Wheel arch liners .... Do I need them?

[GrahamV182]

I'm looking at ways to reduce the weight of my sprint / hillclimb car..... This afternoon I spent a couple of hours with a heat gun removing masses of bitumen sound deadening panels from the boot where the previous owner had put a massive sound system :-(

For my next job i'm thinking about removing the wheel arch liners .... Any thoughts? Anybody else running without these liners?

i do drive it on the road to events so Im thinking I may need some protection?

 

[Krarl]

Arch liners weigh grams, might as well not wear a jacket or get lighter shoes and save your fusebox from risk of being soaked

 

[Louis]

People do run without them but I wouldn't. Stops everything getting absolutely filthy

 

[JamesBryan]

I don't have the front half of the liners on my car

 

[R29TJR]

Like @JamesBryan I only run half front arch liners.

 

[White16valver]

Will it be a road car again in the future?

I think I ran without rears in the valver and, er, it did not help the rust issues...

 

[GrahamV182]

Thanks for all the advice .... I'll leave them in I think

 

[DCELEC 182]

Last place to look if it’s weight saving you’re after tbh

 

[Leslie Graham]

Rip em out....
Tons of weight saving on these things, with standard engine & box 800kg achievable. Poly carb windows, cut anything non essential and trim anything else.

 

[Leslie Graham]

Depends how mental you want to go bud...

 

[Sam Linssner]

Depends how mental you want to go bud...

You have a build thread?

 

[Leslie Graham]

You have a build thread?

No bud, just keeping the head down. Always mean to take pics but usually forget. I'll be happy just with getting her onto the track

 

[White16valver]

Rip em out....
Tons of weight saving on these things, with standard engine & box 800kg achievable. Poly carb windows, cut anything non essential and trim anything else. View attachment 1387689View attachment 1387690

Some Renault-initiated weight saving right there at the bottom of the rear wings, I see! lol

 

[Leslie Graham]

Some Renault-initiated weight saving right there at the bottom of the rear wings, I see! lol

Yup, patched in now although some more will be cut out.

 

[GrahamS]

If you have xenons the fronts stop the balast getting wet and causing flickering

 

[Greeny.]

I ripped most of mine out, purely as they got in the way, only kept enough of it to cover the pulleys.

 

[JamesBryan]

If you have xenons the fronts stop the balast getting wet and causing flickering

My xenons are still working somehow ?

My horn has packed up though.

I fashioned an aluminium sheet to protect the aux belt/pulleys.

 

[R29TJR]

I ripped most of mine out, purely as they got in the way, only kept enough of it to cover the pulleys.

My xenons are still working somehow ?

My horn has packed up though.

I fashioned an aluminium sheet to protect the aux belt/pulleys.

This I need to do.

Any pics please guys?

 

[JamesBryan]

This I need to do.

Any pics please guys?

Could get a pic of the 'guard' i made on Sunday when i do my brakes.

Basically it mounts to that subframe brace bar and folds under the subframe. Just stops anything flying up and hitting the aux belt really.

 

[R29TJR]

If you could take a pic that would be great. The last time I took my wheel off I thought it was all a little too open for my liking.

 

[JamesBryan]

If you could take a pic that would be great. The last time I took my wheel off I thought it was all a little too open for my liking.

Yeah that's my reasoning too really.

 

[Sam Linssner]

I threw them in the bin.

 

[Brushwood69]

@GrahamV182 Took mine out. then did the bocconoc stages rally in the wet not sure if you can see in the pick but the liquid mud was oozing out from around the lights, the indicator hole and when you open the door the s**t in on the door shut was bad!

 

[Louis]

Why not just keep them? Improve your driving before you chase grams!

 

[GrahamV182]

@GrahamV182 Took mine out. then did the bocconoc stages rally in the wet not sure if you can see in the pick but the liquid mud was oozing out from around the lights, the indicator hole and when you open the door the s**t in on the door shut was bad!

Hi Nathan - Wow - that's it then - they are definitely staying in. The A30 can get pretty wet and murky!

Improve your driving before you chase grams!

Yes - after nearly 20 years of competition driving I am aware that I'm the weakest link

But I'm not chasing grams. As my original post said I am looking at a number of ways for reducing weight and I felt the benefits of removing the arch liners was dubious, hence I asked the question. So far I have removed a combined weight of just over 5 kilos - I have some massive door speakers to come out this afternoon and then the interior carpets are next on the list. Whilst the door cards are out I'll see what else I can remove / lighten around the doors.

My options for weight reduction are limited. The problem is that I have to comply with the MotorSports Association (MSA) regulations for Road Going Series Production cars - so sadly most original equipment (like the rear seats) has to be retained. No plastic windows either …. but I could get a fibreglass bonnet. (Blue Book 11.4.7 - page 343)

Picture at Bunny's Leap, Wiscombe Park Hillclimb - because I like it

 

[Leslie Graham]

Hi Nathan - Wow - that's it then - they are definitely staying in. The A30 can get pretty wet and murky!



