drop 800lbs with squidskins?

[theboogieman]

CF front and rear bumpers,
CF door Skins
CF Rear Hatch(no wing or wiper)


Pm "Theboogieman"
Now we wait on boogie and I'm sure he can give you a dam good explination of each part and weight that will be reduced.

Yikes...that's alot of pressure! Don't take what I say as golden regarding composites. My range of experience has been limited to "show" cars mostly. Plus there are so many factors that determine quality and weight...and I deal with the "ricey" interior stuff! I really couldn't help too much here, but I will compare it to what Frank makes at the shop for exteriors.

And I won't argue the "rice" part because that is all subjective. I think the HKS carbon fiber EVO is a work of art....and the RX-7 show car from Carbon Creations is sweet looking (take off the logos/grapics tough). I also like most of the factory looking Eclipses I see with nice rims and lowered. I like it all as long as it is done nicely. Just my opinion. Oh well.

800 lbs? Well that is alot of material gone! Maybe all those metal stock parts taken off weighed that much...now put on the carbon parts and you probally dropped about 300 or so lbs. That is providing these are thin (yet strong) race parts. I do know squidskins makes their parts for "race" and they do not have gel coat on the outside. I am sure they use core mat as well. Believe it or not gel coat is dense and weighs alot so it does make a difference. A hood can have 4-5 lbs of gel on it from most companies. Squid skins expects that these will be painted too, so small imperfections are no big deal. Only thing that would change to make their parts "show" is more attention to the amount of resin used and weave control.

It also depends on who and how the part is made as to how much it will weigh. Most of us are use to seeing the typical hood that is gel coated thick, has an under frame skeleton, metal latch, etc. Your typical "show" hood...still light weight compared to stock but not truely a race prep hood. More concern is taken in the rolled edges or thick gel coats. The fact that it will weigh less is a given, so wo cares right? All are happy. But true fabrication shops that build race parts scoff at these "show" parts. Hell, Frank gives me shit sometimes about my interior parts and my pickyness.

But take his parts for instance...he makes race parts all day long. He doesn't use gel coat either (unless it is white) and some folks here that have bought his hoods would probally think they are gel coated. They are nice enough for show and weigh about 8 lbs. THAT is a light hood and they are made with a foam composite skeleton that is glassed over.

Frank also makes complete doors (honda/acura), not just a "skin" and these weigh about 5 lbs each without hinges and glass. It would not be any different for a DSM, same weight approx. (need to paint them and some other fabbing)

His fenders weigh about 3-4 lbs each as well. A rear hatch like our style but for an Acura we weighed it at 4 1/2 lbs minus glass/plexi.

So...hood = 8 lbs.
doors= 10 lbs. total (made with carbon and foam core mat)
fenders= 7 lbs. total (same as above)
hatch = 5 lbs.

so that total is 29 lbs for just the carbon parts..I have no idea what stock parts actual weigh to compare. Oh, his seats are dragster style, not good at ALL for street and weigh like 2 lbs. That is a BIG diff' over stock and figure a dash is just a simple curve of carbon compared to that vinyl montrosity that resides there now. A dash panel is probally like 3 lbs at the most.

Now even though this doesn't really factor in I do not use gel coat either on my parts....no need to do so. I think most will say that have bought parts from us that they are nice enough for show. I hope so at least.

Really carbon is the last resort for shedding weight in most cases, and most folks will pull the rice flag on ya' unless your car is all out "time attack" or built for the 1/4. In my case it was my hobby turned business so I take the blows with ease of mind. Plus it came easier to me than fiberglass and I always wanted to customize my interior.

I don't know, it is hard to say if 800 lbs is accurate. Like I said, maybe the stock parts weigh this much total. They did replace ALOT of parts though. I just think 800 is alot once once you put the carbon replacements on.

