6
My modest build
- Thread starter Injen1us
- Start date
jay745
What Would Glenn Danzig Do
Heh that's Carsons seat. I was at his house earlier and saw it all wrapped up. I'm too fat to fit in them but I'm told they are very comfortable
Injen1us
Drag Race Newbie
Itll keep me skinny... stay skinny or dont drive my car. lol
Injen1us
Drag Race Newbie
I have been meaning to take the time and post my thoughts on my recent big purchases on the car; namely the carbon fiber hood and my Bride Vios III racing seat.
Philosophically I do not see much need in playing the "more power" game with the car. The drive train feels maxed out for my liking. Now i know alot of people disagree with me and there are numerous big turbo builds on this forum; but for the style of driving I do (track days and canyon runs) more power is seldom the answer. I actually thing the k04 on the low output tune more than suffices this arena.
So what then? Well... weight. The whole point of my build in the first place (see opening paragraph on post #1) is remedying all the various issues i have with the car. Weight as always been one. There is no reason for 2dr hatch to weigh 3200 lbs... Thats crazy to me. So here and there in the build i have begun to attack that. Tool/spare removal, lightweight exhaust, rear seat delete, eurokreations kit to clean up the look, BBK etc.
That brings us to my recent additions
Carbon fiber hood
There were alot of options in this regard. Alot of people go seibon because it is a tried and true company that makes a great product. I was turned off by the fact that they require hood pins. Now hood pins will go into my current setup; but only as redundancy. The ECS Tuning CF hood retains the OEM latch making it a little more secure than most hoods on the market. So i went that route.
The packaging, fitment and look are superb. Really quite impressive and beyond what i expected. ECS' website says some trim required for windshield wiper sprayers and hood stops... thats a bit of an understatement... you have to drill holes :/
Overall im happy. The product is crazy light when compared to the OEM hood. ECS boasts a 21lb weight reduction and it certainly feels it.
Next...
Racing Seat
I looked for a lonnnnngggg time for a good racing seat; Braum, Corbeau, Sparco, Bride... you name it i looked at it...
The goal here was two fold... support and weight reduction; comfort is a distant third. I personally dont mind being a bit more rigid if the former two are being appropriately satisfied.
After much looking and thought I landed on a seat/mount setup being sold by another forum member for a real excellent price.
Bride Vios III with sparco side mounts
There is no question the OEM cloth seats/mounts weight in excess of 50lbs... extremely heavy... The Bride/sparco setup is just over 19lbs. Huge savings in weight. The fit is snug but comfortable for a man with a 31inch waist... any more than that and its goifng to be a bit tough for long rides. Of course i have an airbag light from disconnecting the OEM seat airbag but no great drama as a resistor option is being worked out. Ultimately the swap only takes 20min so for inspection/road trips im not put out too bad.
also its bride... so style points?
Either way with the two recent additions in weight reduction I am now offically under 2800lbs. I have yet to make it back to weigh station to confirm but will do so soon. Power to weight ration (on 93oct/crank hp) is right around 7.6 vs 8.5 at OEM weigh.
This takes me from being competitive with a Camaro SS to a Camaro ZL1. Not to mention gains in efficiency, clutch life, tread life; all the while keeping road noise down and comfort available.
Sorry for the long post... just wanted to make my direction clear
Philosophically I do not see much need in playing the "more power" game with the car. The drive train feels maxed out for my liking. Now i know alot of people disagree with me and there are numerous big turbo builds on this forum; but for the style of driving I do (track days and canyon runs) more power is seldom the answer. I actually thing the k04 on the low output tune more than suffices this arena.
So what then? Well... weight. The whole point of my build in the first place (see opening paragraph on post #1) is remedying all the various issues i have with the car. Weight as always been one. There is no reason for 2dr hatch to weigh 3200 lbs... Thats crazy to me. So here and there in the build i have begun to attack that. Tool/spare removal, lightweight exhaust, rear seat delete, eurokreations kit to clean up the look, BBK etc.
That brings us to my recent additions
Carbon fiber hood
There were alot of options in this regard. Alot of people go seibon because it is a tried and true company that makes a great product. I was turned off by the fact that they require hood pins. Now hood pins will go into my current setup; but only as redundancy. The ECS Tuning CF hood retains the OEM latch making it a little more secure than most hoods on the market. So i went that route.
The packaging, fitment and look are superb. Really quite impressive and beyond what i expected. ECS' website says some trim required for windshield wiper sprayers and hood stops... thats a bit of an understatement... you have to drill holes :/
Overall im happy. The product is crazy light when compared to the OEM hood. ECS boasts a 21lb weight reduction and it certainly feels it.
Next...
Racing Seat
I looked for a lonnnnngggg time for a good racing seat; Braum, Corbeau, Sparco, Bride... you name it i looked at it...
The goal here was two fold... support and weight reduction; comfort is a distant third. I personally dont mind being a bit more rigid if the former two are being appropriately satisfied.
After much looking and thought I landed on a seat/mount setup being sold by another forum member for a real excellent price.
Bride Vios III with sparco side mounts
There is no question the OEM cloth seats/mounts weight in excess of 50lbs... extremely heavy... The Bride/sparco setup is just over 19lbs. Huge savings in weight. The fit is snug but comfortable for a man with a 31inch waist... any more than that and its goifng to be a bit tough for long rides. Of course i have an airbag light from disconnecting the OEM seat airbag but no great drama as a resistor option is being worked out. Ultimately the swap only takes 20min so for inspection/road trips im not put out too bad.
also its bride... so style points?
Either way with the two recent additions in weight reduction I am now offically under 2800lbs. I have yet to make it back to weigh station to confirm but will do so soon. Power to weight ration (on 93oct/crank hp) is right around 7.6 vs 8.5 at OEM weigh.
This takes me from being competitive with a Camaro SS to a Camaro ZL1. Not to mention gains in efficiency, clutch life, tread life; all the while keeping road noise down and comfort available.
Sorry for the long post... just wanted to make my direction clear
Injen1us
Drag Race Newbie
Thanks man! I live 40 miles north of Barstow
Injen1us
Drag Race Newbie
Thanks bro!!!!
Blaznjoe
Drag Race Newbie
Great info on the carbon hood, thanks! :w00t: I will be getting one sooner or later and was wondering about the windshield wiper water fitment which you pointed out.
Now you have me thinking about upgrading my seat as well. :bonk:
Did you swap out your battery for a lighter version? More weight savings to deduct
Now you have me thinking about upgrading my seat as well. :bonk:
Did you swap out your battery for a lighter version? More weight savings to deduct
Injen1us
Drag Race Newbie
Great info on the carbon hood, thanks! :w00t: I will be getting one sooner or later and was wondering about the windshield wiper water fitment which you pointed out.
Now you have me thinking about upgrading my seat as well. :bonk:
Did you swap out your battery for a lighter version? More weight savings to deduct
I swapped one that is only 8lbs lighter. Didn't want to go too small until some more information is out
sauceman101
Ready to race!
Excellant man, been following for awhile, should be done with power modifications in the next year, then continuing to lighten the car will be my path as well! There is hope for these MK6 piggies
Injen1us
Drag Race Newbie
Nice dude! And thanks!
Also yea I've always been annoyed by all the excess weight :/