[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Noir

He is probably referring to his trans tune as well — thats wicked nonetheless! Thank you for the info on the rack! Those seats are stellar. 😭 My driver mod has gotten thicc since coming home. I feel like a carbon fiber everything and I'd still keep the car at OEM weight.

Preaching to the choir brother! I feel like I’ve gained 10lbs since April. I was actually thinking yesterday the best way for me to take more weight off the car at this point is for me to lose 20lbs, and I’m not joking!

[E92William]

Isn't this a thing done by race car drivers in lemans and such lol. They lose weight before a race because of super small differences. Not a bad idea it helps the car and yourself

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by E92William

Isn't this a thing done by race car drivers in lemans and such lol. They lose weight before a race because of super small differences. Not a bad idea it helps the car and yourself

When I look in the mirror it is abundantly clear I’ll never be a race car driver or a jockey

[Jonny11Quest]

I’m tempted to ask if you plan to sell the stock seats as they would be perfect for my 128i, but shipping to St Louis probably isn’t worth it.

[tlow98]

Loving those seats. Congrats!

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Jonny11Quest

I’m tempted to ask if you plan to sell the stock seats as they would be perfect for my 128i, but shipping to St Louis probably isn’t worth it.

Yeah it might be a lot to deal with. I’m also thinking it wouldn’t be a good idea to sell them because if I ever get rid of the car I’d probably want to transfer the recaros to the new ride.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Yeah it might be a lot to deal with. I’m also thinking it wouldn’t be a good idea to sell them because if I ever get rid of the car I’d probably want to transfer the recaros to the new ride.

You'd never get rid of this... and if you did I'd be first in line to buy the seats off you anyways lmao.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Noir

You'd never get rid of this... and if you did I'd be first in line to buy the seats off you anyways lmao.

Sorry homie, but I'm first in line to buy the whole car with seats.

But seriously, I love this build.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Sorry homie, but I'm first in line to buy the whole car with seats.

But seriously, I love this build.

That's it. I'm withdrawing the 401k. Idgaf anymore.😤

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Noir

That's it. I'm withdrawing the 401k. Idgaf anymore.😤

It's innocent comments like this on the internet that cause financial ruin for people in real life. And by god, I won't stand by and watch. I'm pulling my wife's 401k. That will teach her for allowing me to be an account executive!

[Noir]

Originally Posted by tlow98

It's innocent comments like this on the internet that cause financial ruin for people in real life. And by god, I won't stand by and watch. I'm pulling my wife's 401k. That will teach her for allowing me to be an account executive!

LOL :
feelsbadwife
At least when you're old and gray you got some anti-comfort bucket seats!

[Biginboca]

I met up with Brandon again today to film a short follow up video and showcase the new mods. That should be uploaded in a week or 2. During filming he asked how much weight loss has the car had and I actually didn’t know exactly so I just figured it up...

Weight Loss


-53lbs Apex Wheels and PS4S Tires
-25lbs Exhaust Mods (Catless Headers, Secondary Cats Delete, AA Muffler)
-45lbs Carbon Roof with Sunroof Delete
-17lbs Carbon Hood
-13.5lbs Carbon Trunk
-8lbs Front Bumper Carrier
-12lbs Rear Bumper Carrier
-40lbs Anti Gravity Battery
-60lbs Recaro Sears
-7lbs ECS F30 Lightweight Rotors

-280.5lbs from stock

I added LSD, Oil Cooler, Aluminum Chassis Bracing and a few other miscellaneous mods for about 35lbs gain.

+35lbs added to stock

Total Weight Loss vs Stock to date is ~245.5lbs

So think about this... if I do the rear seat delete it knocks off another 65lbs. The car will have lost 300lbs at that point and still have the full oem with all interior panels, carpeting, and trunk lining, etc.

That’s pretty crazy!

[309xi]

Can't wait to see part 2!

[tlow98]

Would you say you lost weight going from stock intake manifold to N54 manifold?

Your car is likely right around 3k pounds then? Pretty impressive. Below 11lb/hp. That's damn near E46M territory.

With how handy you are I would just start making carbon bits to replace plastic/metal brackets, etc. It's not too hard to do and will save a bunch when added up. How crazy you wanna get? :-)

[E92William]

I weighed my 3 stage with valves at 10 pounds or so. The n54 probably comes in at half without them and only one runner set.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Would you say you lost weight going from stock intake manifold to N54 manifold?

Your car is likely right around 3k pounds then? Pretty impressive. Below 11lb/hp. That's damn near E46M territory.

