Tag Archives: weight

So How Much Does a TR6 Weigh, Really?

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IMG_1450In today’s snail-mail I received the July 2013 issue of Classic Motorsports Magazine and there is an article about the total weight of different classic cars.  Interesting article indeed.  This article made me think about the weight measurements I took on bowtie6.  So how much does a TR6 weigh, really?

The one-page article’s title is “By the Numbers” and shows several cars such as a 1967 Shelby GT350 (3295 lbs), 1971 MGB roadster (2150 lbs), 1965 Sunbeam Tiger (2545 lbs – a real porker) and a 1992 Mazda Miata (2194 lbs). This was listed on the page shown here to the left.

Hmmmm…  According to the article, the results were obtained with a set of Longacre DX scales.  What is the weight of a TR6, you ask?  Take a look:

IMG_1452

Compared to these numbers, bowtie6 did remarkably well.  Here are my results, also taken with a set of Longacre scales:

  • Rear Weight:  1150 lbs    51.7%
  • Front Weight:  1072 lbs    48.2%
  • Total:               2222 lbs    100%

Wait a minute…  These numbers are including a hard top!

Here are the totals without the hard top:

  • Rear Weight:  1094 lbs    50.6%
  • Front Weight:  1064 lbs    49.3%
  • Total:               2148 lbs     100%

Very interesting comparison.  My TR6 is lighter than a stock 1969 TR6 even with a hard top installed!  :mrgreen:  If you want to see more details – CLICK HERE.

I realize my TR6 is not the average run-of-the-mill TR6 but dang this is a big difference.  I suppose the new, lightweight frame and all alloy Ecotec play a very large role in this total.  Add to that the extra horsepower and torque numbers and the result is a pretty awesome TR6.

 

How Much Does a Honda S2000 Weigh?

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So really, how much does a Honda S2000 weight?  Since we still had the scales available, I thought I’d find out.  First though, I went to the service station and topped off the tank.  I wanted to see how much it would weigh in with a full tank of fuel.  Take a look…

Before we get started, for those of you that have never seen scales like these before, let me explain how to read the data.  Four scales are placed on an even floor.  The car is then lifted with a jack, each scale is placed under each tire and the car is lowered back on the scales with the total weight of the car resting on all four scales.  The control panel shown below has push-buttons (the gray LF, RF, LR, RR ones) with green LED’s next to them.  This way you can toggle each scale on/off.

Starting off with rear and then front (see the green LED’s? )…

Ah, but here is the real surprise (note all four green LED’s are “on”):

So there.  How ‘but them apples?  I’ve read the S2K weighs in at 2800 lbs, but 2765 lbs is even better!!  And remember this is a bone stock AP1 2003 S2000 with a full tank of gas.  Of course my fat ass wasn’t in the car when we put it on the scales, but still… This is pretty cool for a modern production automobile…

Update:

This is one of the most popular pages on this blog.  This information is not exactly readily available to the general public on the web and that is why I decided to take these pictures and write about the total weight distribution of my totally stock, low-mileage 2003 S2000.  

For the naysayers of the data posted here, I have the following comments:

  • The numbers listed in these pictures are accurate and obtained with the S2K resting on all four tires on all four Longacre scales.  That means, one scale under each tire.  Otherwise, what’s the point?
  • Many folks doubt the validity of these numbers.  I suppose one could take the easy way out and simply go with the attitude of “Go by the manufacturer’s weight as given on the side of the driver’s door”.  Fair enough, but what’s the point?  I wanted to know how much my car weighs, I have the tools to weigh it, and so I did.
  • Finally, and most important:  I have my own strong opinions about the things I write about (otherwise, what’s the point?) but in no way do I post inaccurate or misleading facts.   

It is up to you – the reader – to make up your own mind about these numbers.  Want to believe the door sticker?  Fine – limit yourself and drink the CoolAid.  However, for me the scales show the true weight of my car.

How Much Does a TR6 Weigh?

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I’ll ask again, how much does a TR6 weigh?

This has been a question in my mind ever since we fitted the new frame and engine to bowtie6.  Well today I finally was able to find out.  The result was a great surprise.

Along with a full tank of fuel and the hard top in place we took our first set of numbers.  The following pictures show front and rear total weights.

Here is the total:

Not too bad – 2,222 lbs and a 48.2% front / 51.7% rear bias.

We were curious about the weight of the factory hard top.  Well I can conclusively state the Triumph factory hard top weighs in at about 65 lbs.  Granted mine has had a few changes done.  I have added a layer of Dynamat Extreme inside however, I removed all the chrome trim.  So at the end of the day, I guess this would be about equal.

Here is the total without the hard top in place:

With the hard top removed, total weight is 2,158 lbs and a 49.3% front / 50.6% rear.

Next thing I need to do is put bowtie6 on a dyno and measure just how much horsepower we are putting down on the pavement.  In stock form, the 2.4 Ecotec in a Solstice/Sky produces 177 hp.  That is using the restrictive factory exhaust and the factory tune which is optimized for economy.  In bowtie6‘s case, we have tuned the PCM to produce power at the expense of economy (duh!), so we are far above from the stock value.  How much?  That we need to find out.

Regardless, this is all quite impressive.  It would have been nice to be closer to 2000lbs but  2,158 is not shabby at all.  I guess I should not have used all that Dynamat!  🙂

Oh and I found a prior post I had made regarding how much my cousin Jim’s TR4 weighs – to read that post CLICK HERE.

Question of Weight

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The proverbial question of weight.  The less weight one has to carry around, the faster and nimbler one will be.  Take a look at professional cyclists – small dudes (on really lightweight carbon bikes).  Take a look at Formula 1 cars – they are piloted by small dudes (on really lightweight carbon cars).  See a pattern here?

Back in the 50’s a fellow by the name of Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman founded an automotive house that specialized in extremely lightweight cars powered by (of all things) twincam inline four cylinder engines of small displacement.  No, they did not have carbon back then – they had aluminium.  Lotus Cars became a major force in the automotive world, producing very quick and nimble cars.  Basically he proved that very lightweight cars could be extremely competitive…  The holy grail: the lighter a car is, the quicker it will not only accelerate but it will stop.

TR4 on scales

Well, the ECOTEC TR4 was built based on this premise.  If you look close enough at the photo above you will see things that are not in your average TR4:  for one, the hard top; then the bonnet is missing the ‘bulge’ and believe it or not, the boot lid is not ‘original’.  All of these three components have been hand crafted from aluminium.  To save even more weight, the glass in the hardtop shown above is not exactly glass…  It is plex.

Close inspection of the pic above also shows the ECOTEC TR4 sitting on scales.  The silver case in the middle holds a Longacre automotive scale.  This is where things get interesting.  I’m sure you know where I’m going here.  So what is the total weight of this car?

Let’s start at the front, shall we?

Front weight

That is it:  984 lbs, 47.2% of the total weight is on the front wheels.

Not let’s take a look at the rear:

Rear weight

That is 1099 lbs, 52.7% of total weight is on the rear wheels.

And finally, the total:

Total weight

Total weight:  2083 lbs.  Now keep in mind a few things:  the frame is brand new, made from scratch.  The ECOTEC is all aluminium and the car was put on  scales with an oversize fuel tank, 90% full.  Not bad huh?

Comments?  Questions?  Let me know…