My Ferrari 550 dream...

Thanks for posting! it will make for interesting reading.

 

Fromwhat I understtand they are targetting a weight loss in the order 250kg, but struggling in the pre-production cars to get to 200kg, so I don't know how accurate their figures really are. I am tossing up between buying a360CH at the moment or applying the "weight loss" programme and big brakes tomy car.

 

Weight loss in a 550 is not that difficult. You will save more than 150 lbs in seats alone. Take out all of the sound deadening, etc. and this is exactly what will happen. I am considering this for my other 550 right now.

--Dan

 

I might be able to get you in touch with the Prodrive people if you want some of the race bits...

 

There have been numerous followup articles in other magazines, along with EVO. They have yet to come close to their claimed weight savings,from what I have read.
I am pulling a seat out tomorrow and will compare it to a Sparco carbon Evo, toseehow close their claims on the seat savings are.

 

I guess we all dream of a lighter 550, but i would wish to have it lighter with all the comfort features the car actually has. It's a GT after all.

Does anyone know how much the engine weights ?

 

Alberto, I have had a similar dream for the 550. I have been working to make this happen with Dan (bobafett) and Stephen; I think there is a ton of weight to be saved with carbon fiber components, and for only a fraction of the price of the 550LM kit in the UK (except without a widebody).

Please visit my website, www.ryalexdesign.com for details. If you are interested in cooperating with the project as well, I would be curious to review your investigation notes on your 550 and potential weight savings.

 

I pulled a seat out today, 29kg each. A Sparco EVO 2 (I have a fat arse) weighs 7kg, the carbon version is 2-3kg less apparently, so the weight loss is between 22kg and 25kg per seat, or 100-110lb's total. The Ferrari leather Sparco with recliner is heavier than the Sparco EVO, so would result in smaller weight savings.
I'm going to weigh the bonnet on Saturday and compare that to the EVO numbers (The magazine, not model of Sparco seat). A carbon fibre guy I have spoken to, says his bonnets weigh 5.5-6.5kg depending on the car. With paint this would be 6.5-7.5, being a 10kg weight loss if the 17kg figure quoted in EVO is correct. Potentially the 17kg weight does not include the sound deadening clipped to the inside of the bonnet though.
At this stage, my feeling is that 1550kg is a more realistic goal, without stripping the interior of the car, but i will have a better idea after actually weighing some of the original panels.

 

Well, since the other one in my case is a second car that has some accident history, I really don't mind stripping out the car.

Can you imagine pulling *all* of that sound deadening, all of the useless lining, trunk, etc? There's serious weight gains there, enough to pull it under 1500kg for sure.

--Dan

 

I think there are some big gains(losses) to be made changing the undertray to CF as an example. There is no doubt you can get under 1450kg, just not the way the ES are suggesting, as their numbers just don't add up IMO.

 

It's true, it's really a great engine !

 

Fitted Sparco "EVO" seats today. Had a close look and the Sparco manufactured Ferrari sport seats, as used by ES Motorsport, but discovered they are well over twice the weight of the EVO seats, only providing 1/3 of the weight loss attributed to them by ES in their magazine articles.
I am having a carbon, front and rear bar, bonnet, boot, sills and undertray along with a big brake kit being made up next week, so should be able to report real weight savings data.

 

DO IT DO IT !!!!

 

wow, ambitious weight loss plan! can you take some pics? and do you mind sharing the cost of the cf pieces? I would imagine a cf undertray would be pretty pricey judging by prices of even small pieces. Maybe your labor charges are much less down under though....

 

Dan if you're wanting to kick my 575's a$$ then you better hurry up, as soon as the 600 is out I'm on it!

 

No problems with the pics, I have been quoted less than $20K USD for the whole job. The brakes for example with 380mm rotors and 6 pot AP racing calipers are only $5K compared to double that amount for a Movit kit.

 

Wow, thats a great price for bbk ANd all that cf stuff. Can't wait to see the project pics. Is the cf just clearcoated of will you paint it too and is that incl in the price?