my 4 week weight loss program **updated 10/05**
Turbo Mini Forums

after the disappointment of not being able to run at Avon park (that'll teach me to wait until the sunday!) and having a good look around some of the other cars there i decided my car was a little on the chubby side! this combined with the fact that the bodywork on the mini had seen better days all gave me some motivation to get out in the garage and do some proper work on the mini.

i already had a fibreglass front end that i bought from a member on here a while ago that was just sat in my garage so i decided to fit this aswell as some other lightweight bits. to find out exactly how much weight could be saved by each step i have weighed pretty much everything that came off and everything that is going back on (only on a set of bathroom scales so perhaps not entirely accurate but it still gives a good indication!). ive set myself a target of 100kg by MITP to see what difference it makes to my 1/4 mile. last year i ran a 14.8 at avon and th engine spec hasnt changed atall so any improvement will be down to weight loss (i havnt been practicing my starts either! last year was the first and to date only time i had taken it down the strip so can rule driver improvement pretty much out!)

This is the mini at avon before everything began.
it was a 100% steel shell with only carpet, sound deadening etc removed inside but with a six point cage.
estimated weight was around 700kg according to the MOT station brake tester machine thing.


(the one on the right)


First off cutting the front end off, including A-panels:


and then fitting the front end (and the inevitable cutting/filing/shaping/swearing):


weight saving here was not as much as i thought it might have been.
Removed:
Front end with a panels - 13.2kg
bonnet - 6kg

Added:
fibreglass front - 3.8
brace bars - 2.8kg (2 x 1.4kg)
fibreglass bonnet - 2kg


next was the fitment of a fibreglass bootlid:


this was quite an easy fitment process so any weight save gained here is quite quick mod and doesnt cost that much (except painting obviously but that will come later over the winter!).

Removed:
steel bootlid - 4.6kg

Added:
fibreglass bootlid - 1.2kg


next area to look at was the doors. my doors had seen better days (bottom was badly rotted and would have needed quite considerable repair as well as reskinning) so i decided to bite the bullet and fork out for some aluminium skinned 'streetfighter' doors from the mini door company.
im really impressed by these and the service was really good, from a genuinely nice guy.



doors fitted:


i still need to fit the polycarb sliding windows to these before the weekend but that shouldnt be too much of a job.

weight removed:
complete door - 20.6 (each)
consisting of: bare door - 10.2kg, window mech - 1.8kg, glass 4.4kg, door card (aluminium home made jobs) - 2.2kg.

new doors:
bare door - 5.6kg
i will weigh the perspex and channels etc tomorrow.


and finally i bought a big sheet of polycarbonate from a plastics company and cut out the two rear quarter windows and rear screen.

removed:
rear quarter windows - 2.8kg (each)
rear screen - 4kg

added:
polycarbonate rear quarters - 1kg (each)
rear poly screen - 1.6kg



so after all that, so far i have saved 55.6kg (take away whatever the sliding windows for the doors weigh).
there is certainly more to come in the next couple of days but this will pretty much involve taking out things that arent needed like the passenger seat!

Edited by Ian_W on 10th May, 2008.

Good work Wes! Still love this car

Wow,
Great work lad,
I dont think a std mini weighs that much tbh? but that aint important.

Im gonna have to do this eventually.

Back once again like a renegade master

Well done wes, get rid of everything!! ive told myself to stop eating pies aswell.

wes if it helps . mine weighed 710 kg with all stock internals etc
and 660 with a flip front and the 3 windows done ,and a beam axle .

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

So is it nearly finished yet? Only 2 days to go!!!

Remember to weigh that connector I gave you, and go easy on the solder..lol

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

Nice one. Loving those doors. Oh and the lotus is sexy.:)

Thats quite a considerable weight saving, Its like ditching a light passenger!

Does anyone know how much a 6 point roll cage with door bars actually weighs?

I have saved a bit of weight by chipping all the sound deading stuff of the rear seat, I left it on the floor pan to help lower the centre of gravity.

chip it off the floor pan too.. 7kg's on the floor only 2kg's on the seat.

If you fit polycarbonate windows that'll help your centre of gravity.

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

ooooh i can see the lotus

Good work on recording all the weights too

Good work, should improve your times nicely.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

www.twin-turbo.co.uk

lose the cage and break out the hole saw.

Same as Alex, i absolutely love this car. I can't believe you own such a top mini and just lurk on the site. Post about it more dammit!!

So you're doing all this weightsaving stuff, but haven't done the most simple thing. Remove those awful 13" wheels. That's 30kg straight off!

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

www.twin-turbo.co.uk

13" wheels approx 15kg each. 10" wheels approx 7,5kgs each.

7,5kgX 4 = 30kgs.

That's what I'm on about!

unsprung too!!!

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

I think that Will means without ANY wheels LOL!

In the 13's at last!.. Just

however, the contact area on 13s is larger. Would be interesting to see what the difference is times is.

If I can run a 13.5 with a 998 on 13s then there is no disadvantage!

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

www.twin-turbo.co.uk

If you've fitted Miglia slicks you woul've run 13.3 honest :)

What I cannot understand is why you people don't run 145r10 tyres with 60psi at the rear at Avon...

because they dont look very nice

On 16th of Aug, 2007 at 07:47pm Star Mag said:

On 16th of Aug, 2007 at 02:06pm Vegard said:
If you've fitted Miglia slicks you woul've run 13.3 honest :)

What I cannot understand is why you people don't run 145r10 tyres with 60psi at the rear at Avon...

I was going to but it rained! and me gearbox has blown this week!

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