Weight

I rolled across the scales at the SCCA San Diego Championship Tour and the car's total weight is 2570 not including driver.  1/4 tank of gas, floor mats and cargo cover present.  Washer bottle 2/3 full. 7.5"Rota/225 RS3 front.  7" Rota/195 RS3 rear.  Lets make some guesses and assumptions and see how low we can get.

Based on the driver seat weight of 50 lbs, I can see losing the most weight by dropping in a passenger side bucket seat for a 25 lb loss.  Drive's side Momo seat is over by 5 lbs (30 total including slider).

Rotas in the 15" size are about 13.5 lbs.  Could lose up to 15 lbs total with Volks or SSRs and aluminum lug nuts, but if the correct wheel offset is not chosen some of the weight would be gained back by using longer studs and wheel spacers.

The Odyssey battery I have is about 15 lbs including bracket.  Some of the new Lithium batteries are below 3 lbs.  Minus 12 lbs.

Brake kits are allowed including lightweight AL calipers and two-piece rotors.  I doubt the 4-piston style racing caliper will clear the barrel of my 15" wheels, but a two-piece rotor could shed a few pounds. Conservative 4 lb loss.

Depending on sound regulations and how annoying I want to be, the axle-back muffler could be removed to save about 10 lbs.

Floor mats and cargo cover together are 5 lbs.

Figure 8 lbs for washer fluid and gasoline and coolant.  RSX will get at least three 50 second runs with the fuel light illuminated.

Total so far is 84 lbs, or 74 lbs if I need to meet the local 93db @ 50 ft. sound limit.

The Bridgestone tires feel heavier than the Hankooks, and the new 225 Rival should be just as heavy or more based on size alone. Add 10 lbs for tires.  Only the passenger seat and wheels are on the priority list and fluids and interior trim are free, so maybe 40 lbs depending on fuel load and tire choice.  Easy 2530 lbs without spending too much money.

But wait, there's more.

The EM2 front swaybar is being replaced with another heavier substitute which will add about 6 lbs.

A new rear swaybar is planned also but weights cannot be confirmed.  Just based on the number of parts involved and extra bracing I expect more weight here too.  Maybe 3 lbs.

Newer camber/caster plates are bigger and stronger and expect to weigh a few pounds more per side. +3 lbs.

So that adds 12 lbs bringing us back up to 2542.

And more.

Engine accessory pulleys can be replaced.

All four corners have helper springs which could be eliminated if I want to be picky.  6" main springs could be changed to 5" and/or the spring diameter reduced.

And to really get anal about things, the rear LCA could be custom lightweight AL and so could the rear upper shock mounts.  AL front struts, custom oil pan, and minimal shifter assembly.  Remove FSB.

There are probably a few things I am missing but you get the idea.  Easy to get under 2500 lbs.  Realistically 2490 lbs is a best guess with full tread tires and front sway bar.

Drive

  Autox performance and handling is good so there have been no significant changes lately.  Minor rear swaybar adjustments and tire pressures are all I am messing with right now.  Results have been very good so I am going to leave everything alone until after the SCCA San Diego Championship Tour and El Toro Pro Solo.  The first planned changes will be the custom front swaybar and swapping the camber/caster plates to the topside of the strut tower for more travel and alignment adjustment. Lower COG and increased caster should both benefit from the C/C plate relocation, both of which should allow decreased static camber for better power application.

Here are videos and results from the most recent autox events.

February San Diego Results




March CalClub Results

FSB & Bling

  Early stages with a new custom Speedway Engineering swaybar setup for the front of the RSX.  This swaybar will run straight across below the exhaust header and uses the factory mounting points that are spaced down about an inch.  The aluminum arms will require a 35* bend to line up with the factory A-arm endlink mounting tabs.  The bar drop brackets cause the arms to angle up toward the control arms at a sharper angle than stock.  Level swaybar arms would require modified A-arm endlink brackets or they could go below the A-arm if ground clearance is sufficient.  At the current ride height with 23" tall tires the swaybar mounting brackets have about 3" ground clearance.  Straight swaybar arms (no bend or offset) could be used if the bar width is increased, however tire interference at full lock becomes an issue.

In other news, Richard at RPMuffler fixed the exhaust piping interference with the rear swaybar. Another pair of new rear swaybar endlinks are installed as these offer more adjustability and are only 1/2" longer than the OEM links. With the endlink spacers installed correctly the stiffer third swaybar hole can be used without any binding.  Future plans call for relocated endlink mounting brackets on the rear LCA.

And more... While changing the spark plugs and cleaning the engine I added some bling with a wrinkle painted valve cover, heat-taped intake tube, and new ebay headlights.