New Car Weights

Steve Williams · 01-25-2009, 10:08 PM

Gump-It does not matter what any of us think about shipping weights. Manufacturer submits the weight and NHRA goes by that weight (whether it is bogus or not). 442OLDS-No new rules I am aware of either, just the same old ones that get complained about for eternity and nothing good ever comes from that.
George Wright-You are correct in your statement about big discrepancies in the weights that manufacturers present to MVMA and NHRA. You know I am a GM guy and I know you are right. Good luck to you and Jimmy with your new car when you get to the track.

My point is that is has become fashionable to stir up **** about things that we have no input to change as evidenced by the success of the SRAC. The most respected names in Class racing put forth lots of effort to benefit the sportsman racer and even they couldn't get into the thick skulls of the NHRA. What does it all mean? In a nutshell it means that in the spirited posts we participate in on this site or any other site concerning class racing we don't mean **** in the big picture of NHRA Drag Racing. Nothing against any persons that post here but boy can we do some complaining about things we will never have any control of.

Just my opinion,

Steve Williams

GUMP · 01-25-2009, 10:31 PM

I for one wasn't complaining. In another thread a poster stated that, as built, the later F-Bodies weighed 3600-3700 lbs. As the original owner of a factory AC-delete, manual window, manual lock, zero option 1995 Formula, I know for a fact that that number is very high. When I first built my car I removed very little and added a mild steel roll bar and had to add 250 lbs of ballast to make E/SA weight. I also owned a no option 2003 Mustang GT it was pretty light too. Using the loaded up weight as a bench mark for a late model race car would be unfair. I also like the new Mustang "Race Car" for what it doesn't have. I think that the motor is a little out of wack, but otherwise wish that all three manufacturers would market a stripped down, no option version of their new Pony Cars with big N/A engine combinations.

Steve Williams · 01-25-2009, 11:11 PM

GUMP,

You have a PM

Tom Turner · 01-26-2009, 06:58 PM

Gump; you are fortunate to have one of the "chosen" cars and correct in wondering why the "shipping weight" portion of the rules makes little or no sense when discussing later model, heavily optioned cars. I happen to have the poster child for the latter arguement. My 96 Corvette has a shipping weight of 3215. Race ready, fuel cell full, with no ballast it weighs 2725. Anybody good at arithemetic? That's 490 lbs. When we had FI classes they were in 1lb breaks so when the one up, one down rule finally came to be, I ran it at 8lbs; no problem to make minimum with a 180lb driver. When NHRA put the FI cars back in the traditional mix, I showed up at Pomona in A/SA. Why not? I'd been running at that weight for 2 years and didn't really give any thought to the fact that in the traditional mix; the lightest class I would be allowed to run was C/SA! (what an idiot!) I think I owed nearly everyone in S/SS at least one bag of shot and we spent the entire day an part of the evening putting 336lbs back in the car. Since that time I have lobbied NHRA and had numerous discussions with Bruce Bachelder and some of the council members regarding the fact that what we need is a "racing weight" for heavily optioned cars that were not available as the "one sunvisor, no armrest, everything delete" model. Bruce's initial response to my suggestion was classic. He said: " If we were to consider your method, then why have we spent 25 years perfecting the current system?" I swallowed my verbal urge and began my search for lead shot.
Steve Williams; negative attitude and all you are correct. Things wont change because it doesn't matter to the right people. The new factory cars will get their weight breaks the same way that Gump's Firebird came to be: the right people throwing the switches: though desparately needed, it wont happen for the rank and file racer.

bsa633 · 01-26-2009, 07:35 PM

LT1 firebirds was A,B C cars in FI...turned out to be C,D,E cars when they were brought back...but with a Hood change they become A,B,C - cars at the same HP..Thats just Fantastic!! Fact..the system is what the powers want it to be! back then it was Pontiac...now it seem to be Ford...

