Roll cage vs weight reduction?

[Valhakar]

If I take the safe and responsible path, I should be bolting in about 150-200 pounds of roll cage in my 4 door sedan. How do I get that weight back? It seems that touching anything in the interior is points assessed.

 

Can I use the actual gross weight of the car as a measure instead of having to spend 1-2 points for a piece that weighs under 5 pounds?

 

-Dave

[Tom A]

Never, ever, use the points system for weight reduction. Use the alternate method:

 

Alternate Method based on actual vehicle competition weight:

If the OEM curb weight used for base classing purposes above in 6.3.2 (no driver, with fluids

and fuel tank filled) minus actual vehicle minimum weight (with driver)* is greater than: 5 lbs

+1, 20 lbs +2, 35 lbs +3, 50 lbs +4, 65 lbs +5, 80 lbs +6, 95 lbs +7, 110 lbs +8, 125 lbs +9, 140

lbs +10, 155 lbs +11, 170 lbs +12, 185 lbs +13, 200 lbs +14, 215 lbs +15, 230 lbs +16, 245 lbs

+17, 260 lbs +18, 275 lbs +19, 290 lbs +20, 305 lbs +21, 320 lbs +22, 335 lbs +23, 350 lbs +24,

365 lbs +25, 380 lbs +26, 395 lbs +27, 410 lbs +28, 425 lbs +29, 440 lbs +30, 455 lbs +31, etc…

*Actual vehicle minimum weight is the vehicle’s lightest weight with the driver and safety gear,

during any competition session. Any driver/team who’s vehicle at impound does not meet the

minimum weight that they have declared on their car classification sheet may be disqualified and

lose all accrued points for the season if the number of modification points based on the lighter

actual weight puts the car in a higher competition class.

[Lugnut]

I was just adding this up myself. Basically the alternate method means that, safety modifications aside, I effectively get my body weight in weight savings for free?

So my GTO says 3,725.

As a fat guy let's just use an average round (get it? Round?) number of 250 (am I optimistic? I'll find out when I get the car on the scales!).

So I weigh the car with me in it, with a minimal amount of fuel (let's say an even 7 lbs/gallon) to receive my realistic minimum competition weight. It's 0 points as long as the car in minimum track trim doesn't weigh less than 3,721.

 

so:

Car 3725lbs

- 15 Gallons Fuel 105lbs

- Me 250lbs

==

No penalty if the car weighs at least 3,370?

 

Is that right?

[roadracetransam]

Sounds right. The driver weight deal took away my unfair advantage (I am a skinny dude 160 lb) It sound a lot more fair now, especially since you can add 150LB of blast for free, so eveyone can fine tune their weight, and weight/HP if you are making too much power.

[Greg G.]

I was just adding this up myself. Basically the alternate method means that, safety modifications aside, I effectively get my body weight in weight savings for free?

So my GTO says 3,725.

As a fat guy let's just use an average round (get it? Round?) number of 250 (am I optimistic? I'll find out when I get the car on the scales!).

So I weigh the car with me in it, with a minimal amount of fuel (let's say an even 7 lbs/gallon) to receive my realistic minimum competition weight. It's 0 points as long as the car in minimum track trim doesn't weigh less than 3,721.

 

so:

Car 3725lbs

- 15 Gallons Fuel 105lbs

- Me 250lbs

 

 

==

No penalty if the car weighs at least 3,370?

 

Is that right?

Close. No penalty if the car weighs at least 3720 with you in it, after you come off the track. You won't need 15 gallons of gas per session, and curb weight (with full fuel) is just used when we do initial classing (because that is the readily available number from manufacturers). You can come off the track with whatever amount of gas in the car that you want. So, basically the weight of a cage and other safety equipment, plus your own weight, is free (can be removed in other ways from the car--including the obviously necessary removal of jack/spare/floor mats, and the gasoline you will use during a session).

[Valhakar]

NEWS FLASH! Curb weight provided differes from country to country and how it is imported into the states..

 

For example my 2003 WRX is 3087 lbs. Empty of fuel, DOT spare, AND any engine/transmission fluids. It is the off the boat weight and they remove anything possible to keep transport tonage down.

 

I will have to go get scaled again, but I am pretty sure my car is over 3250 with a full tank of fuel.

[cosm3os]

Add those fluids to the car (cause that's the included in the curb weight we are using) and I bet you get real close the number!

 

Back to the OP, as I understand it, you can reduce the wt of the car an additional 150 lbs and then put it back as ballast where you need it for free (you are not actually reducing wt, but you are optimizing the wt distribution.

[Valhakar]

You responded to the original poster on both counts!

 

Is there a list of the percieved curb weights of stock cars? If they want to give me an extra 170 lbs advantage, who am I to say "no". I just don't want some challenge to cloud things up if it isnt in writing.

[cosm3os]

The "official" curb weights are listed next to the base classifications in the rules.