Racer X has posted an informative You Tube video of how to easily remove 276 lbs. from your Challenger and increase its ET by .3 sec. at the track. Here is the list of weight savings: Seat Removal- 106 lbs. Lightweight Battery- 28 Lightweight Bumper Supports- 38 Subs, Carpet Mats and Tire Air Compressor - 25 Drag Wheels- 45 Lightweight Rotors- 14 Mid-muffler Delete- 20 TOTAL= 276 lbs.
Unfortunately, the only benefit of the weight loss will be a tiny drop in ET at the track. Doubt you'd even notice it on the street but you'll surely notice the increased noise, lousy stereo and no back seat! No thanks! If I wanted that, I would've bought a different car.
The thumbrule for most street cars is lose 100 lbs, and you will drop .1 sec off the ET, and gain 1 mph in the trap......... but the faster you go, the less this applies So in theory, losing 300 lbs should net you a .3 sec ET drop and a 3 mph speed boost
Losing almost 300 lbs. of weight will reduce your ET at the track by .3 sec. That is significant- three car lengths.
Not going to happen. 3 tenths is a lot. My guess is maybe 2 tenths on a prepped track and maybe 1 tenth on the street. Again, yeah, it makes sense if it's a track car but most people buy these cars because they are bigger and heavier than others on the market and therefore offer more space and comfort for daily use. If you intend for your car to be track focused, I'm sure it's already gutted, battery moved to the trunk, lighter, smaller front wheels and tires installed etc, etc. It ain't rocket science.
Well, I've seen it happen on track cars and street cars...just by changing the driver from a 350 lb person to a 150 lb person would 2 tenths...
This 1/4 calculator bears out Racer X's .3 ET improvement. If you plug in 4,435 lbs. (4,235 lb. car + 200 lb. driver) and 485 hp.(flywheel), you get 12.80 sec. If you plug in 4,159 lbs. (4,235 lb. car - 276 lb. reduction + 200 lb. driver), you get 12.53 sec., or .27 sec. faster ET. https://robrobinette.com/et.htm?wei...button_id=KMLUTJBMN3DVN&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
Those calculators are cute and all but IMO, they're little more than tools for non-racers to try to sound like they know what they're talking about. If you spend any time at the track, you'll see that actual ET's seldom match what calculators, magazines or OEM's publish. Doesn't mean they're not possible, just not likely.
All due respect, in all but very practiced drivers, 1-2 tenths variation (or more) between runs is very common on any given day with zero change in car or driver.
Finally watched the Racer X video. Now I think the ~300lb suggestions are even sillier! He's suggesting to pull the front seat too? Come on, really? You want the best bang for the buck? Racer X touched on it but didn't elaborate. Unsprung weight reduction will net you the most performance gain hands down. Why? Because most of it in your car is "rotational mass" which requires a lot or power to speed up and slow down. So how big are the potential gains? how about 3-TIMES your sprung weight! That's right, pound for pound, rotational mass reduction is worth 3-TIMES as much as sprung weight. So reducing the weight of your wheels and tires by say 10lbs each is the same as pulling 120lbs of sprung weight out of your car. So what items are rotational mass? Wheels, Tires, Brake rotors, Drive shafts, Axles...Basically anything your engine wastes power trying to spin. Another point to ponder: Sprung weight loss reduction may seem a good idea but remember that weight pushing down on your suspension is what gives you traction.
