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1984-85 vs 1986-91 weight?

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    1984-85 vs 1986-91 weight?

    I'm curious why the 84-85 e30's weigh less than the 86-91's. Is it safety/emmissions equipment? Is the chassis the same through all years? By chassis I mean the frame of car, not changes like bumpers. From a manufacturing standpoint, it's cheaper to have the same "mold" chassis & just add to it. I understand 4dr,awd,4cy,6cyl,wheel size, etc... Make a difference. But if you were to strip an 84 & 91 down to its shell, say both 2dr. Would they weigh the same? Did they beef up the frame of the car in the later models? 2400lbs is pretty light. Where is the extra ~400lbs coming from? Thanks for any insight.

    #2
    They were 2 cylinders short.

    Plus, we all know drum brakes are lots lighter than discs...

    A not- insignificant amount of sound deadening got added as the years passed, tho.

    AND I think if you weigh just about any 2 cars these days, the weights will be different.
    It's brutal trying to do a truly fair comparo...

    t
    now, sometimes I just mess with people. It's more entertaining that way. george graves

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      #3
      To my mind the bare shells are identical and if stripped down side by side you could not tell the difference. The early cars have far less sound deadening as Toby says but they also tend to lack sunroof and window motors and related mechanisms. Don't underestimate the weight of the wiring to support all those accessories.

      The 4 cyl engines weigh 80lbs less than an m20 and there would also be reductions in trans and diff weights. Then there's the 45mm strut vs 51 and lack of abs.

      The comfort seats in my 84 M10 car were also made with springs and horse hair matting (like a mattress) so I'd say that would weigh less than sport seats.

      Hard to believe it adds up to 4-500lbs but that's the approx difference between that 84 we had and our current 87 eta coupe.
      Last edited by jeffnhiscars; 01-23-2017, 06:21 AM.
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        #4
        Yes, the g240 weighs #48, while the 260 is probably closer to #80.

        And the 168 mm diff weighs #46, the 188 is something like #88.

        2 big chunks right there. I agree with Jeff- the shells might be a few pounds
        either way, but not much more than that.

        t
        now, sometimes I just mess with people. It's more entertaining that way. george graves

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