Carbon rear view mirror heavier than old style mirror!
Discussion
Silly me I automatically assumed the carbon fibre mirrors would be lighter than the standard style fiberglass mirrors. I just weight them and the carbon mirror is 309g that is 160g heavier than the FG mirrors! In other words it cost me over £1.12/g to "upgrade" to a mirror nearly twice the weight.
I think I will keep the old mirror and sell the CF mirrors.
At the end of the day drinking less beer is still the most economical way in shedding weight and getting better lap times
I think I will keep the old mirror and sell the CF mirrors.
At the end of the day drinking less beer is still the most economical way in shedding weight and getting better lap times
Pothole said:
If 160g is gonna affect lap times, stick with the beer and just have a dump before you drive. And leave wallet, keys etc in the garage.
Well, yes, but a whole carbon body is a LOT heavier so it's as well to be forewarned that 'carbon' means poncy but heavy - which may not be everyones' perception when they read 'carbon'.Count Johnny said:
Ah, yes! Peterborough 'carbon'. A sheet of carbon, a half a pound of chopped strand, a nice big wodge of polyester resin and not an autoclave, heater or vacuum pump in sight! I have a set of (very heavy) SR3 diveplanes just like it.
That's why I bought the ATG dive planes (http://www.mypublix.net/docs/1070/2009_radical_catalog.pdf)They are light as a feather!Edited by Count Johnny on Thursday 21st March 18:04
The most significant weight saving I have achieved was by switching to a Shorai Lithium Iron battery. A CF rear wing and titanium exhaust helped as well. Fuel Exhausts has titanium mufflers for only GBP 195.
My last but most significant weight saving is to loose +5kg off my gut. Unfortunately it is not as much fun as adding CF/Titanium bits to the car.
BioBa said:
..The most significant weight saving I have achieved was by switching to a Shorai Lithium Iron battery....
Yes, having a mere 1000cc to drag me around (in the form of a wheezy old '03 R1, until now) I've given Lithium Ion batteries a look but my equally weight conscious pal - who runs a Stohr over here - makes his living from knowing everything about batteries and has not, so far, made the jump. Reckon I'll wait for him to jump first.Anyway, thanks for the link to ATG. At some point we'll be making a (proper) all carbon body for the Speads, and - even with shipping and a bit of import duty - ATG's diveplanes would make sense. At least they are what they appear to be.
Count Johnny said:
Yes, having a mere 1000cc to drag me around (in the form of a wheezy old '03 R1, until now) I've given Lithium Ion batteries a look but my equally weight conscious pal - who runs a Stohr over here - makes his living from knowing everything about batteries and has not, so far, made the jump. Reckon I'll wait for him to jump first.
I thought he'd made the jump. I did a couple of years ago. Best £50 I've spent so far - saved me 5KG over a Red Top 25.I bought mine off an eBay seller in China. It's the right chemistry to not go pop when overcharged by the alternator. They don't seem to exist on eBay these days though. You could try a LiFePO4 pack like this, which is only half a kilo, but it'll struggle to turn over a 'Busa in anything but hot conditions (they don't work in the cold). Use a starter pack and you'll be fine though. I run mine on a GSXR1000. Of course, if it's not the chemistry advertised and does go bang, it's not my fault!
I have always been intrigued why the car racers have been so slow to embrace Li-Ion battery technology. I have been using Shorai via internet/e-bay and the quality of this battery is exceptional. With twice the live span of a lead - acid battery they are actually cheaper.
Instead of running the 24V lead-acid system to crank the high compression Hayabusa engine I have installed a small 6 V Shorai in series with another 12V Shorai to get 18V for the starter only. The total weight of both batteries is 6.3 lbs.! I run normal 12V for all other electrics. The drawback of this set up is that only the 12V battery is being charged by the altenator. I need to charge the 6V battery before I get to the track. It normally lasts for two track days before it needs to be recharged.
There is an older thread dealing with this set up.
Instead of running the 24V lead-acid system to crank the high compression Hayabusa engine I have installed a small 6 V Shorai in series with another 12V Shorai to get 18V for the starter only. The total weight of both batteries is 6.3 lbs.! I run normal 12V for all other electrics. The drawback of this set up is that only the 12V battery is being charged by the altenator. I need to charge the 6V battery before I get to the track. It normally lasts for two track days before it needs to be recharged.
There is an older thread dealing with this set up.
I'll take another year out of my existing battery (assuming it keeps going ok this season) then maybe look to replace next season...
IF i thought i coudl buy a reliable light one for 50 quid now I would... but looking at the options above they are 2-4 times that.
thanks for the info though guys
IF i thought i coudl buy a reliable light one for 50 quid now I would... but looking at the options above they are 2-4 times that.
thanks for the info though guys
So, for the electrically illiterate amongst us (ie me) what's the difference between all of the above and this?
http://www.braillebattery.co.uk/index.php/braille/...
Apart from over a thousand dollars, that is.
http://www.braillebattery.co.uk/index.php/braille/...
Apart from over a thousand dollars, that is.
Andy is right. Li-Ion battery technology is moving fast and production of those cells in China is moving even faster. Expensive brands (Brail prices are ridiculous and out of touch with the competition)claim superior components but at the end of the day all Li-Ion cells are made at only a hanful of factories in China and Korea. In other words the internals of all Li-Ion batteries are pretty much the same.
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