Healthy Car Diets

A debate which has gone on between car enthusiast since, the invention of the automobile, is the argument that lowering the curb weight on a car increase the engines horsepower. In terms of ratios, the most agreed upon number is 10:1, meaning that for every ten pounds of weight you shed off a car, the engine is now capable of generating one more horsepower. In my personal opinion, I do believe weight loss plays a pivotal role in giving your car the extra edge against other competition on the street. I have actually experimented with lowering the weight on a vehicle to see if there are any performance benefits.

I previously owned a 2008 Volkswagen R32 which produced 250 hp at the crank, accompanied by 236 torque. The first modification that was done to the vehicle was the replacement of the bulky stock wheels. The stock wheels weighed nearly 26.8 pounds each wheel, bringing the grand total to about 108 pounds for all four wheels. I decided to buy O.Z. Racing wheels as replacements for the stock wheels fro two reasons; they are a very strong design and weigh nearly 10 pounds lighter, per wheel, compared to the stock wheels. The O.Z.'s were the Ultraleggera model wheel which has a fork like design that uses a minimal amount or metal, reducing weight. Each Ultra weighed about 17.1 pounds, a significant amount less than each stock wheel. Just by replacing the wheels, I lowered the cars curb weight by about 40 pounds.


The second modification I did was replace the stock exhaust system with a lighter, less restrictive system made by MagnaFlow. MagnaFlow offered two types of cat-back exhaust systems for the MkV R32, one with a resonator (dampens exhaust noise) and one without a resonator; naturally I chose the one without the resonator. As compared to the stock exhaust, the MagnaFlow weight 11 pounds less! Now that eleven pounds doesn't sound like a lot but you must also remember that the exhaust added performance by being less restrictive. It was less restrictive in the sense that all of the piping was nearly and inch wider in diameter compared to the stock exhaust piping, the muffler was smaller, and the MagnaFlow was non-resonated.

Overall, I shed about 51 pounds of weight off the car which, in terms of the weight loss to horsepower gain ratio, gave the engine about 5 more horsepower. I never put the vehicle on a performance dyno before or after I installed the after market parts so I cannot technically say that there was any particular increase in horsepower. However, I can honestly say that I did notice a little more punch when stomping on the gas peddle, particularly when accelerating from a standstill. In conclusion, I am a firm believer in putting your car on a diet if you want to be able to compete on the streets or on the track. Pulling a little bit of weight away here and there wont ever hurt the car, in fact, it made mine look and sound like something truly special.

Introduction

Hello all, and welcome to my blog! This blog will be built around the passion I have for automobiles, most of which that come from the great-auto empire of Germany (BMW, Audi, Porsche, etc.). This is not to say that examining vehicles coming from other countries is out of the question, but that I will do so all in contrast to that particular vehicles German competition. I encourage feedback, negative or positive, and welcome any conversation about the topics I post. With the exception of the statements I declare as being factual, which will be followed by a reference in parenthesis, all statements are my opinion and my opinion alone.

Now for a bit of history... Since I was young automobiles have always been my hobby. From the design of the exterior to the power hidden under the hood, I cannot help but get excited when examining and driving cars. In my lifetime I cannot even recall how many car shows and exhibits I have attend as well as the amount of different vehicles I have driven. Up to this point I consider myself to be an above amateur car enthusiast with knowledge ranging far and wide across the entire automobile spectrum.

In my lifetime I have owned two cars thus far: 2000 BMW 323i, 2008 Volkswagen R32. Both of these vehicles gave me a taste of what Germany has to offer; one being the "Ultimate Driving Machine" (BMW) and the other "Das Auto" (VW). To date, I have actually sold both of these cars and am currently in the market for a new vehicle. Each of my two previous vehicles, both of which were very different from each other, made and impact on me in a number of different ways. The more luxurious BMW 3 gave me the comfort and "reliability," I use that world very very lightly, of one of the top German car companies. With its renowned inline six cylinder, still used by BMW today, it gave me the pep when I needed it but was tame enough to casually be driven around town.

Circa 2007, it came time for the bimmer to go due to a blown transmission which was, interestingly enough, made in Mexico! Feeling snake bitten by the unfortunate events that had come about with the BMW I decided to turn to Germany's more affordable and economic car company, Volkswagen. By the end of June 2008 I had my hands on a Mkv VW R32 (MkV being the model designation). With its all-wheel-drive system, VR6 engine, and DSG transmission this car was truly one of a kind. In fact, my R was number 1750 out of 5000 that came to the United States. If you have already done the math you will have found out that I only drove this car for about a year and a half. It was not that I didn't like careening down Route 33 at 128mph then finding myself climbing the Appalachians for a adrenaline filled ride back down the other side into West Virginia. It was more or less just a need for a change of direction; I mean that figuratively of course seeing that you only really have about two feet between you and the guardrail meant to keep you from tumbling down the mountain's edge. So now the R was gone and I was back, and still am, in the market for my next toy.

As I conclude, I would just like to thank all who have read this post and I hope that you enjoy the many more that have yet to come. Thanks.