I guess I'll shelve the carbon fibre hood idea. What about a hood scoop!?!
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| Initial D World - Discussion Board / Forums > Automotive Discussion > Weight Reduction |
| Posted by: THE_HONDA_CG2 Dec 20 2016, 02:39 PM |
| So I've been playing around with the idea of getting a carbon fibre hood for my car for a while. I figured that it is going to be really expensive so its been sitting on the back burner. While weighing (haha get it?) my options, I came across the thought "is it even worth it to reduce the weight of the car?" sure I want the most fashionable car ever, but for the money should I? Its already pretty light around 3000lbs and I have no intention on tracking the car. I'm just looking into weight reduction to get better mileage on it. Right now I get around 28-30mpg and that's from my surface street commute every day. Its a little higher on freeway. What do you guys think? Yes or no on the carbon fibre? |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 20 2016, 03:40 PM |
| No. It's not worth it for a daily driver. Before you start worrying about weight reduction, worry about increasing your skill as a driver. [ Post made via Mobile Device ] |
| Posted by: THE_HONDA_CG2 Dec 20 2016, 06:45 PM |
| Hang on there pal! I have never gotten into an accident before. I think my driving skills are fine. And who says I can't have a fast daily? |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 20 2016, 09:03 PM |
| I didn't mean it as a slight. I simply meant that if you really wanna be a fast driver, you'll find out very quickly that your skills on the road don't amount to as much as you think they do on the track. So get some seat time in on a track before you go worrying about weight reduction or buying carbon fiber parts. |
| Posted by: Meteor Dec 21 2016, 02:38 AM |
| She seems to be purely concerned with gas mileage here though, not cutting milliseconds on the track. Anyway, if gas mileage is your only concern, a carbon fiber hood isn't worth it. The money you save on gas will take a long while to make up for the money you spent buying the hood in the first place. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 21 2016, 04:54 AM | ||||
QED. Anyway, if gas mileage really is the only concern for your lightening project, a carbon fiber hood isn't gonna cut it to get you real numbers. You'd have to gut the interior, replace the hood and trunk, and get some lighter wheels to help with your rotational mass. Then you might see a positive change in your gas mileage, but you'd also be sacrificing all of your comfort due to the massive increase in road noise in the interior. Or, you could see if there's a way to tune for better gas mileage with a COBB or something. I'm a firm believer that if you're looking for better gas mileage you should be doing two things. One, don't drive fast. Two, make sure your engine is both well-maintained and tuned for efficiency. If, however, your point really is having a 'fast' daily, then I repeat my earlier point that wasting money on silly things like carbon fiber hoods isn't the answer. Spending money to tune the critical component between the driver's seat and the controls, however, is. |
| Posted by: THE_HONDA_CG2 Dec 21 2016, 04:32 PM |
| In my heart, I am a fashion driver and I am looking to make my car the most stylish car. I guess I'll shelve the carbon fibre hood idea. What about a hood scoop!?! |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 21 2016, 04:50 PM |
| I personally think that scoops are stupid unless they actually perform a specific function. They're rice, just like how ricers add stupid stick-on 'brake cooling vents' or whatever the fuck onto their fenders. If you wanna rice, go for it. Just accept that it's rice. |
| Posted by: Lonely_Driver Dec 21 2016, 09:09 PM |
| That's pretty good mileage already for an AWD car in mixed driving. Do you have a magnet? Check to see if you're hood isn't aluminum already. Get some lightweight wheels and low rolling resistance tires if you want too and it will add to the fashion you want. Try to use the gears to engine brake a bit more rather than using the brakes. Most of you mileage is robbed from acceleration so try to pace yourself that you are stopping the least amount of times possible. |
| Posted by: Meteor Dec 22 2016, 01:50 AM |