Yes - after nearly 20 years of competition driving I am aware that I'm the weakest link

But I'm not chasing grams. As my original post said I am looking at a number of ways for reducing weight and I felt the benefits of removing the arch liners was dubious, hence I asked the question. So far I have removed a combined weight of just over 5 kilos - I have some massive door speakers to come out this afternoon and then the interior carpets are next on the list. Whilst the door cards are out I'll see what else I can remove / lighten around the doors.

My options for weight reduction are limited. The problem is that I have to comply with the MotorSports Association (MSA) regulations for Road Going Series Production cars - so sadly most original equipment (like the rear seats) has to be retained. No plastic windows either …. but I could get a fibreglass bonnet. (Blue Book 11.4.7 - page 343)

Picture at Bunny's Leap, Wiscombe Park Hillclimb - because I like it

View attachment 1387915

You can keep the bits & pieces required by MSA but literally shave everything. People laugh at grams, grams add up to kilos equalling free released hp that others would try and fix with expensive add ons. Depends how deep you want to go and while rules aren't meant to be broken, the fastest work out how to bend them.
Pick a system or area at a time, read rules and cover every possibility, them the next and so on. Loads to be saved bud.

 

[JamesBryan]

@GrahamV182 do you still have to keep the interior carpet?

If you do, you could in theory remove the carpet and take out the sound deadening tar panels on the floor and then refit the carpet.

There's a good few kg there.

 

[GrahamV182]

Carpets can be removed .... 11.4.6 on page 343. One of my jobs for today

I bought myself a heat gun for removing the bitumen backed panels in the boot - masses of the stuff as the previous owner was an audio freak. I'm sure there will be much more under the carpets.
.

 

[JamesBryan]

Carpets can be removed .... 11.4.6 on page 343. One of my jobs for today

I bought myself a heat gun for removing the bitumen backed panels in the boot - masses of the stuff as the previous owner was an audio freak.
.

That's good then.

Plenty to be saved there then, probably the equivalent of 12L of fuel in weight.

 

[donnylad]

a little off topic, but not massively!

I was thinking of removing the rear spoiler to save weight, its fine within my regulations. does it actually do anything? and what will be underneath it if i get it off? massive holes to full and spray etc?

It might look a little odd, and no idea what they weight, with the light etc fitted to it.

 

[donnylad]

I have removed circa 60kg from mine the last couple of weeks, that is fully stripping though etc

 

[GrahamV182]

a little off topic, but not massively!

I was thinking of removing the rear spoiler to save weight, its fine within my regulations. does it actually do anything? and what will be underneath it if i get it off? massive holes to full and spray etc?

It might look a little odd, and no idea what they weight, with the light etc fitted to it.

Don't think you can remove the rear spoiler.... Unless you are in ModProd class?

For road going .....

11.4.1 (page 343) "silhouette of the vehicle must remain unaltered in construction, dimension and material".

 

[flebay]

I was thinking of removing the rear spoiler to save weight, its fine within my regulations. does it actually do anything? and what will be underneath it if i get it off? massive holes to full and spray etc?

Some people fit the 1.2 spoiler(if you can call it that) as its lighter.

 

[JamesBryan]

Cup spoiler is 3.5kg, standard spoiler is 2.5kg.

 

[donnylad]

yeah im in mod prod, I doubt the spoiler does anything for the car? so best to remove and put small plates over the holes? thus saving a few kg?

 

[Jekyll]

You can get a CM composites rear spoiler. Same shape as the cup but without the rear light and rear light recess.

I'm guessing they'll be a little change in weight and still looks fairly ok. Plus cup spoilers are on the up for resale now if you keep the light in as Renault no longer sell them.

Can that be done in your class? @GrahamV182

 

[GrahamV182]

You can get a CM composites rear spoiler. Same shape as the cup but without the rear light ........

Can that be done in your class? @GrahamV182

Interesting..... the car already has a carbon fibre rear spoiler but to the original silhouette. You asked is it legal in class? Now that's an interesting question......

11.4.2 of the bible states that ".... luggage / boot cover may be replaced with an alternative material". My argument is that the spoiler is part of the boot cover so can be replaced by an alternative material The car has been scrutineered about 50 times with the carbon spoiler fitted without a problem.

 

[Jekyll]

Is it all genuine carbon or skinned?

 

[GrahamV182]

I believe it's genuine carbon fibre ...... I'll take a photo tomorrow. It was already on the rolling shell ...

It's extremely thin and tings when you flick it ...... not scientific I know but th CF body panels on the old Superlight Caterham had the same "ring".

 

[GrahamV182]

Morning @Dr Jekyll ……. two pics of the spoiler below. The leading edge was tatty hence I've sprayed the first half inch a matt black colour (see first pic). Note rear wiper delete to save weight

So much junk in the garage …..

In a previous life it was a bit of a show car - I saw it as a rolling shell, covered in grime and minus the broken turbo engine. And the rest is in the build thread …..

This old cover picture looks really funny on 17 inch wheels …..