FIA Weight

[spd4me]

Have any of you FIA owners weighted your car? I've got a Windsor motor and need to know what it weights and how much the front half weights. Trying to figure some front shock information.
Bob

[Unique 289_FIA]

Have any of you FIA owners weighted your car? I've got a Windsor motor and need to know what it weights and how much the front half weights. Trying to figure some front shock information.
Bob

Mined weighed 2460 lbs with ~1/2 tank of gas. Weighed on a CAT scale.

[dmiller]

took my FIA with 351W and alum heads to be weighted at aircraft maintenance shop. this shop had three scales, we used two and then jacked car up at the other end to return to level. repeating for the other end.

results are:

with approx 1/2 tank of gas plus water and oil

total wt. without me, 2657 lbs with 50.4 % on frt wheels

with me in car, 2844 lbs with 49.0 % on frt wheels.

driver/pass side wt was 1287 driver's side and 1369 passenger's side without driver,

and 1423 driver's side and 1421 passenger side with me in driver's seat.

[spd4me]

dmiller
That's some great info. Thanks for your reply. I'm looking at getting some QA1 Proma Star 12 point adjustable shocks and the tech wanted to know weight distrubution.
Bob

[spd4me]

By the way, I drove thru Shreveport and Baton Rouge last week. That's some rough and busy interstates! Where do you go to drive 100 plus? I was driving a small uhaul and at 70 mph I was in the air half the time.

[nolastyankee]

Dmiller,
Do you have any idea what would cause the 90 lb. weight bias to the passenger side without you in the car? Uniques normally have the battery mounted on the driver side, so assuming yours is the same way there is about 150# more on your passenger side without the battery?

Also, I see a 400# weight difference between your car and one listed above. Any idea why the big difference?

Just curious. Thanks.

[dmiller]

i was supprised by that too, since my battery is on the drivers side.

i can't expain it.

doug

[dmiller]

as far as weight, i can't say, but the scales accurately measured my weight, i was about 187 pounds,

i'd hope that aircraft scales are accurate, a lot depends on them being dead nuts accurate.

can't say how accurate the typical truck scales are.

doug

[dmiller]

and there is only 200 lbs difference, the 400 is with me in the car. i think

doug

[dmiller]

maybe i should have read all of the mesg's and made one reply, but i didn't.

the interstates around here are awful, and the traffic is bad due to closing much of New Orleans. esp around baton rouge. and for some reason, the highway patrol is really out looking now.

there are several small secondary roads that are little traveled and offer a chance to air it out.

but, the best roads are over in texas, where the speed limits are 70 mph, and even less patrolled.

doug, (last one replying to above comments).

[Aggressor]

Your question of the day is:
"Where do you go to drive 100 plus?"
The gospel according to Bill Cosby as stated in his 200 MPH recording.

When he was told by a mechanic that he had to burn the gunk out of his engine to restore its performance, He said where do I do a hundred miles per hour and the mechanic responded smartly - "Any side street"

Here in the Northeast it's brief occassional jaunts over 100 on clear sections of interstates. Track time is always the best option though.

Stay sportminded and safe.
-Geary

[nolastyankee]

I would hope that aircraft scales would be the most accurate. And you're right, the 400 lb difference is with the driver.

I'm still puzzled by the side to side difference. With the battery,roll bar, and steering shaft predominantly on the drivers side, you would think that side would have the weight.

Unless of course you are running a 200 lb starter motor...

Any chance the engine mounts are offset? I know of at least one Cobra that does this to create room for the driver footbox and balance the car.

[dmiller]

not unless weavers made it that way,

??

doug

[Justin Upchurch]

Brian,
Just a guess, but he said this was done with the two scales on one end and a jack on the other. I think if this was the method used you could get close on corner weight but not exact. As far as corner weight on a scale the shock setting would have to be dead-on accurate to get to zero on both sides. Adjustable shock height and balast is used to zero each corner, so for a street car that hasn't been on four scales and adjusted, 90 pounds difference is very good.
Most street cars will be off as much as 200 pounds. Just to show how close 90 pounds is, just turn the steering wheel why you are sitting in the car, and the scale will change at lest 100 ponds.

Justin

[spd4me]

Sometimes when my wheels aren't shaking to bad and the wind isn't blowing, I'll go to 125-130 mph. My heart can't take much more.
Bob

[GeorgiaSnake]

Sometimes when my wheels aren't shaking to bad and the wind isn't blowing, I'll go to 125-130 mph. My heart can't take much more.
Bob

If you have serious shaking you need to visit a tire shop and have your balance checked. Mine had the same issue before I had a wheel balance done - huge difference - rock steady at any speed. Some wheel tire combinations require weights on the outside of the rim.

Randy

[spd4me]

Randy, your right. After I had them balanced it really smoothed ride. What shaking I get now is probably the BF Goodrich tires in combination with light weight car. When I change them, I'll try and buy a better tire. I had mine balanced with weights on inside rim edge and taped to inside of rim.
Bob