Weight reduction
Discussion
Has anybody thought of any ingenious ways of removing unneeded weight? I don't want to make it into a hardcore track car as I would rarely use it. Things like changing things to lighter components ect. Wheels possibly, exhaust, battery, alternator, starter motor.
And has anybody thought of having an ally chassis made up for a TVR?
The best way to get your car to go faster is to get some driver training! Forget the weigh saving. Did you ever see the size of Gerry Marshall?
Jes Firth has piloted a few cars in our championship and manages to get them to go quicker than anyone else, even the owners, and we're not shy at giving it some beans.
It's all about how you drive. 
Tim
Jes Firth has piloted a few cars in our championship and manages to get them to go quicker than anyone else, even the owners, and we're not shy at giving it some beans.
It's all about how you drive. Tim
Lightening the driver is fairly easy and learning a bit more about what the car will do isn't too hard either. There's not really that much weight in an S to easily remove aside from the roof is there? it's not as if there's a lot of interior anyway.
Joining your local MSA affiliated club and doing some autotesting in it would be a good idea to get a better idea of what it's going to do to you at reasonably low speeds and in reasonable safety (and quite cheaply) plus you can attempt to be the fastest TVR there.
Joining your local MSA affiliated club and doing some autotesting in it would be a good idea to get a better idea of what it's going to do to you at reasonably low speeds and in reasonable safety (and quite cheaply) plus you can attempt to be the fastest TVR there.
Intrax' Black Titan 1K2 units weigh over 1.1 kg less per corner than the OE Bilstain/Eibach coilovers. That's 4.5 kgs of unsprung weight got rid of.
A 15/16" combo of SP12s would be a nice weight saving (reducing rotating, unsprung weight is even better than reducing just unsprung weight) - although I suspect the OE OZ split rims will be lighter than the later/std wheels, too. I'll be picking up an extra set (well, three wheels) shortly and will put them on scales before I put them on the car.
Flywheel on my engine's lighter, too - prob about 2 kgs.
The Powerlite starter for the RV8 is quoted at 3.9 kgs instead of 8 kgs for the std unit, plus it draws less current and has higher torque. All good - this is where my money will go if the current starter gets the hump.
Oh, and I think replacing the OE, catted manifolds and Y-piece with ACT decat manifolds and pipes might have netted me a kilogram or five, too...
A 15/16" combo of SP12s would be a nice weight saving (reducing rotating, unsprung weight is even better than reducing just unsprung weight) - although I suspect the OE OZ split rims will be lighter than the later/std wheels, too. I'll be picking up an extra set (well, three wheels) shortly and will put them on scales before I put them on the car.
Flywheel on my engine's lighter, too - prob about 2 kgs.
The Powerlite starter for the RV8 is quoted at 3.9 kgs instead of 8 kgs for the std unit, plus it draws less current and has higher torque. All good - this is where my money will go if the current starter gets the hump.
Oh, and I think replacing the OE, catted manifolds and Y-piece with ACT decat manifolds and pipes might have netted me a kilogram or five, too...
Edited by 900T-R on Friday 12th June 07:54
The Lukas
As another poster said, driver training is the way to go (and it works in every car you drive - a bonus upgrade)
I notice you have an S from your profile, if you really want to go faster you would be better chopping it in for a more powerful TVR, you won't see any return on the ££££ spent on the S at resale time, there is no substitute for more cubes!
As another poster said, driver training is the way to go (and it works in every car you drive - a bonus upgrade)
I notice you have an S from your profile, if you really want to go faster you would be better chopping it in for a more powerful TVR, you won't see any return on the ££££ spent on the S at resale time, there is no substitute for more cubes!
900T-R said:
A 15/16" combo of SP12s would be a nice weight saving (reducing rotating, unsprung weight is even better than reducing just unsprung weight) - although I suspect the OE OZ split rims will be lighter than the later/std wheels, too. I'll be picking up an extra set (well, three wheels) shortly and will put them on scales before I put them on the car.
I wasn't aware that SP12s were available in that size. Even if that is the case it would be hard going for the set to weigh less than the originals which are 15" all round and even harder to reduce the rotating, or inertia, of the wheel. (Slightly off topic since the OP has an S3 but I very strongly doubt whether any of the SP12 Chim/Griff packages actually reduce the inertia of the wheel given the 2" increase in wheel dia.)JR said:
I wasn't aware that SP12s were available in that size.
They aren't, hence the 'would'.JR said:
(Slightly off topic since the OP has an S3 but I very strongly doubt whether any of the SP12 Chim/Griff packages actually reduce the inertia of the wheel given the 2" increase in wheel dia.)
Exactly - I would seriously consider the purchase of SP12s if they were available in smaller diameters for Griffmaeras than the 17/18"s as I see more drawbacks than advantages for oversize wheels and rubberband tyres on a TVR. Yes, the car will probably feel more 'alert' but if I wanted to feel worn out after an hour of A-road/motorway driving I'd as well have a std Mk1 Tuscan. 
Edited by 900T-R on Friday 12th June 08:48
900T-R said:
JR said:
I wasn't aware that SP12s were available in that size.
They aren't, hence the 'would'.JR said:
(Slightly off topic since the OP has an S3 but I very strongly doubt whether any of the SP12 Chim/Griff packages actually reduce the inertia of the wheel given the 2" increase in wheel dia.)
Exactly - I would seriously consider the purchase of SP12s if they were available in smaller diameters for Griffmaeras than the 17/18"s as I see more drawbacks than advantages for oversize wheels and rubberband tyres on a TVR. Yes, the car will probably feel more 'alert' but if I wanted to feel worn out after an hour of A-road/motorway driving I'd as well have a std Mk1 Tuscan. Does the V8S weigh less than the V6?
Ally rad, lightweight race seats, solid state battery would save weight. Cost benefit may be dubious though unless they are already worn out.
An alloy chassis would be possible but may not save much if any weight due to the increase in material that would be needed to compensate for the loss in strength. Additionally each of the design, construction and swap stages would be prohibitably expensive for most people.
I'd say the biggest gains are to be had in the interior. Get rid of the front seats for lightweight replacements, get rid of rear seats and opt for lightweight carpeting instead. Change the door cards to carbon fibre items with simple button panels. Definitely get rid of air con if you have it.
Then, I'd move on to unsprung mass. To me this is always the best area you can save weight from (along with engine rotational mass). Savings in the unsprung mass not only give you better bhp/tonne, but also better stopping and handling!
Then, I'd move on to unsprung mass. To me this is always the best area you can save weight from (along with engine rotational mass). Savings in the unsprung mass not only give you better bhp/tonne, but also better stopping and handling!
Lots of varied people giving good advice and info, what this forums all about. 
I was thinking this too, the S series doesn't have allot of weight to loose! Maybe a Chimaera or Cerbera with air con/heated heats and soundproofing but I have none of that!
Good point about the ally chassis too, though I do think it would be lighter in the end - by how much I'm not sure, we need a chap who works with ally and steel to say his piece. Maybe not cost effective either to have a full custom chassis made of aluminum.
Maybe a more powerful car is an option however. Don't wanna throw every penny away but someone will have a nice S out of it eventually
I was thinking this too, the S series doesn't have allot of weight to loose! Maybe a Chimaera or Cerbera with air con/heated heats and soundproofing but I have none of that!
Good point about the ally chassis too, though I do think it would be lighter in the end - by how much I'm not sure, we need a chap who works with ally and steel to say his piece. Maybe not cost effective either to have a full custom chassis made of aluminum.
Maybe a more powerful car is an option however. Don't wanna throw every penny away but someone will have a nice S out of it eventually
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