adprescott Posted December 21, 2017 Posted December 21, 2017 Are there any rules concerning ballast and possibly securing it in the passenger seat with a 6 point harness. There is very little room in an S2000 for 150 lbs of ballast without drilling the body into swiss cheese. I'm thinking a weighted crash test dummy... Would this be legal for TT?. Specifically TT5? Thanks! Quote
Ev Posted December 22, 2017 Posted December 22, 2017 CCR says no, but I like the way you think. Quote
juliancates Posted December 22, 2017 Posted December 22, 2017 Passenger seat? Remove it and you have plenty of room for ballast? Could even use the seat bolts? Quote
adprescott Posted December 26, 2017 Author Posted December 26, 2017 Good idea on the passenger seat. Unfortunately, this is also my daily driver so I'm in the "how to make a car do two very opposite things well" category. I'm considering some type of mounting brackets to mount lead ballast behind and underneath the passenger seat. Steel ballast is way cheaper but takes up a lot of room. Still undecided as to how but pretty sure that I need to add the weight needed to keep my s2000 in TT5. Quote
dwesterwick Posted December 31, 2017 Posted December 31, 2017 Fundamentally, you want ballast to be as close to the ground as possible (within the rules), so putting it up high in the passenger's seat is far from ideal. 150 lb can make a measurable impact on your CG. Lead bricks are pretty compact and only ~$1/lb. I don't have something as small as an S2000, but I was able to put a few behind my front seats and under the spare tire. I'm sure you can find places like that to fit lead bricks. If you're really clever, you could melt the lead down into a shape that conforms to the car better. Just be mindful of safety, and don't lick your fingers after you're done working with it. Quote
Clavette Posted December 31, 2017 Posted December 31, 2017 I just added a 25 lb lead brick where my passenger seat would sit If I had one. You could still place the seat in the spot. It's low and very close to center of car. Quote
adprescott Posted December 31, 2017 Author Posted December 31, 2017 Thanks for some good ideas. Any recommendation on lead brick source? most of the online sources I've found are closer to $2/lb Quote
dwesterwick Posted January 2, 2018 Posted January 2, 2018 I've bought them from here before: https://pitstopusa.com/i-5067474-allstar-performance-lead-ballast-25-lb-bar.html. It's been a few years, but I don't remember them being this expensive. I'm not sure if that's because the price has been jacked up or my memory sucks. Here's a cheaper source I found with a quick Google search, but I've never bought anything from them before: http://eastcoastspeed.com/i-12056943-allstar-performance-lead-ballast-25-lb-bar.html. However, it's still at ~$2/lb. Quote
Ev Posted January 2, 2018 Posted January 2, 2018 If you can't find anything local, this place sells 30 lb bricks for $2 a pound, but at least shipping is included https://www.rotometals.com/ballast-brick-loaf-ingot-30-pounds-freight-included/ Quote
Clavette Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 it's crazy - we'll spend $1300 on sticker tires but balk at $50 for ballast. Quote
Clavette Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 it's crazy - we'll spend $1300 on sticker tires but balk at $50 for ballast. Quote
Ev Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 it's crazy - we'll spend $1300 on sticker tires but balk at $50 for ballast. New tires make you faster. Lead makes you slower. Makes sense to me Quote
adprescott Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 Another ballast question. The rules prohibit lead shot ballast. Is shot acceptable if placed in a properly secured ballast box? Thanks! Quote
Ev Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 Another ballast question. The rules prohibit lead shot ballast. Is shot acceptable if placed in a properly secured ballast box?Thanks! The rule is 5.20 BallastAll ballast shall be solid metal such as steel, lead, or depleted uranium, and consist of a minimum of five (5) pounds per piece. Each piece shall be bolted in place with through-bolts, fender washers, and a locking-nut / system (e.g. jam-nuts, Nylock, etc.). All ballast shall be secured sufficiently and all bolts shall be of Grade five (5). Nylock nuts or metal crimping lock nuts should not be reused. I would have to say no, but I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night.... Quote
drivinhardz06 Posted January 11, 2018 Posted January 11, 2018 it's crazy - we'll spend $1300 on sticker tires but balk at $50 for ballast. New tires make you faster. Lead makes you slower. Makes sense to me My observation in club racing is ballast is the most underused, cheapest chassis tuning tool available. If you aren't running the maximum amount of ballast allowed in your car, you are leaving a lot of performance on the table. Quote
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