressor and condensor to put back in, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottbm3 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I've received word that a change is coming so that it will be 10 lbs/bolt, not five. That's still a ridiculous ratio. So 50lbs. of ballast would only require 5 bolts instead of 10...... come on. Just for reference here's what the requirements are from BMW Club Racing: Each segment of ballast must weigh not more than 50 pounds, and must be fastened with a minimum of two 12 mm bolts and positive lock nuts of metric grade 8.8 or better, and must utilize large diameter, load-distributing washers. In 5 years of racing with ballast I've never had a problem nor have I ever heard of anyone else having their ballast come loose or cause a safety problem. Just my opinion. -Scott B. Agreed. Especially when a 200 lb driver in a 30 lb seat is only held by 4 bolts. Exactly. I have a flat steel plate that weighs around 50lbs. that bolts to the factory seat mounts on the passenger side. It has two 5/8" bolts that also hold additional 15 lbs plates if needed. All the weight is very low and very secure. Don't think it would be too secure to drill a bunch of holes in the floorboard to make it like swiss cheese and compromise the structure. Just my opinion -Scott B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911.racer Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Agreed. Especially when a 200 lb driver in a 30 lb seat is only held by 4 bolts. Or worse yet. A 400 lb motor is held in with 4 bolts. Or a bolt in cage that would be secured with less fasteners than 50 lbs of weight. The rule does not address the size or grade of fastener. There are plenty sizes and grades of fasteners that would readily handle 40,000 each. I understand dynamic loading, but even at 10g's a 50 lb weight is only exerting 500 lbs on the fastener. Like others have said, plenty ways of adding strategic weight without it actually being 'ballast'. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSG1901 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 And there's no consideration for the size of the fastener...? I have been using dumbell plates held in place with a single 1" diameter bolt with lock nuts and huge washers. According to my math, that's a little over 7 times the cross section of a 3/8" bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 did get edited on 1/15/10, but here's the whole spec. 15.20 Ballast:Unless superseded by class rules, all ballast shall be solid metal such as steel, lead, or uranium, and consist of a minimum of five (5) pounds per piece. Each piece should be bolted in place with through-bolts, fender washers, and a locking-nut / system (e.g. jamnuts, Nylox, etc.). All bolts should be grade five (5). There should be at least one 3/8” diameter bolt for every ten (10) pounds of weight (e.g. 20 pound block uses two bolts). This is something you can override in your class rules - TT, PT & ST are 15lbs / 3/8"min size grade 5 min bolt if you don't want to pick a fight over the world "should". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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