That strange weight in the vert's trunk

[devon.818]

Haven't seen any threads about this, so I'll start one.

In the trunk of a convertible there is a 70lb-ish weight where the battery would sit if it were a coupe/sedan. Why is it there? My guess would be ballast to counter the driver....yeah that's my best guess lol.

Anyway I took mine out months ago. But the other day I noticed the passenger side rear sat about half a finger width higher than the drivers side, obviously because the weight was no longer there, made me chuckle.


Anyway anyone know wtf this is?
And if you have a vert, drop the extra weight in your trunk!

[kts]

I just noticed that weight in a 92 vert I was poking around on at the junkyard yesterday and I was wondering if this was an E30 thing or only a vert thing. (My E30 doesn't have it, but the previous owner built it for the track so I thought maybe he removed it for weight savings, that thing is seriously heavy!)

I think you're right, I think it's just ballast to maintain the front/rear weight distribution since isn't the battery mounted up front on a vert?

[slammin.e28]

This begs the question....to me, at least....why then, would they put a weight in the back, and the battery up front, when, in normal e30s, the battery is in the back.....

[kts]

This begs the question....to me, at least....why then, would they put a weight in the back, and the battery up front, when, in normal e30s, the battery is in the back.....

I was wondering about that too. My best guess is that the convertible top and all of the mechanics for it occupy the same space along the passenger side where the insanely thick battery cable runs.

[george graves]

I've only seen one of those once. It's on rubber mounts right? That makes me think they were trying to get rid of some harmonic vibration or something.

[devon.818]

Yeah rubber mounts with like 8" bolts holding it in. I don't think it's really necessary, but this is partly why verts weigh more...because BMW stuffed random weights in the trunk lol

[slammin.e28]

I was wondering about that too. My best guess is that the convertible top and all of the mechanics for it occupy the same space along the passenger side where the insanely thick battery cable runs.

Hmm....but couldn't they have run it like all the other wires and made holes, etc?

When I had my 'vert, I never investigated this. Ugh. I need to buy another 'vert.

[LJ851]

I've only seen one of those once. It's on rubber mounts right? That makes me think they were trying to get rid of some harmonic vibration or something.

I think George nailed this one. If it was ballast, BMW would have used a battery or just bolted that chunk solid.

Since all convertibles suffer some some degree of cowl shake, a likely use would be absorb some of those vibes.

[M-technik-3]

That's what it's for been discussed a few times over the last decade, here and on Tech and on E3S.

[lambo]

Why?

Because vertcar






Someone please shoot me...

[slammin.e28]

Someone please shoot me...

Homeaux, or no homeaux?

[lambo]

Homeaux, or no homeaux?

Only for you slammin, only for you.

[slammin.e28]

Only for you slammin, only for you.

:giggle: ^_^

[LJ851]

^
Slammin knows all about strange weight in the trunk.

[e30rapidic]

it is a vibration damper