65imp's TVR build

[FC3S Murray]

That is damn light! I thought I was doing good with 2729lb's with the exact fluids and gas like you.

[largeorangefont]

He has quite a bit of weight removed from the rear. A standard hatch and OEM interior probably would have evened it out. The battery is on the firewall. but it is a Braille I believe.

At this point a full tank of gas and some corner weight adjustments would get the car really close to perfect as is.

[largeorangefont]

That is damn light! I thought I was doing good with 2729lb's with the exact fluids and gas like you.

That gives me hope for a sub 2650 for my car

[frijolee]

.... and some corner weight adjustments would get the car really close to perfect as is.

 

Just gotta give you a bit of hard time about this.  Cross weights are within 9 lbs of perfect in the above and I dialed in one more half crank after I shot this.  How much more corner weight adjustments do you want?

This isn't an all track destroyer so we didn't worry about the driver weight.   The L/R balance will get a touch better with the passenger seat in but that's only about 15 lbs (kevlar) so it'll never dial out the inherent weight shift left (steering wheel etc).  Otherwise I have no explanation why the left side is a little heavier.  I should point out that corner weighting can't solve an inherent left/right bias any more than it can an inherent front/rear bias.

I also might mention that most cars this light aren't running 315 front tires, and 335 rears, much less full carpet or  sounded deadening.  Mike's really done an amazing job with this thing...

[Bowtie7]

They almost always run heavier on the l/f. Are the swaybars nuetral or disconnected when you measure? It makes a difference. Nuetralizing will remove preload.

[largeorangefont]

.... and some corner weight adjustments would get the car really close to perfect as is.

 

Just gotta give you a bit of hard time about this.  Cross weights are within 9 lbs of perfect in the above and I dialed in one more half crank after I shot this.  How much more corner weight adjustments do you want?

This isn't an all track destroyer so we didn't worry about the driver weight.   The L/R balance will get a touch better with the passenger seat in but that's only about 15 lbs (kevlar) so it'll never dial out the inherent weight shift left (steering wheel etc).  Otherwise I have no explanation why the left side is a little heavier.  I should point out that corner weighting can't solve an inherent left/right bias any more than it can an inherent front/rear bias.

I also might mention that most cars this light aren't running 315 front tires, and 335 rears, much less full carpet or  sounded deadening.  Mike's really done an amazing job with this thing...

I forgot the car is going to drive itself.    In all seriousness, even though the car won't be used on the track, there will be a benefit even on the street from a good corner balance with Mike in the driver's seat, and full race level alignment, just not to full race specifications. Mike spent all the money for the fancy componentry, might as well dial it in and use it.

There is more "stuff" on the left side, steering, pedals, brake components etc. so the left bias is typical in a lot of cars.

As Charlie said, if the sway bars were connected, the weights were probably a bit off anyway. That is a good time to adjust the endlinks to remove any preload.

I agree, Mike has done an amazing job considering that the car will be a decently "liveable" vehicle, and not a stripped tin can.

[dream36realms]

with that said, you give me hope. I know my stock weight and I know how much difference the LS weighs over it. I can only hope to get near you in weight and I know my car is lighter off the bat from yours.

[65imp]

That is light!  I'm surprised it wasn't more 50/50.  Is your battery in the rear bin?
Is this with the lightweight CF race hatch? 

Nope Battery is on the firewall where the ABS was.  Also my hatch is still the overly heavy one.  I will lose quite a bit with the new race hatch, and once I ditch the inertia reels for the manual belts I bought.  But these measurements were without the passenger seat in the car since I was working on the wiring.  I imagine it will be pretty close to the same unless I pull the accusump out.  There is quite a bit of weight with the sump, extra oil, lines, etc.  Without tracking the car, it is prolly overkill. 

That is damn light! I thought I was doing good with 2729lb's with the exact fluids and gas like you.

That is doing really good!  It is Soooo easy to add weight with many little things.  But finding ways to remove weight gets challenging, and expensive. 
You have 10 quarts of oil too!    
I was pretty pumped to see I met my weight goal. 

He has quite a bit of weight removed from the rear. A standard hatch and OEM interior probably would have evened it out. The battery is on the firewall. but it is a Braille I believe.
At this point a full tank of gas and some corner weight adjustments would get the car really close to perfect as is.

