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Anything can be accomplished on your 996 for the right amount of money. The question is how much do you want to spend to go faster and how do you want to spend it. No right or wrong answer. Just the outlay of money and many mistakes that will cost you more money as you make them.
Best advice I can give is to take your time and make sure that the changes you make to your car and the money you spend on them will be something you will be happy about in 5 or 10 years.
Weight savings for me is not firstly about getting faster, it’s about minimizing the strain on the system. Brakes, tires, suspension components, gearbox, the motor pushing it… all these items individually benefit by having less weight to contend with.
The optimum outcome being it’s easier to both take care of the equipment AND go faster. Reducing the cost of consumables and making for a more reliable platform.
Interesting topic. I just weighed my 2001 C2 Manual Aero at the local quarry. Apparently, the scale has 20 lbs error. Meaning, if 3080 pound or over, it rounds up. Could be wrong, but thats what they said. I will prob weigh it again soon at the local transfer station to see if that is more accurate.
Basic specs: 18 inch E88s, Michelin 4s 245s/295s, rear seat deleted, sunroof, catless pipe with fister mufflers, H&R RSS coil overs, momo wheel, GT3 oem buckets, GT3 console delete, fire extinguisher, RSS rear upper adjustable dog bones, phenix adjustable tow links, lighter AGM battery, and RSS half cage. Weighed with half a tank of fuel. Still has the spare tire/tools/etc in the front. Some maps and stuff in the door pockets. Weighed basically as I typically drive it.
Yeah, we can really get in the weeds with actual part comparisons for weight savings of oem vs aftermarket.
GT3 seats or equivalent, rear seat delete and exhaust are your low hanging fruit. Floating hat brake systems may give you a little as well. Dont know what the oem suspension weighs vs a set or Ohlins RT, Bilstein PSS9s or 10s, JRZs etc and if there are savings. Nor do I know how much you can save with aftermarket arms and suspension components.
But you have to add in for roll cage, deep sump with extra oil, wider wheels etc.
If I was racing the car I would worry about it. If I am just going to DE, which is what I do, then I focus on the low hanging fruit with an emphasis on set-up, handling, braking and safety with a 3,000 lb car.
But everyone has different goals and objectives, which is what makes Rennlist alot of fun to pontificate the options. You never know.
Weight savings for me is not firstly about getting faster, it’s about minimizing the strain on the system.
QFT
Whats that thing that Colin Chapman said about weight?...
Originally Posted by matthew.a.tanner
@2mAn can you help shed some light since you’ve done it….
Happy to share. I needed a reclining seat as I have a child seat in the back for my spawn. She loves going for drives and taking her with me to C&C events was the main reason I chose to sell my Alfa Romeo Giulia Super in favor of the 911. So that ruled out GT3 seats.
For reference, my car is a 4/98 nearly no option car other than 408s, but I still plan to get some lightweight OZs eventually.
These weights about as accurate as I care to be. It worked fairly well the last time I went through all this with a MR2. I was about 10# off the actual weight when I took it in for corner balancing years ago, so I continue to use it for my purposes. Im just one idiot having fun in his garage...
Stock seat. ~66#
This is with the BK floor mounts and Recaro sliders installed. ~37#
Rear Seats, wrapped up to be stored forever LOL ~23#
Stock decklid, fan removed ~24#
Fiberglass ducktail, with electric fan installed ~12#
Anything can be accomplished on your 996 for the right amount of money. The question is how much do you want to spend to go faster and how do you want to spend it. No right or wrong answer. Just the outlay of money and many mistakes that will cost you more money as you make them.
Best advice I can give is to take your time and make sure that the changes you make to your car and the money you spend on them will be something you will be happy about in 5 or 10 years.
The wisdom in this can't be overstated. It's easy to hack up a car and some things can't be reversed. Carpenter's rule applies here in spades: measure twice, cut once.
Originally Posted by zbomb
Weight savings for me is not firstly about getting faster, it’s about minimizing the strain on the system. Brakes, tires, suspension components, gearbox, the motor pushing it… all these items individually benefit by having less weight to contend with.
The optimum outcome being it’s easier to both take care of the equipment AND go faster. Reducing the cost of consumables and making for a more reliable platform.
Increasing power through weight reduction works in NA Porsches because regardless of generation, there is little low hanging fruit and increases are usually small and expensive. Your point is equally important. My primary reasons are just feel. There is in fact a replacement for displacement and it's weight reduction. Those who have driven a 2k-2,500 lb car understand it's a different feeling that can't be replaced with displacement in a heavier car.
Originally Posted by diddy2003
Interesting topic. I just weighed my 2001 C2 Manual Aero at the local quarry. Apparently, the scale has 20 lbs error. Meaning, if 3080 pound or over, it rounds up. Could be wrong, but thats what they said. I will prob weigh it again soon at the local transfer station to see if that is more accurate.