| Yeah, I wouldn't recommend hood scoops unless your engine really needs the extra cooling, especially since they do make your car less aerodynamic (and hood vents can sometimes outperform hood scoops when it comes to airflow anyway). The simplest mod for both looks and fuel mileage would really just be those lightweight rims N1 mentioned. Having less rotational inertia on the wheels makes the engine's job a whole lot easier. If you do get said rims, it's probably best you look for legit ones, as opposed to getting some ebay knockoff manufactured to dubious specifications. You never know if the knockoff will try to self destruct at speed or not. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 22 2016, 09:32 AM | ||
The stock hood is aluminum, as Lonely_Driver surmised. It's probably around 15 pounds. A correctly-made expensive CF hood (~$800) might save you 7 pounds or so. Or you can get a cheapo hood that is probably the same weight as the stocker. So the question becomes, do you really want to pay $800 to save 7 pounds? Aren't there better, significantly less expensive ways to shed 7 pounds from your vehicle? I mean, I'm sorry, but I'd sooner spend that kind of money on better wheels and tires than I would on a silly CF hood. And once again, it comes back to how she probably wouldn't even notice the difference 7 pounds would make. To get to the point where 7 pounds would ever matter, she would really have to put in seat time doing track driving and learning her limits and the limits of her vehicle. This is all silly. It's rice. If you want rice, go for it, but don't pretend it's not rice. |
| Posted by: Spaz Dec 25 2016, 03:30 PM |
| If all you're looking to lose in the car is 7 pounds, and this isn't a joke or slight or anything... Go to the gym. Laugh, snicker, take offense, I don't care, but even someone like me who's built like a proper race car driver still has weight they can shave off. And you get the added benefit of being a tad bit healthier for it. N1, I don't think even a seasoned driver is going to notice a change of 7 pounds on a track, definitely not in feel. Hell, the only difference I notice between a full and empty tank in the Evo is that I can hit the limiter in 4th at Gingerman Raceway before braking for turn 11 when it's empty. Hood scoops, oh dear god why. Subaru fans are gonna kill me, and I ain't care. Yes, you're forcing air into the engine bay to help with cooling, but that only works so well, since the engine bay is already a high pressure zone with the air coming through the radiators at the front. Can't really move air from high pressure into high pressure, so you're just creating drag. Furthermore, the extra air that's being stuffed into the engine bay has to go somewhere, and that ends up being out the bottom and under the car, helping to generate lift and therefore instability at speed. You're better off with a vent instead, allowing air in the engine bay to escape without disrupting airflow over the car, and in turn adding more air on top of the vehicle, which can help add to the downforce. When it comes to money equating speed, start with the cheapest, most effective mods and work your way from there. When I can spend $2000 on new coilovers and shave 2+ seconds off my lap times, I shouldn't be spending $700 on removing 7 pounds that may or may not shave me a thousandth of a second. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Dec 25 2016, 04:11 PM |
Fine by me. I was being nice and offering the benefit of the doubt. We're in complete agreement, so.  |
| Posted by: THE_HONDA_CG2 Dec 26 2016, 11:59 AM |
| Just playing around with the idea. Thanks for all the opinions guys! And Spaz, I have been loosing weight! It feels really great to be healthy. I didn't consider that about hood scoops, and you have a good point. My stock hood is just fine so I'll keep it for now. |
| Posted by: Spaz Dec 26 2016, 08:23 PM | ||
Healthy is FTW. Just working on my feet again for the past 9 months instead of sitting at a desk all day, I've lost about 6 pounds and am back below 150 as a result. Feels awesome even though it's just a small amount. I was 145ish when I was properly in shape but there's muscle mass in there that I no longer have so I've got a ways to go if I want to get back there. My advice will always be the same to anyone regardless; work on yourself before you work on the car if you want to go fast. Personal experience says that the way to go.  |
| Posted by: DeeezNuuuts83 Dec 28 2016, 10:13 PM |
| Unless your hood weighs a hundred pounds, going carbon fiber isn't going to get you any noticeable improvements in fuel economy. |