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Thread: Weight is the Enemy

  1. #1
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    Weight is the Enemy

    An old racers wisdom. Tried to find Fiberglass or Carbon Body Panels (Hood, Trunk-Lid)
    on the Net for RS 6 or S6 (C5, C6, C7), but not much luck.
    Can anybody recommend vendor in North America ?
    Any other Mods been tried to reduce weight without loosing everyday drivability or removing interior ?
    How about looking into removing some weight from the front bumper arrangement,
    as the US and Canadian spec cars have 5 mph bumpers ?
    Any tips are being appreciated.
    Do not have an RS6 or S6 but I am looking !

  2. #2
    Registered User hahnmgh63's Avatar
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    You might find something but the hood is Aluminum already so I don't think you're going to get much of a weight savings there. Upgrade to Forged wheels and save 10# a wheel (40lbs total), got to a lightweight dry cell battery and save 30# or go with a much more expensive Lithium and save 40#. Get rid of the whole DRC and save 10#~15#. Secondary radiators will save quite a bit off the front of the car although it is low CG weight.
    2003 White RS6 2013 Midnight Blue S5
    2013 Daytona RS5 2x944 Turbo's 1974 911 w/'91 3.6ltr motor
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    Thanks Roy,
    Good Info with real #'s.
    My heaviest car the SHO Gen II is 3300 #
    Are we close geographically ?
    I am in White Rock, B. C. right near the border.
    Ivan

    Noble M400, 58 Austin Healey BN6, 1994 Ford Taurus SHO, Porsche racing projects

  4. #4
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    Thanks Roy,
    Good Info with real #'s.
    My heaviest car the SHO Gen II is 3300 #
    Are we close geographically ?
    I am in White Rock, B. C. right near the border.
    Ivan

    Noble M400, 58 Austin Healey BN6, 1994 Ford Taurus SHO, Porsche racing projects

  5. #5
    Registered User mrdave's Avatar
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    The hood, front fenders, front & rear subframes, front & rear bumper crash bars, engine block & heads, and a lot of the suspension components are already aluminum on the C5 S and RS cars.

    Off the top of my head the items to reduce weight would be: interior, battery, OEM wheels (32lbs each), sunroof, A/C, emissions hardware, possibly exhaust (?), and you could save at least 150lbs by swapping in a manual trans.

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    Hi Dave,
    Thanks, Transmission seems a very good way.
    My main concern is also the heavy front weight bias.
    That was has kept me so far from considering Audi's.
    Spoiled by very light high hp cars.

  7. #7
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    Just to interject, the rear subframe on the C5 RS6 is steel, not aluminum.

    Otherwise yes, going to a manual transmission is hands down the biggest weight gain, and couples with performance gain. The auto trans full of fuel is just about too heavy to lift one end by hand, much less the whole thing. The manual full of fluid is a fairly easy one man lift. The hood is already super light. Battery and wheels are good options for saving weight. I would proabably want to remove similar weight from the front anytime weight was removed from the rear (i.e. battery). SAI, aux radiators and associated plumbing, spare tire, DRC, etc are all good options. The exhaust system isn't too heavy to begin with but you could probably save a few pounds.
    RS6 #1, 01E, 2.5" straight pipes, AMD Stage 1 6MT tune, 460awhp/530awtq on AMD's Mustang dyno. TOTALLED.. RS6 #2, Ebony Black Pearl on black/silver combination with carbon, up and running with 6 gears and AMD tune.

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    Thanks
    Anybody try alum. or carbon fiber drive shafts ?
    What source ?

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    The lighter wheels are a very BIG DEAL....they represent a large decrease in rotating mass, the benefits of which, far outweighs there actual weight. You would not feel any difference with a 5 lb. lighter hood but you will feel a difference with lighter wheels. Just swing a 5 lb. barbell in a circle and then swing a 10 lb barbell and you'll get the idea.

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    Yes Rick,
    I think the engineering book says about 3 X as much as actual weight saving when it comes to rotational mass.
    On my SHO the weight saving from steel to fiberglass/carbon combo hood is about 40+ lbs.
    On the AH the hood from alum versus stell, has about 10 lbs saving as it has a small shape, not covering the full front.

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    Seats. Seriously. They're like 60 pounds each.

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    Yes inded,.
    Are the Euro Spec seats lighter, and by how much ?

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    Still quite heavy. Maybe someone else will tell the exact difference.

  14. #14
    Registered User mrdave's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by p1054 View Post
    just to interject, the rear subframe on the c5 rs6 is steel, not aluminum.
    c5 4.2l:
    Click image for larger version. 

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    c5 rs6:
    Click image for larger version. 

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  15. #15
    Registered User mrdave's Avatar
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    ...and just for completeness,

    c5 s6 avant:
    Click image for larger version. 

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  16. #16
    Registered User hahnmgh63's Avatar
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    I'm not too far away. Just south of Tacoma by Eatonville, on the way to Mt. Rainier. I've done the wheels (BBS RS-GT's 19"), battery Odyssey 925, removed SAI and Aux radiators, even saved a few pounds by going with Miltek Catless downpipes. The wheels were the best investment, but in order to go lighter without sacrificing strength then you have to go Forged which means $$ but worth it, I run Forged wheels on all of my cars. Funny thing, even the wife's A8 came from the factory with 19" Forged wheels but not the RS6.
    2003 White RS6 2013 Midnight Blue S5
    2013 Daytona RS5 2x944 Turbo's 1974 911 w/'91 3.6ltr motor
    Roy, WA

  17. #17
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    Thanks, forged is quite a bit stronger in general. People forget though often that going to larger diameter wheels adds weight,
    not to mention wheels will be more stress on bad roads and railway crossings due to smaller section tires.
    Also worse for snow driving.
    Have not driven any RS6 just S4 a couple of Years back, but did not like the unresponsive steering, and the way it handled during
    corner turn in due to the weight !

  18. #18
    Registered User Cmnair's Avatar
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    I am not sure if this is the car to go for if you are looking for light car/high HP. No offense but I don't see the point.
    2003 Audi RS6 Daytona/Silver, 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S, 2016 Golf R 6 MT, 2018 Porsche Macan GTS

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