Toyota MR2 Message Board - View Single Post

olson-g · 07-21-2009, 06:57 PM

[QUOTE=TomsMR2;472294]almost all the high end exotic sports cars come in above 3000lbs. light weight cars just end up being loud annoying tuna cans that really dont perform

High end exotic sports cars come in at 3000 lbs because the people who can afford to pay $80-200K (not who want one) want AC, electric windows, power seats, and they want to hear the stereo. And they want to be able to brag about how much horsepower they have.
All production cars are a compromise between performance, price, comfort, environmental sensitivity, etc. Do you think putting 8 90 lb bags of cement in an NA MR2 will improve performance because it brings it to 3000 lbs?
I agree with you that many people (including myself) have gotten overzealous and chopped too much creating a car that is an uncomfortable tuna can with not much benefit to performance. THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS TOPIC- TO DISCUSS THINGS THAT WORK.
I agree that scraping off all the tar insulation from the wall behind the seat will make the car much noisier and not significantly improve performance. But if your AC is not working, and you are not going to fix it; it will help to remove it. Many little things will add up. I am more at peace that I have hacked out the 3 lb slugs in the center bump under the seats (MK1). I presume they are to prevent resonance from the under seat subwoofer. Any other guesses?
So post what seems to help and what causes problems. weight does matter.
One suggestion- do not take too much weight off the front or the front brakes will lock up in hard stops. Car already has rear weight bias.

07-21-2009, 06:57 PM	#55 (permalink)
olson-g No Skills Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	[QUOTE=TomsMR2;472294]almost all the high end exotic sports cars come in above 3000lbs. light weight cars just end up being loud annoying tuna cans that really dont perform High end exotic sports cars come in at 3000 lbs because the people who can afford to pay $80-200K (not who want one) want AC, electric windows, power seats, and they want to hear the stereo. And they want to be able to brag about how much horsepower they have. All production cars are a compromise between performance, price, comfort, environmental sensitivity, etc. Do you think putting 8 90 lb bags of cement in an NA MR2 will improve performance because it brings it to 3000 lbs? I agree with you that many people (including myself) have gotten overzealous and chopped too much creating a car that is an uncomfortable tuna can with not much benefit to performance. THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS TOPIC- TO DISCUSS THINGS THAT WORK. I agree that scraping off all the tar insulation from the wall behind the seat will make the car much noisier and not significantly improve performance. But if your AC is not working, and you are not going to fix it; it will help to remove it. Many little things will add up. I am more at peace that I have hacked out the 3 lb slugs in the center bump under the seats (MK1). I presume they are to prevent resonance from the under seat subwoofer. Any other guesses? So post what seems to help and what causes problems. weight does matter. One suggestion- do not take too much weight off the front or the front brakes will lock up in hard stops. Car already has rear weight bias.