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6K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  hifiaudio2 
#1 ·
I decided to go to the drag strip this week and wanted to know if there are any weight reduction tips the board could suggest to get this 4600 lb pig (with driver) down to a managable weight. (And don't suggest a diet, you will sound too much like my wife)

I have considered the spare tire, jack, passanger seat but was wondering if there was anything else that wouldn't deminish the value of the car.

I WANT TO GET INTO THE 10 SECOND CLUB and think that I am close. I will be using Jesse's max tune this time instead of the minimum tune and will be lowering the tire pressure. The minimum tune produces an 11.4 at 122. I need just 4.5 tenths of a second and 4mph.
 
#2 ·
Rims and tires are about the most you will get for weight without major changes.


The rear seat is only a few lbs, Besides electronics, and wiring, the shell is pretty empty.
 
#4 ·
Your going to need a significant gain in your 60 ft times to get a 10 second run, losing 100 lbs is a tenth gained supposedly so pretty tough to drop that much weight to make up 4/10 second to get your 10 second pass. If your car could pull off an 1.5-1.6 second 60 foot then you would have a great opportunity to get it into the tens, good luck, have fun, keep us posted...
 
#5 ·
You bought the wrong car for that. It's a luxury car, first and foremost. With luxury comes weight. The CTS-V's performance is secondary to the luxury mission. If you want to go fast in a straight line, you could have saved yourself a lot of money, weight, and trouble, and just bought a Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger.

I see people stripping out the interiors of their CTS-V's, and I'm like WTF?!? :confused:

So, to answer your question, the easiest and most significant weight savings will come from ripping out the interior. You can save 400 lbs. if you get rid of all the seats, carpeting, interior panels, insulation, sound deadening material, stereo equipment, etc. It's your car, but I think you would be crazy to do it.
 
#15 ·
You bought the wrong car for that. It's a luxury car, first and foremost. With luxury comes weight. The CTS-V's performance is secondary to the luxury mission. If you want to go fast in a straight line, you could have saved yourself a lot of money, weight, and trouble, and just bought a Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger.

I see people stripping out the interiors of their CTS-V's, and I'm like WTF?!? :confused:
Isnt it at all possible that the OP wants a lightweight CTS-V? Why is the idea of a lightweight V so baffling? Personally, Id rather a somewhat fast stripped CTS-V versus an extremely fast Camaro of any style or flavor. ID rather have a 3800lb V then a 3000 lb Corvette even if the vette is a monster comparatively. Both of my present vehicles have no stereo or rear seats, etc. When I get the CoupeV, ill be doing the same and more. If Im not using the radio or any of the seats, why would it be so weird to remove them?
 
#7 ·
A 10.99 is a world away from an 11.49. IMO, without "real" tires you don't really have a realistic shot at a 10 second slip, especially with a 122 mph trap speed. Add in the fact that the weather will be worse this weekend than the last time you ran and the task gets harder. Unless you added some mods since you last ran, you're gonna need a miracle or timing error to see a 10.9x, but I wish you the best of luck.

BTW, did GLD give you a hard time when you ran your 11.4? They've been a real PITA with sub 11.50 runs the last two years on anything but an RSD night.

P.S. - personally I wouldn't start gutting the car for weight reduction (maybe if you had a bunch of 11.0 slips). Removing the seats is for Honda or Mazda guys, not CTS-V's. :helpless: And to my knowledge, there's no spare or jack, just an inflator back there.
 
#8 ·
What, THERE IS NO SPARE TIRE, A $70,000 CAR AND NO SPARE! I thought this was a Cadillac! My grandfather would never buy a Cadillac w/o a spare tire. Then again he would never drive a 700hp Caddy.

I know that .5 second improvement seems like a lot but from the feel of the car there seemed to be so much more potential even w/o stripping the car like those import rice rockets.
 
#9 ·
Eat smaller, balanced meals throughout the day, lift weights and get a half-hour of cardio at least three times a week each.

