how light is your puma

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Noobrider

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Joined
Nov 1, 2013
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425
not weighed it but I reckon it should be around the 900kg at the moment...I have no excuse either...a mate 100yards up the road has a weigh bridge
 
Hi Kizza
I think you'll struggle to get to near 700kg as my (heavy) road trimmed Westy weighs about 700kg fuelled up.
Barry
 
With a rough tote up of everything thats come out incl spare wheel and difference in weight of seats (only few kgs) steering wheel, lightweight wheels - approximately 950kg that incl removal of all trim and interior, rear wiper motor, suspension top weights, all sound deadening, arch carpets and gutting doors.

Can only realistically see 900kg and below happening with a combination of either poly windows, Fibreglass/Carbon panels and removal of AC, plus maybe going too far with a holesaw.
 
You'll never get to 700 Kg unless you go for a carbon fibre monocoque. I expect sub 800 KG is possible with a lot of carbon fibre parts including all openings and loads of custom parts made in non standard materials.

How much do each of your lightweight panels save ? ditto lightweight rad / fan ?

I suspect it will get exponentially more expensive the lighter you go.
 
Not sure what mine weighs... need to get it on the weigh bridge at work.

If I was going to make it any lighter id want to be taking all the weight out of the front, the rear is light enough, id like to get...

fibreglass wings
fibreglass bumper
polycarb windows
tubular wishbones

and id also like to make a tubular front end, cut the slam panel and front cross member out and fabricate my own light weight version.
 
I`ve seen a european manufacturer of carbon doors, wings, rooves etc.
The costs were extravagant but they are in the featherweight class.

I am always looking to strip another few grammes, but I`d be happy to get it to 850
I recon to get under 800kg would take some serious work
 
yeah I think anything below 850kg would be quite an achievement, i have been tempted to just start drilling holes everywhere to try and lighten the load abit!
 
Our race puma is now 880kg with all steel panels allbeit chopped a little lol
Still has a glass rear window and half a dash
I would say 840 with fibreglass panels it just depends how far you go, if you can get fibreglass doors and a carbon roof you would be 820's id say :)
 
It would be interesting to see if with a full weld in cage you could save more than the weight of the cage by cutting out basically all the inner frame work around the roof, b and c pillars etc. Just weld in some thin gusset strips to prevent the outer panels flexing too much.
 
I think you'd need to remove a fair amount of metal to account for the weight of the cage. Although if the cage is done properly and goes through to the front suspension tops then you could remove and awful lot with out losing any strength.

Im just keen to try and get some weight off the front end of my car.
 
trublustu said:
I`ve seen a european manufacturer of carbon doors, wings, rooves etc.
The costs were extravagant but they are in the featherweight class.

would love to see these, have you got a link ?
 
PumaJay said:
I think you'd need to remove a fair amount of metal to account for the weight of the cage. Although if the cage is done properly and goes through to the front suspension tops then you could remove and awful lot with out losing any strength.

Im just keen to try and get some weight off the front end of my car.

52kg for a cds welded cage - about a quarter less if T45.

Ties into suspension mounts and floor so body just keeps the rain off. Inside each rear quarter is heavy double skinned panels, also internal panelling all around door top, B pillar, c pillar, above boot, around boot area etc.

Get youself a hole saw and hole swaager and you can cut weight out of the panel below windscreen on inside, bottoms of doors etc. Front crossmember could be replaced with alloy tubing to support radiator.
 
warrenpenalver said:
PumaJay said:
I think you'd need to remove a fair amount of metal to account for the weight of the cage. Although if the cage is done properly and goes through to the front suspension tops then you could remove and awful lot with out losing any strength.

Im just keen to try and get some weight off the front end of my car.

52kg for a cds welded cage - about a quarter less if T45.

Ties into suspension mounts and floor so body just keeps the rain off. Inside each rear quarter is heavy double skinned panels, also internal panelling all around door top, B pillar, c pillar, above boot, around boot area etc.

Get youself a hole saw and hole swaager and you can cut weight out of the panel below windscreen on inside, bottoms of doors etc. Front crossmember could be replaced with alloy tubing to support radiator.



Only problem with this Warren is if you are in any sort of race series, or your puma becomes a race car at a later date, the scrutineers can be very picky about internal skins being cut and removed
 
Funny coincidence a guy on SELOC (a lotus forum) has just had his S1 on a weighbridge.The car has standard interior,which ain't much :grin: car has a turbocharged K series engine an Exige bodykit not too special wheels and it weighs 762 kilos.So think you are gonna struggle even to match that.Think my S2 Exige with some trim removed a very light 2ubular exhaust weighs 880 kilos.
 
Saw this posted on the track day puma FaceBook group today ... This guy apparently has an Autograss Puma. Not sure if he's on here but hope he doesn't mind me re-posting his photos. I just think it looks awesome. Just like you mentioned above, using the cage for strength and removing all metal. The rear quarters have Kizza's fibreglass skin on the outside and all the inside cut away. He's also taken a lot of the floor out from the look of the second pic. I got lots of inspiration from this. Hope it does the same for others!



 
The rollcage is providing all the support removed from the body.

When i bought my seats the chap i got them off used to do autograss (had those seats in a Pug IIRC) and he was saying that all the Pumas were like that; no body panels, half the back end cut off, holes in the floor etc. So i guess it works.

I would probably do that myself just for laughs, see if it's still road legal and go shopping in it haha.
 
I dont think id go that far for a road/track car, imagine the noise of driving something that extreme on the road, most track cars become comprimised road cars but that would take things to the next level!

Shaving weight can become a bit obsessive, at some point its easier just to go for power!
 

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