The other thing I realized after Joel took off with the scales is that the front of my car is over an inch lower than the rear due to the slope of my garage.  We were trying to do too much in a couple hours, so we just got out the scales and checked the level of my floor from left to right.  I imagine I will get more pounds over the rear when I get it level, and we weigh it again down the road.   

They almost always run heavier on the l/f. Are the swaybars nuetral or disconnected when you measure? It makes a difference. Nuetralizing will remove preload.

Swaybars are unattached right now.

with that said, you give me hope. I know my stock weight and I know how much difference the LS weighs over it. I can only hope to get near you in weight and I know my car is lighter off the bat from yours.

y car was a base model to start with, You really need to be a weight nazi to get pounds out of these things.  Good luck to ya. 

[spacevomit]

This isn't an all track destroyer

Ha! We'll see about that.

[mefarri]

Hey I was just re-reading the thread and noticed on your front brake line on the MC, you're supposed to have a banjo fitting there and not a direct flare fitting.  Don't want you crashing. 

[65imp]

Hey I was just re-reading the thread and noticed on your front brake line on the MC, you're supposed to have a banjo fitting there and not a direct flare fitting.  Don't want you crashing. 

Good eye.  That was quite a while back, when I was trying a couple different mockups of my abs removal/929 master cylinder.  I now have a banjo in there, but at the time it was in the powdercoating department.  It won't seal otherwise.  Thanks for the heads up.

[largeorangefont]

LOL @ the "powderoating department"

[65imp]

So I will be sending my car out to paint this week.  I've got some contenders and would love some feedback.
Currently the painted parts of my car are audi moonlight blue:

[attachimg=4]

With all the carbon panels, and the blended rear fenders the only painted surfaces are the roof/hood/front bumper.  While the color is pretty good, it can be mistaken for montego blue in static pictures.  So I may as well change the color since so much of the car is getting repainted. 

I want to reiterate some of my goals here to help keep the discussion directed somewhat. 
My #1 goal is to stick with something that is "under the radar."  Undue flashiness, ie cop attention is a no-no.
That said #2 I do want something that does not look like I just settled on a boring color.  I want it to be fitting of the effort put into my car.  Over the last year I am virtually certaint the Navy/darker blue spectrum is the best way to meeting this objective. 
#3 is that I would like it to be a 2 stage paint.  Some of the really heavy and sparkly candy paint jobs have a variety of problems:
-really high cost of materials
-impossible to re-paint/touch up
-VERY challenging to spray/apply
But I AM willing to break this #3 requirement if it makes the culmination of my efforts EPIC. 

Navy blue considerations:
Seen in real life and like a bunch:
Toyota - Nautical Blue metallic

[attach=1]

Similar color I also like Hyundai's Indigo night:



Or stay with Audi, but change to Estoril blue Crystal:



Lately I have also liked the new 2013 Ford "deep impact blue"  a little more blacklight kinda look, but not too much.  Also not really navy, but I kinda like it. 



And hell if i like that "blacklight" look, go really severe with:
HOK candy cobalt blue

[attach=2]

A couple more colors that are a bit different, but also great:
from our forum:
ferrari tour de france blue metallic
(attached as seen on ForcedInduction's FD)

[attach=3]

[attach=5]

Also this is subaru plasma blue pearl:



more purple in this one, but overall it is a nice dark, deep color. 

[65imp]

Or I end up being more out of the box and doing a Satin paint job.  I know a lot of folks hate this look, and think it is a fad, but I have liked it consistently for the last couple years.  I think the black is overdone - but usually it is more of a matte/flat finish and kinda a crappy single stage job.  It also is very unique. 

This lambo re-ignited my love of Satin paint jobs:



more here:
http://www.luxury4play.com/lamborghini/38874-matte-blue-lambos.html
my concern on this one is that it may look good on the faceted lambo, but what would it look like on a car that is roundy...

I like the custom nature of this look, and it fits the under the radar, but satin pearl is 3 stages for the paint.  I think I can stomach the cost if my guys are comfortable spraying it. 

More satin dark blues:




really any paint can have the clearcoat applied as a Satin.  I would only do this choice if I went with a pearl intermediate coat, like the lambo, so it had a bit of a shift in different light. 

[RX7what]

My votes are for the Audi Estoril (one of my favorite tracks) mustange blue or the HOK candy blue. I have loved the HOK blue for years. The engine bay and front suspention in my 68 camaro is all that color from the first time I started that build 15 years ago.