Unfortunately, the heaviest parts of the car are the very bits you need to go fast and stop: the engine, the tranny, and the brakes. If you have Recaros, you could probably save some significant weight by ripping them out along with the back seat and installing a single carbon fiber shelled racing bucket. If you have a sunroof, remove it and fill in with plexiglas...and so on...
 
#16 · (Edited)
So wait4me 600+ RWHP mods + a 200 shot. Flare it out so you can run 375 DRs in back. D3 is flaring out a V1, check them out for that.
 
#19 ·
A gutted and stripped V would be badass. Do it. :D
 
#21 ·
Like I said...to each his own...

Honestly, you are better off buying a Pontiac G8 GXP and throw a TVS 2300 (or even a twin turbo system) on it and do a bunch of other performance upgrades and throw in lightweight racing seats. The car starts off 200+ lbs lighter than a CTS-V (the price of all the luxury items) and you can build it much cheaper than the $60K+ Coupe price tag. The CTS-V coupe is not going to be any lighter than the sedan if the regular CTS coupe is any indication (Edmunds Inside Line weighed the coupe and it was 24lbs heavier than the similar CTS sedan they previously tested). My wife drives a G8 GT and it is a great car for the money. It lacks the luxury and amenities of the CTS-V...but those items mean very little to you anyway.

Tom
 
#26 ·
I considered that route. The problem with that option is that it leaves me with a G8 in the driveway. I want a CoupeV. I know it will be about the same weight, close enough that the difference wont matter in DD'ing. Thats a shame, but also irrelevant for my intent. Im simply removing things I wont use. Im practical to a fault. The stock stereo system is good, but Id want to upgrade if I was listening to music in the car alot..and Id still rather listen to the engine anyhow. My daily drive is never more then 15 minutes, and I seldomly drive other people around. The most important luxury to me is quality materials, which the V is allready a little suspect for. I want a full leather interior, which I cant get.

I realize there are much cheaper ways to get the same performance for cheaper, or even more performance. Id still regret looking back and seeing anything but the CoupeV in my drive. Im sure each of you has a car that youll look back on in 50 years, and still yearn for. My fathers was a GTO Judge 4 spd conv. My gf's is a rhd Honda NSX. Ive got a few, but the short list includes an Aston Martin DB4 and the CTS Coupe V. Im sure you guys can understand that kinda love, even if you dont get the rest. ;)
 
#27 ·
As others have said - wheels and tires are your best bet along with reducing any other rotating mass.

Reducing rotational inertia is the most effective way of increasing acceleration and reducing stopping distances (deceleration). To that end - a company called Carbon Revolution is making a single piece carbon fiber wheel that will save you about 12 lbs per wheel (approx.). They only produce the wheel for one car right now but it looks like they are trying to increase production.

http://carbonrev.com/spec_sheet.html

The "rule of thumb" is that you can multiply rotating mass reductions by 5 as compared to non-rotating mass such as seats and spare tires (others are also right that the V does not have one) etc.

So - reducing each wheel by about 12 pounds would result in the same effect of having reduced the car by about 240 lbs. Light weight and "better" launching tires would also help a lot. Not sure who makes "light weight” tires.

Reduced mass rotors and a carbon fiber drive shaft along with a reduced mass fly wheel in combination with wheels and tires might have a chance of resulting in the same effect of reducing the mass of the car (non-rotating) by as much as 3-4 hundred pounds.

Of course the easiest and by far the most cost effective way to trim mass is to not select the sun roof. Nearly 100 lbs savings at the top of the car. Plus they give you something like $900 back....
 
#28 ·
I am quite a novice when it comes to car upgrades but am interested in reducing the mass of the car while not hurting either acceleration, efficiency, performance, or longevity. I read that there are rotors that significantly reduce the mass at each wheel?

I do normal / aggressive street driving only, but would be interested in upgrading to lighter rotors. Which should I consider? Other than cost, are there any negatives to replacing the OEM rotors?
 
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