Quote:
Originally Posted by ss3011
Interesting idea , but I don't agree with Jim . I believe the lightweight stuff does work for all weights of cars , but the faster the acceleration rate, the more important lower inertia parts are . Higher horsepower cars accelerate quicker , so for them its more important . Also the farther that lightweight part is from the engine the less effect it has on hp it takes to spin it up . Another point is a tire is only spun up from zero to maybe 1600 rpm in say 9 secs , a driveshaft from zero to 8000 rpm , and an engine spins up several times , depending on how many gears you have in the trans . So if I were to prioritize what things to concentrate on reducing mass just for pure acceleration it would be the engine , then the tires , followed by the wheels , and finally the driveshaft . There are other reasons for lightening up stuff like overall weight , ease of doing , or expense . If we all had unlimited funds , we would do all the above .
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I think we're saying the same thing, just differently. As another poster suggested, if I'm choosing between gun-drilled, 40-spline axles, an aluminum spool and a lightened ring and pinion, I would probably save the money and put it in the engine. Reducing unsprung mass does allow quicker acceleration of the component in question, but the question becomes "At what price for what gain?"