Basic specs: E88s, Michelin 4s, rear seat deleted, sunroof, catless pipe with fister mufflers, coil overs, momo wheel, GT3 buckets, GT3 console delete, fire extinguisher, and RSS half cage. Weighed with half a tank. Still has the spare tire/tools/etc in the front. Some maps and stuff in the door pockets. Weighed basically as I typically drive it.
Thank you for this. It seems the 2,910 lb weight number is not easily (or at all) attainable in a stock US-spec'd car. Expected but disappointing nonetheless.
Originally Posted by GC996
Yeah, we can really get in the weeds with actual part comparisons for weight savings of oem vs aftermarket.
GT3 seats or equivalent, rear seat delete and exhaust are your low hanging fruit. Floating hat brake systems may give you a little as well. Dont know what the oem suspension weighs vs a set or Ohlins RT, Bilstein PSS9s or 10s, JRZs etc and if there are savings. Nor do I know how much you can save with aftermarket arms and suspension components.
But you have to add in for roll cage, deep sump with extra oil, wider wheels etc.
If I was racing the car I would worry about it. If I am just going to DE, which is what I do, then I focus on the low hanging fruit with an emphasis on set-up, handling, braking and safety with a 3,000 lb car.
But everyone has different goals and objectives, which is what makes Rennlist alot of fun to pontificate the options. You never know.
Agreed. For me, interior, exhaust, battery, too removal, and unsprung weight (wheels, tires, brakes, suspension) are the first stage. Anything after that needs to be well thought out and will either be expensive or not easily reversible.
Originally Posted by 2mAn
These weights about as accurate as I care to be. It worked fairly well the last time I went through all this with a MR2. I was about 10# off the actual weight when I took it in for corner balancing years ago, so I continue to use it for my purposes. Im just one idiot having fun in his garage...
Great info. So many numbers floating around but more often than not, we don't know were they come from. Thank you.
If better performance is the objective I would heartily recommend going after unsprung weight reduction. You'll get a lot more bang for the buck there. Not saying that you shouldn't remove rear seats etc., just that when it comes time to spend money, spend it at the wheels/tires/brakes first.
If better performance is the objective I would heartily recommend going after unsprung weight reduction. You'll get a lot more bang for the buck there. Not saying that you shouldn't remove rear seats etc., just that when it comes time to spend money, spend it at the wheels/tires/brakes first.
Agreed, however it is very easy (and cheap ) to drink a beer, head to the garage, and remove your rear seats. Furthermore it's hard to hurt yourself after drinking them beers. I have kept mine for years in case I was going to take our family of four for an outing. Oddly enough that has rarely happened. Now my kids are gigantic and they have years to go before they stop growing. I'd say that our odds of taking the family in the 911 are not so good.
Yesterday I got all hopped up and decided to do something and that something was to remove the backs of the seats. Man those things are heavy. I might keep the cushions since they weigh almost nothing and give a mildly finished look.
Just took my car for a drive. Definitely faster. I recommend it.
Took out my rear seats over 15 years ago when the kids didn't fit in the back seat anymore. Packed them away and never looked at them again until a year ago when I sold them. Just like I sold my oem seats. Don't miss any of them, not to mention my car is alot lighter.
2470 wet, half tank of gas. Full cage and no carbon other than roof and decklid. It’s even a gt3/c4 tub. 997 all aluminum front end was about 60lbs savings - 996 hoods are stupid heavy.
Sadly I now need to put 200lbs back in the car, starting with dash/gauges and probably ending with a small adult equivalent lead passenger.
QFT
Whats that thing that Colin Chapman said about weight?...
Happy to share. I needed a reclining seat as I have a child seat in the back for my spawn. She loves going for drives and taking her with me to C&C events was the main reason I chose to sell my Alfa Romeo Giulia Super in favor of the 911. So that ruled out GT3 seats.
For reference, my car is a 4/98 nearly no option car other than 408s, but I still plan to get some lightweight OZs eventually.
These weights about as accurate as I care to be. It worked fairly well the last time I went through all this with a MR2. I was about 10# off the actual weight when I took it in for corner balancing years ago, so I continue to use it for my purposes. Im just one idiot having fun in his garage...
Stock seat. ~66#
This is with the BK floor mounts and Recaro sliders installed. ~37#
Rear Seats, wrapped up to be stored forever LOL ~23#
Stock decklid, fan removed ~24#
Fiberglass ducktail, with electric fan installed ~12#
Ha I didn’t realize the rear seats were almost 20lbs and 66lbs for the stock seat sounds right.
2470 wet, half tank of gas. Full cage and no carbon other than roof and decklid. It’s even a gt3/c4 tub. 997 all aluminum front end was about 60lbs savings - 996 hoods are stupid heavy.
Sadly I now need to put 200lbs back in the car, starting with dash/gauges and probably ending with a small adult equivalent lead passenger.
10-17-2023, 08:54 AM