Sorry if my opinion grates anyone. Like I said, don't take my word on any of this. It is hard to know what they totally replaced on the car, how much their parts weigh and unless someone knows the true weights of the OEM parts it is all up for arguement.
Leo

 

[focusedrage]

that is helpful information, thanks

thats amazing how light those hoods and hatches are. i think both would make a big differnece

 

[saw wave analog]

no doubt, i can sure tell a difference when i have two people in my car, and losing 350 pounds would be like having two more people step out.. and that is a large increase in accelleration, mileage.. just about everything. oh to have infinate resources...

 

[myblack98gst]

this would be OKAY if you were doing it to a weekend warrior race car.. but most of the time those doors will be solid window (non-rolling).


the weight is where is at.. my buddy has a honda hatch with a fully built b18 turbo'd he dynos a little over 400hp at the moment and the car weighs 2,100 lbs with him in it (-190)

this thing is stupid fast runs low 7 sec. @ 97 mph 1/8 mile and will roll just about anything up just staying in fifth..

 

[Syndicate13]

97 in the 1/8 is not that great if he's making 400 horsies at the wheels and only weighs 2100 lbs. My buddy's Talon full weight is trapping 95 and weighs 3400 with him in it, he's a big guy. Both are moving but to move 1300 lbs almost as fast means significantly less horsepower on the lighter car. And I know my buddy's car shouldn't be making more than 400 at the wheels.

 

[DWAIST]

so your saying the hks time attack evo viii, which has the fastest lap time on the tsukuba circuit is rice? why, because they saved weight by not painting the carbon fiber? its about function, NOT looks. besides, ricers cant afford full carbon fiber bodies, thats why they buy apc wings and anodized fire extinguishers and altezza lights and blinking valvestems and flashing headlights and ugly fiberglass bodykits and mufflers with stock diameter exhaust pipe and racing steering wheels and carbonfiber shiftknobs and underglow and windshield banners... ok you get the point.

WERD!!

 

[Eclipsing]

It sounds like that guy from Squidskins is just aimed at getting some stupid kids who just bought a Dsm to buy his stuff, so he shelled about a bunch of BS information.

I'll be the first to admit, I didn't know anything about cars when I bought my Eclipse, and I fell for a the quick cheap routes to HP. I would look on ebay, I fell for that "Mod Chip Adds 15-20hp, $9.99." I didn't know anything about cars and was looking for anything cheap to make me go faster whether it worked or not. But you come to realize what you need to do to get sh*t done.

Just think about it, for each carbon fiber item hes selling, hes saying at leat a 100 pound difference between that and the stock part. :thumbdown suck my balls

 

[Cesar]

First I'd like to say that I will be the first to do this swap. (hopefully nobody has already done it)...

http://www.superformance.com/s1roadster_specs.aspx

Use your Imagination.

DRIVE TRAIN: Designed to accomodate a choice of engines (like all Superformance replicars the S1 is supplied fully built with all new parts, but without engine and transmission), it will sprint to sixty miles per hour in under five seconds with an unboosted two-liter engine under the hood.

 

[Eclipsing]

Dude, don't be a website plugging whore.

 

[AWDspoOLiN]

Don't make ignorant assumptions about Squidskins just because you got scammed into buying a ten dollar mod chip and decided to tell us about it. Not every company/individual is out to make a quick buck off of uneducated "stupid kids".

 

[98spydert]

He's right about the claim that he dropped 100lbs per item. MAYBE the hatch dropped a hunred pounds if the glass was replaced with plexi at the same time. The hood, fenders, and front bumper realistically dropped 100 lbs combined if that. I think the wieght dropped is significant but, like everyone said, 800lbs is just way to hard to believe for the listed parts.

 

[burldude]

I know this cold be deleted and I cold get reprimanded . I have tried countless times to contact somone about getting a carbon fiber hatch and doors with no serious response . Squidskins sight is never operating so I am asking the veiwers of this board to help me out . I dont want to start some drawn out post I just want to get in touch with someone who can actually help . Once again I would like doors and a rear hatch any takers. I guess in the next week I will have to make my own molds and form them out of fiber glass as I have have no carbon fiber cloth or heated vaccum bags . Maybe I will just resin pour carbon fiber .