With how handy you are I would just start making carbon bits to replace plastic/metal brackets, etc. It's not too hard to do and will save a bunch when added up. How crazy you wanna get? :-)

The N54 is lighter for sure but then you have to make some intake pathway to connect to the Airbox. In my set up there’s some aluminum tubing, silicon elbows, hose clamps. So I would just call it a wash, maybe it’s 1-2lbs lighter for N54 set up.

I believe my car is a little faster and lighter than a e46m3, and very similar in track and wheelbase (within about 1” all around). The e46m3 was always my target when building this car btw.

Yes, I believe it is right around exactly 3000lbs. I keep notes on specs for all the cars that interest me. I refer to this often when planning mods and evaluating. Here’s what I have for my car and other various BMW’s we all probably find interesting. I mainly focus on the lbs/wheel HP numbers. My car is doing pretty well for a N/A N52. It’s beat the e92 335i and the e46m3, and not too far off the e93m3 and 1m.


328csl <3000lbs (?) now:
260whp
230wtq
(3000/260whp = 11.5lbs/hp)
1/4 mile TBD in a couple months
Wheelbase 108.7”
Track Width 59.6”

E92 335i 3500lbs
276whp
285wtq
3500lbs/276whp = 12.7lbs/hp
13.6 @ 105mph

Stock e36m3 3175lbs
205whp
215wtq
(3175lbs/205whp = 15.5lbs/hp)
14.1 @ 98.0mph
Wheelbase 106.3”
Track Width 56”

Stock E46M3 3400lbs
280whp
235wtq
(3400lbs/280whp = 12.14lbs/hp)
13.1 @ 105 1/4 mile
Wheelbase 107.5”
Track Width 60”

Stock E92M3 3500lbs
360whp
260wtq
(3500lbs/360whp = 9.7lbs/hp
12.8 @ 111 1/4 mile
Wheelbase 108.7”
Track Width 60.6”

Stock E93M3 4000lbs
360whp
260wtq
(4000lbs/360whp = 11.1lbs/hp)
13.1 @ 109mph 1/4 mile

Stock 2017 BMW M2 Manual 3450lbs
331whp
325wtq
13.1 @ 106.8mph
(3450lbs/331whp = 10.4lbs/hp)
Wheelbase 106”
Track Width 62.5”

Stock 2011 1M
3,300lbs 292whp
343wtq
13.1 @ 110mph
(3300lbs/292whp = 11.3lbs/hp)
Wheelbase 105”
Track Width 60.7”

[tetsuo111]

Weight matters. A lot.



Let's use round numbers and keep the math easy...

BIB's ClubSport: ~ 3,000 lbs

N52 Output w/work: ~ 300 hp

Specific Output: 10 lbs / hp

***So, dropping 300# weight @ 10lbs / hp is approximately equal to gaining 30 hp

***30 hp gain is approximately equal to a 10% bump in total output




10 lbs / hp output is Porsche Cayman territory.

Add a 3.91 FD rear end, and the greater mechanical advantage results in even more propulsive force.

For comparison sake, a 2011 335i X-drive weighs 3,825 lbs with 300 hp -> 12.75 lbs / hp





Wait, theres' more!

300 lbs weight loss from a starting mass of ~ 3,800 lbs is around 8%

Less mass requires less energy to overcome inertia / change direction. Thus, the car is more agile.

This is the reason weight loss has far greater performance benefits than simply adding horsepower. These are the physics of why modern BMWs, and many cars in general, are so tepid and numb behind the wheel, in spite of massive power. Big mass requires massive energy to overcome inertia. This also explains why a car like the portly M5 @ almost 4,400 lbs, despite an asphalt-ripping 600 hp, will never feel as good or fun as a Lotus / Miata / ATS / Stinger / Cayman / E-46 M3. That recipe results in a very fast land-barge, with not much in common with a sports sedan experience.



Granted, this is illustrative and several assumptions are used for simplicity. Nonetheless, the principals are valid.

Keep up the progress and inspiration!

Originally Posted by Biginboca

I met up with Brandon again today to film a short follow up video and showcase the new mods. That should be uploaded in a week or 2. During filming he asked how much weight loss has the car had and I actually didn’t know exactly so I just figured it up...