01-25-2009, 10:08 PM	#1
Steve Williams Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 352 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: New Car Weights Gump-It does not matter what any of us think about shipping weights. Manufacturer submits the weight and NHRA goes by that weight (whether it is bogus or not). 442OLDS-No new rules I am aware of either, just the same old ones that get complained about for eternity and nothing good ever comes from that. George Wright-You are correct in your statement about big discrepancies in the weights that manufacturers present to MVMA and NHRA. You know I am a GM guy and I know you are right. Good luck to you and Jimmy with your new car when you get to the track. My point is that is has become fashionable to stir up ** about things that we have no input to change as evidenced by the success of the SRAC. The most respected names in Class racing put forth lots of effort to benefit the sportsman racer and even they couldn't get into the thick skulls of the NHRA. What does it all mean? In a nutshell it means that in the spirited posts we participate in on this site or any other site concerning class racing we don't mean ** in the big picture of NHRA Drag Racing. Nothing against any persons that post here but boy can we do some complaining about things we will never have any control of. Just my opinion, Steve Williams

01-25-2009, 10:31 PM	#2
GUMP VIP Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Shelby, NC Posts: 1,827 Likes: 2,180 Liked 2,359 Times in 557 Posts	Re: New Car Weights I for one wasn't complaining. In another thread a poster stated that, as built, the later F-Bodies weighed 3600-3700 lbs. As the original owner of a factory AC-delete, manual window, manual lock, zero option 1995 Formula, I know for a fact that that number is very high. When I first built my car I removed very little and added a mild steel roll bar and had to add 250 lbs of ballast to make E/SA weight. I also owned a no option 2003 Mustang GT it was pretty light too. Using the loaded up weight as a bench mark for a late model race car would be unfair. I also like the new Mustang "Race Car" for what it doesn't have. I think that the motor is a little out of wack, but otherwise wish that all three manufacturers would market a stripped down, no option version of their new Pony Cars with big N/A engine combinations.

01-25-2009, 11:11 PM	#3
Steve Williams Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 352 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: New Car Weights GUMP, You have a PM

01-26-2009, 06:58 PM	#4
Tom Turner Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Lake Tapps, Washington Posts: 137 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: New Car Weights Gump; you are fortunate to have one of the "chosen" cars and correct in wondering why the "shipping weight" portion of the rules makes little or no sense when discussing later model, heavily optioned cars. I happen to have the poster child for the latter arguement. My 96 Corvette has a shipping weight of 3215. Race ready, fuel cell full, with no ballast it weighs 2725. Anybody good at arithemetic? That's 490 lbs. When we had FI classes they were in 1lb breaks so when the one up, one down rule finally came to be, I ran it at 8lbs; no problem to make minimum with a 180lb driver. When NHRA put the FI cars back in the traditional mix, I showed up at Pomona in A/SA. Why not? I'd been running at that weight for 2 years and didn't really give any thought to the fact that in the traditional mix; the lightest class I would be allowed to run was C/SA! (what an idiot!) I think I owed nearly everyone in S/SS at least one bag of shot and we spent the entire day an part of the evening putting 336lbs back in the car. Since that time I have lobbied NHRA and had numerous discussions with Bruce Bachelder and some of the council members regarding the fact that what we need is a "racing weight" for heavily optioned cars that were not available as the "one sunvisor, no armrest, everything delete" model. Bruce's initial response to my suggestion was classic. He said: " If we were to consider your method, then why have we spent 25 years perfecting the current system?" I swallowed my verbal urge and began my search for lead shot. Steve Williams; negative attitude and all you are correct. Things wont change because it doesn't matter to the right people. The new factory cars will get their weight breaks the same way that Gump's Firebird came to be: the right people throwing the switches: though desparately needed, it wont happen for the rank and file racer.

01-26-2009, 07:35 PM	#5
bsa633 Banned Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 310 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: New Car Weights LT1 firebirds was A,B C cars in FI...turned out to be C,D,E cars when they were brought back...but with a Hood change they become A,B,C - cars at the same HP..Thats just Fantastic!! Fact..the system is what the powers want it to be! back then it was Pontiac...now it seem to be Ford...

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