New Weight for E36 325 ITS?

[mlytle]

Originally posted by lateapex911@Nov 3 2005, 06:08 AM
This is TOO f-ing funny!

So, all the BMW guys have NO problem bolting in a 250 pound human onto a 50+ pound seat...that all bolts to four seat mount bolts at every driver ed event from Bangor to San Diego, but actually using engineering to bolt some inanimate objects to the same area suddenly becomes a big safety concern???

yea yea yea, I know, a lead brick to my ribs is going to hurt more than big guy with a helmet flying around the interior in the event of an "OCE"... but lets not split hairs here.

pullleeeezzz..... think logically....if you can't figure out a solution, give it to someone (anyone, LOL) who can.

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ummm, maybe you need to to be the one thinking logically here..
that passenger person is sitting in a seat that is bolted to four points of the floor that are structurally reinforced at the factory for this purpose. the person is held in that seat by a harness or seatbelt that is anchored to a roll cage or to additional mounting points on the b-pillar and rocker area. again, reinforced for this purpose.
--vs--
bolting 200+lbs of weight to the sheet metal foot well area of floor that was not designed to support that much weight.

yes, it is a concern. if the weight can be put somewhere other than just the foot well, the concern changes.

[lateapex911]

Originally posted by mlytle@Nov 4 2005, 12:19 AM
ummm, maybe you need to to be the one thinking logically here..
that passenger person is sitting in a seat that is bolted to four points of the floor that are structurally reinforced at the factory for this purpose. the person is held in that seat by a harness or seatbelt that is anchored to a roll cage or to additional mounting points on the b-pillar and rocker area. again, reinforced for this purpose.
--vs--
bolting 200+lbs of weight to the sheet metal foot well area of floor that was not designed to support that much weight.

yes, it is a concern. if the weight can be put somewhere other than just the foot well, the concern changes.

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Italics mine...isn't it possible to utilize those same mounting points? If they are strong enough for the leverage and moments a seat will impart, I would think they would be an ideal point to mount a bracket of sorts for weight.

Maybe I am missing the logic of something though..

[Banzai240]

Originally posted by lateapex911@Nov 5 2005, 02:31 AM
Italics mine...isn't it possible to utilize those same mounting points? If they are strong enough for the leverage and moments a seat will impart, I would think they would be an ideal point to mount a bracket of sorts for weight.

Maybe I am missing the logic of something though..

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Guys,

This isn't even an issue... The rules EXPLICITLY allow you to reinforce the area where the ballast is to be placed, so all this safety stuff is BS... The rules mandate how it must be mounted, and there are cars in Production and GT that carry 200+ lbs all the time...

I made ballast for my car from 1/2" x 3" x 12" steel plate... Added 140lbs and it took up less space as a shoe box... Here is a pic of the passenger side... You can see the mount just in front of the fire-bottle:



At one time, when running Radial Sedan, I had 140lbs of ballast bolted to that plate.... I'll have to go out an measure it again, but the bolts I needed were not that long... This plate happens to have 4-nuts attached to it, so you can use up to 4-bolts if you like... and you could use multiple mounting positions to spread the load...

The point is that all this safety stuff is unwarranted... the ballast can be as safely mounted as YOU want it to be...

I'm curious as to how many of you who are worried about the ballast were all for moving the battery location to this very spot??

[snowmann]

Originally posted by Banzai240@Nov 5 2005, 03:41 AM

I'm curious as to how many of you who are worried about the ballast were all for moving the battery location to this very spot??

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Oh come on... thats a completely different kind of flying altogether...

[Banzai240]

Originally posted by snowmann@Nov 5 2005, 03:57 AM
Oh come on... thats a completely different kind of flying altogether...

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Yah... the battery is a very heavy object that happens to have the added benefit of pouring out acid as well... Indeed...

[Joe Harlan]

Originally posted by Banzai240@Nov 5 2005, 09:33 AM
benefit of pouring out acid as well... Indeed...

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OH yah like the 5 dollar boat box won't stop the acid... :angry: Better yet how many times I have inspected a car to find two 1/4 inch universal rods holding the whole system to the floor with the hooked end....lol

Ya'll could mandate a weight box like proracing easy to build and welded to the floor.

[Banzai240]

Originally posted by Joe Harlan@Nov 5 2005, 06:17 PM
Better yet how many times I have inspected a car to find two 1/4 inch universal rods holding the whole system to the floor with the hooked end....lol

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Exactly!

Worth the risk, I suppose, when it's in the name of a performance benefit...

[dj10]

Originally posted by Banzai240@Nov 4 2005, 10:41 PM
Guys,

This isn't even an issue... The rules EXPLICITLY allow you to reinforce the area where the ballast is to be placed, so all this safety stuff is BS... The rules mandate how it must be mounted, and there are cars in Production and GT that carry 200+ lbs all the time...

I made ballast for my car from 1/2" x 3" x 12" steel plate... Added 140lbs and it took up less space as a shoe box... Here is a pic of the passenger side... You can see the mount just in front of the fire-bottle:



At one time, when running Radial Sedan, I had 140lbs of ballast bolted to that plate.... I'll have to go out an measure it again, but the bolts I needed were not that long... This plate happens to have 4-nuts attached to it, so you can use up to 4-bolts if you like... and you could use multiple mounting positions to spread the load...

The point is that all this safety stuff is unwarranted... the ballast can be as safely mounted as YOU want it to be...

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the weight ONLY to be added to the foot well area only in IT classes?
dj

[mlytle]

Originally posted by dj10@Nov 5 2005, 07:20 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the weight ONLY to be added to the foot well area only in IT classes?
dj

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ahh, that is what I thought too. passenger side footwell. footwell does not include the area under where a seat would go or use of the seat mounting points. did the rules change or is the car pictured illegal in it?

[Banzai240]

Originally posted by mlytle@Nov 5 2005, 07:56 PM
ahh, that is what I thought too. passenger side footwell. footwell does not include the area under where a seat would go or use of the seat mounting points. did the rules change or is the car pictured illegal in it?

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You guys are right... The ITAC recommended in the early part of the year that the area be opened up to include the seat area as well... I'm working right now to verify that this is going to happen for 2006...

I'll let you know what I come up with...

Luckily for me... my car doesn't need any ballast, or it'd be illegally mounted!