 

[AWDspoOLiN]

I see eight lines of text and those aren't the only items that were replaced. I am skeptical about their claim but at the same time, it seems that a lot of the naysayers are basing their comments on experiences with wet carbon.

 

[9D9 MITSU RS]

If it was that simple to drop a large amount of weight, you'd be seeing A LOT of cf drag cars.

 

[Lunch_Box]

If it was that simple to drop a large amount of weight, you'd be seeing A LOT of cf drag cars.

Most drag cars dont have a metal body, it might not be carbon fiber but what they use it most likely just as light and be cheaper to repair when damaged.

 

[AWDspoOLiN]

There are a lot of tube chassis, carbon fiber paneled/bodied drag cars out there. It is that simple to drop a large amount of weight. Most of us don't have the budget, training, experience, and/or equipment to do it though.

 

[98spydert]

I see eight lines of text and those aren't the only items that were replaced. I am skeptical about their claim but at the same time, it seems that a lot of the naysayers are basing their comments on experiences with wet carbon.

Ok, bash the naysayers but don't offer any numbers or examples? Just ANOTHER dumb shit comment? Why do you think this thread is over 40 posts deep? We're all saying the same shit over and over.

 

[AWDspoOLiN]

Ok, bash the naysayers but don't offer any numbers or examples? Just ANOTHER dumb shit comment? Why do you think this thread is over 40 posts deep? We're all saying the same shit over and over.

I don't have any numbers except to say that I've handled wet and dry carbon parts and there is a noticeable difference. The only thing we're saying over and over again is that 800lbs seems excessive. I was merely pointing out that Squidskins isn't a show carbon business making a quick buck off of these stupid kids that Eclipsing happened to refer to. I guess I offended you by my comment towards Eclipsing. I probably got a little testy regarding his inflammatory comments directed at Squidskins which I interpreted as another one of those "this guy on the internet says they suck so I agree" comments. I also said that I was skeptical. theboogieman broke it down better than I could have and he even threw some numbers in there for you. 29lbs of carbon to replace every panel on the car except the roof and rear quarter panels is quite a reduction. Again, those weren't the only items replaced and again, I am skeptical about the claim. But I guess my responding to your post would probably be interpreted by you as just ANOTHER dumb shit comment. Sorry to have offended your intelligence.

 

[Slipstream]

Ladies and Gents,

Let's keep in mind that our cars were designed for daily automobiles...they were never designed to be super light weight, or to run low 1/4 mile times. If you're into weight reduction and more hp (c'mon we all want a little more hp), great. If you're trying to create a flyweight out of a mini-tank, it's not easy, and if you're truly concerned about weight, then you'll likely find more weight savings in ditching things like rear seats, AC, audio equipment, changing from power to manual on the windows, etc. For those of you looking for a light weight daily driver that still has all the ammenities of power everything, cold ac, working windows etc...well what can be said? It would be great to have a flyweight that still had all the ammenities...but in reality those ammenities would still be stripped to be even lighter. Either every ounce counts or it doesn't you can't really have it both ways. For those of you trying to maintain light weight daily drivers, best of luck to you. As far as squidskins claims of those panels dropping 800lbs...highly doubtful, the carbon and plexi do save a lot of weight but i don't think you'll get 800lbs out of it (I'm not even sure the stock components listed weigh much (if any) over 800lbs). I hope I didn't offend anyone, that wasn't the intent, the intent was simply to try and bring a different perspective.

 

[rarson]

Jesus Christ! The guy makes these parts for RACE CARS. If you're concerned about stability in an accident then you're obviously not the type of person these parts were marketed for.

