32 replies to this topic

[William Bonsell]

Really interested in knowing if anyone knows the minimum achievable weight for a 1.6 in full legal SM trim......shaved tires and essentially empty of fuel. I"m guessing somewhere around the 2050 range, but that's just a guess.....

Thanks.
Bill

[Kevin Anderson]

I agree, A clean body with minimal paint layers will probably not get much lighter then 2040 without driver.

[davew]

My 1.6 cars come out at 2040 +/-10 with no driver no fuel. That is with a 1.625" cage that adds about 8# over an equivalent 1.5" cage. And My cages are not a minimalist cage. A barely legal cage would drop another 20 pounds. I think 2000 pounds is achievable with a minimal cage.

Dave

[Qik Nip]

My '90 is ~2,090 with undercoating, radio, data logger, fire system, cool suit system (empty) and all safety gear. I agree with Dave, 2040 is about the legal bottom.
Rick

[William Bonsell]

My '90 is ~2,090 with undercoating, radio, data logger, fire system, cool suit system (empty) and all safety gear. I agree with Dave, 2040 is about the legal bottom.
Rick

Awesome, thanks for the information. Gives me a bottom number as I work backwards trying to lighten things up a bit. Much easier to lighten the car than myself at this point.

[MPR22]

Awesome, thanks for the information. Gives me a bottom number as I work backwards trying to lighten things up a bit. Much easier to lighten the car than myself at this point.

2030, Datalogger, fire system, undercoating, no fuel. 1/32 tires.

[Blake Thompson]

I had a guy at my shop this weekend tell me he is in the high 1900's without driver and I think it is complete rubbish. or he's missing chassis sections.

at 200 lbs without gear im having a hard time making weight in a conservative car.

and im the opposite of William at this point it has become cheaper for me to lose the weight than the car.

[Bruce Wilson]

2060 with Data, radio and a couple extras, i.e. camera mount -- ground up tub build without undercoating removed, so I agree with ~2040 being low end.

-bw

[Blake Thompson]

2060 with Data, radio and a couple extras, i.e. camera mount -- ground up tub build without undercoating removed, so I agree with ~2040 being low end.

-bw

undercoating translates to about 8 lbs total so I don't know that I would worry about it anyway

[Bruce Wilson]

undercoating translates to about 8 lbs total so I don't know that I would worry about it anyway

I see it as good weight unless your pushing past 220 driver weight. I'd rather have undercoating than ballast in the passenger floor.

-bw

[dstevens]

Depending on your fitness level Bill taking some weight off the driver might lead to faster times than taking weight out of the car. Of course taking 10-20 # off the driver has to be maintained year round.

[William Bonsell]

Depending on your fitness level Bill taking some weight off the driver might lead to faster times than taking weight out of the car. Of course taking 10-20 # off the driver has to be maintained year round.

Yeah and that is the problem. My weight fluctuates more than the price of crude. It's a bitch getting older!

[dstevens]

Yep, it's tough. The last season I ran karts I trained with Jim Leo and Pit Fit out of Indianapolis. They had a different online program at the time (which they no longer offer) but I was able to lose 40# and felt great and could drive with more stamina for longer periods. I kept it up for the better part of my first stock car season but then eventually went back to my old ways and gained another 10 or so on top of what I lost initially. I've started the workout again because at my current size coming close to weight even in a stripped 90 will be tough. Not to mention going back to road racing. The difficult thing in the stock car was the heat, from both the car and racing in Vegas in the spring and late summer. The G forces weren't such an issue except when another 3500# sled whacks into you at speed. Contrast that to road racing the shifter and it was pretty easy to bruise or break a rib with the forces and sticky tires. I've thrown around a street Miata enough to know that if I don't get on the stick again I'll have a hard time doing 25 mins at full tilt.

[cam]

Just sharing a data point. Per NASA PTE rules, I can easily get my car down to 2000 lbs without doing anything radical and otherwise legal for SM. My car is an early ’90. I do not have NASCAR bars in the passenger side, do not have a Cool Shirt system, a fire system is installed and a data system is installed. I have a safe 8 pt cage but not over built and still have the weak LSD rear end. The reason I site NASA PTE is for NASA enduro’s, is a 1.6 Miata weight is 2182 and they assume 180 lbs driver when crossing the scales without a driver. So the goal weight is 2002 lbs with low fuel and no driver.

[William Bonsell]

Just sharing a data point. Per NASA PTE rules, I can easily get my car down to 2000 lbs without doing anything radical and otherwise legal for SM. My car is an early ’90. I do not have NASCAR bars in the passenger side, do not have a Cool Shirt system, a fire system is installed and a data system is installed. I have a safe 8 pt cage but not over built and still have the weak LSD rear end. The reason I site NASA PTE is for NASA enduro’s, is a 1.6 Miata weight is 2182 and they assume 180 lbs driver when crossing the scales without a driver. So the goal weight is 2002 lbs with low fuel and no driver.

I'm impressed. I presume you still have the passenger side window glass and mechanism also. Not sure I could ever get my 91 to 2000lbs in SM trim!

[Jeff Lyon]

It is interesting hearing all of these weights. I just weighed mine over the weekend. It is an 11/89 build with a Miatacage.com cage, radio, camera mount, MC LSD, Corbaeu Fiberglass Seat and 1/2 tank of fuel and it weighed 2090#.

[Bruce Wilson]

Wow wasn't it just a month ago on that specmiata.com site where everyone was having problems making weight? This new site seems to be much thinner

-bw

[Bench Racer]

These minimal weight NA cars with a SCCA rule standard 180 pound driver (the normal driver weight when making SCCA rules) comes in at the minimum 2275 pounds.

What pound SCCA driver was used when making rules for the 94/97 cars & for the 99/05 cars? When a 180 pound driver sets in a 99 plenty of balast weight goes in to make weight.

[Mike Collins]

These minimal weight NA cars with a SCCA rule standard 180 pound driver (the normal driver weight when making SCCA rules) comes in at the minimum 2275 pounds.

What pound SCCA driver was used when making rules for the 94/97 cars & for the 99/05 cars? When a 180 pound driver sets in a 99 plenty of balast weight goes in to make weight.

David, do you have nothing better to do than constantly stir the pot? I am working on a 99 now that we scaled yesterday. 2457 with 170 lb driver, 20 lb ballast and one gallon jug of water next to his cool suit with less than 1/8 tank of gas.

I also have several very well done 90's that are less than 2020 lb.

[Bench Racer]

David, do you have nothing better to do than constantly stir the pot? I am working on a 99 now that we scaled yesterday. 2457 with 170 lb driver, 20 lb ballast and one gallon jug of water next to his cool suit with less than 1/8 tank of gas.

I also have several very well done 90's that are less than 2020 lb.

Mike, why would you call my post stirring the pot? Everyone talks about the 1.6 weight but minimal talk about the 99 weight.

EDIT: No one ever talks about being over weight in a 99. Hmmm....

What's the finished weight of a well done 99 with a minimal wall/tube cage & no driver?