Weight Loss


-53lbs Apex Wheels and PS4S Tires
-25lbs Exhaust Mods (Catless Headers, Secondary Cats Delete, AA Muffler)
-45lbs Carbon Roof with Sunroof Delete
-17lbs Carbon Hood
-13.5lbs Carbon Trunk
-8lbs Front Bumper Carrier
-12lbs Rear Bumper Carrier
-40lbs Anti Gravity Battery
-60lbs Recaro Sears
-7lbs ECS F30 Lightweight Rotors

-280.5lbs from stock

I added LSD, Oil Cooler, Aluminum Chassis Bracing and a few other miscellaneous mods for about 35lbs gain.

+35lbs added to stock

Total Weight Loss vs Stock to date is ~245.5lbs

So think about this... if I do the rear seat delete it knocks off another 65lbs. The car will have lost 300lbs at that point and still have the full oem with all interior panels, carpeting, and trunk lining, etc.

That’s pretty crazy!

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by tlow98

With how handy you are I would just start making carbon bits to replace plastic/metal brackets, etc. It's not too hard to do and will save a bunch when added up. How crazy you wanna get? :-)

So it’s funny you mentioned that. There’s a channel I follow on YouTube where the guy remade his 240z with all carbon panels DIY and learning as he went. He did a great job! But when you look at the e92 the bumpers, side skirts, and front fenders are already plastic. The hood, roof, and trunk on my car are now carbon.

So the only “skin” panels left that are steel are the rear quarter panels and the doors. The rear quarter panels being integral into the roof sides makes it a huge and intimidating panel to reskin.

There are companies making replacement door skins in carbon but they are hella expensive. So the doors would really be the only panels it would make sense to remake because they are relatively simple and aftermarket is expensive. From what I gather there’s about 40lbs to be saved there too.

I LOVE what Gunther Werks is doing with their 993 remastered. They are stripping the car down to the very basic chassis and then rebuilding it with all carbon. They claim they shave 600lba of weight off the stock 993. Thats incredible!

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

So it’s funny you mentioned that. There’s a channel I follow on YouTube where the guy remade his 240z with all carbon panels DIY and learning as he went. He did a great job! But when you look at the e92 the bumpers, side skirts, and front fenders are already plastic. The hood, roof, and trunk on my car are now carbon.

So the only “skin” panels left that are steel are the rear quarter panels and the doors. The rear quarter panels being integral into the roof sides makes it a huge and intimidating panel to reskin.

There are companies making replacement door skins in carbon but they are hella expensive. So the doors would really be the only panels it would make sense to remake because they are relatively simple and aftermarket is expensive. From what I gather there’s about 40lbs to be saved there too.

I LOVE what Gunther Werks is doing with their 993 remastered. They are stripping the car down to the very basic chassis and then rebuilding it with all carbon. They claim they shave 600lba of weight off the stock 993. Thats incredible!

Yes, I love channels like this - I'm following several and have purchased some of the supplies to start my own carbon stuffs. I'm going to start easy - making flat brackets and such to replace pieces in the engine bay, etc.

This is mostly what I was referring to for your project as you have mentioned you've already replaced the big items. For example; the tray that holds the AC filter is insanely heavy for what it is. Could probably shave 5-7 lbs there easy with a carbon replacement. Remake the airbox out of carbon - slight weight gain plus increased sound. But maybe you already jettisoned your airbox?

[Tambohamilton]

Having driven my partner's n47 e81 without the scuttle panel, I'd make sure you retain as much sound deadening there as you can! Shit is loud without that piece, and not in a good way! Also need to make sure water only goes where it's supposed to. Certainly agree that the weight of it is mental though!!

[Biginboca]

I’m kind of pausing weight loss mods for now. The next big weight loss will be the rear seat delete but not until next year probably, once we get another suv for the family.

So for now I’m focused on 2 things for the car...

I’m still wanting to tighten up the rear chassis a bit with some bracing. I ordered the M3 black plates that bolt the wheel well to the chassis above it from a scrapper yesterday. Those were only $30 with mounting hardware on eBay. I might add something to it to triangulate/cross the span... not sure yet. I want to get those parts in hand and see how they look on the car.

Secondly I want to address some aero concerns I have on the rear undercarriage. Since I replaced the oem muffler with the AA one there’s a fairly large cavity that’s open in front of the rear bumper. I’m planning on skimming over that with a large flat aluminum panel to prevent the bumper from acting like a parachute. I’ve also found a few aero pieces on the new Supra I’m going to attach to the rear LCA while I’m fiddling down there. I found the part number for the item for the new Z4 and on parts diagrams it looks identical to the ones on the Supra in this pic below...

[Phil325i]

Interesting! Do reveal the part number of the LCA aero...