Go to www.importfan.com and check out the Civics they have carbon parts for. They've got a trunck for the Civic available, take a look. You'll notice all the carbon parts they have, like the trunk, have basic framework underneath the carbon for stability. If you've ever seen squidskins parts, you'd notice it doesn't have this bracing. That's because these are RACE PARTS. Much like the fact that these are dry carbon as opposed to wet.

You guys can argue whatever you like, that 800 lbs "seems" reasonable or it doesn't. But personally, if I were to talk to the creator and he said 800 lbs from x, y, and z part, I'm going to believe him over a bunch of ####ing internet bench racers taking their best estimates.

 

[burldude]

Obviously the maker of squidskins would have to replace alot more than the listed items to drop 800lbs . The dash would have to go the center consol,front and rear bumpers, core supports, seats replaced -rear removed ,lexan rear and side windows, and of coarse anything else that could be removed and that is not esential . For 800lbs reduction the ac would have to go also, and the power steering. With all these you might be getting close to 800 depending on the weight of replacement steering rack and seats . Any way I would like to see squidskins respond and become a member of this board . I had a freind look into the Ip path and I was able to get a phone number to tech support for his hosting . It looks like all his work and Web sight is done off one computer at home . No wonder the sight is always down . Anyway I guess I will call him at home and ask him to respond .

 

[n2orbit]

i have called and talked to the guy before. you have to remember he doesnt just do dsm's he does alot of work with bikes for racing so he is busy.. now 800 lbs seems high and it is. i dont think it would add up to that but im not sure what the stock stuff weighs in at. i do know his dash is made for racing and not for street use, its hollow so it doesnt weigh shit.. i put one of his hatches on a friends car its verry verry light.. pulling off the stock 1 u could tell a huge damn difference. our door skins are metal his arent u'd be surprized how heavy they are comapnred to his. also he will tell u the door skins wont protect u incase u have a wreck there strong but wont hold back a car. the dash also looses the air bags and all the other stuff in it so also keep that in mind. i could see 300-400lbs just in the hatch, dash and doors.. i'd do the fenders, door skins and the hatch.. the bumpers i dont see much weight comming off, not like ours weigh a ton but im sure there is a few pounds there.. also the guy who does all the work its his talon that he got the ideas from.. I talked to him about making me a 97-99 eclipse front bumper.. he is a good guy but he is a busy guy like leo and isnt working in a huge shop so it can be hard to reach him

 

[focusedrage]

^^^word, those bodies are made to be replaced, cause often horible things will happen, on the other hand, there are lots of bodies of cars in other types of racing that are carbon for the purpose of savign wieght, it is also super strong. and pre-preg carbon (dry) is glorious.

 

[Eclipsing]

Sorry AWDspoolin, I didn't mean to have what I said come off as carbon fiber sucks because I know that its an amzing material, Im just saying im sure that guy from that website put out that information so nieve people buy it thinking its that much of a difference.

 

[98spydert]

I don't have any numbers except to say that I've handled wet and dry carbon parts and there is a noticeable difference. The only thing we're saying over and over again is that 800lbs seems excessive. I was merely pointing out that Squidskins isn't a show carbon business making a quick buck off of these stupid kids that Eclipsing happened to refer to. I guess I offended you by my comment towards Eclipsing. I probably got a little testy regarding his inflammatory comments directed at Squidskins which I interpreted as another one of those "this guy on the internet says they suck so I agree" comments. I also said that I was skeptical. theboogieman broke it down better than I could have and he even threw some numbers in there for you. 29lbs of carbon to replace every panel on the car except the roof and rear quarter panels is quite a reduction. Again, those weren't the only items replaced and again, I am skeptical about the claim. But I guess my responding to your post would probably be interpreted by you as just ANOTHER dumb shit comment. Sorry to have offended your intelligence.

"offended my intelligence" ? I don't know if you're trying to be a smart ass or what. It wasn't personal, everyone's posting the same thing. If someone even had the stock wieght of the parts, you could guess for yourself if CF could really save you 800lbs from the mentioned list. But until then, it's re, pete, and repeat.