GTO weights...diet?

[mkiv97tt]

I've been looking at the GTO for a long time as a way to finally rid myself of my GM card $$$'s. Every time I read the specs though, the 3800# weight sends me packing. What?? Dear lord this is heavy. As a person who likes to take cars to the road courses and autox quite often, weight is the DEVIL!!

I have two questions for current owners:

1) How much are M6 GTOs really weighing on the scales?
2) How much weight has been documented as safely removeable (spare tire, jack, wheels, this bar, that bar, etc.)

Everything else about this car looks spectacular...it is just too heavy :|

TIA

[FLORIT]

My M6 weighed in at over 3800 pounds with me in it... and that was with a carbon fiber hood and an empty trunk!

You can safely remove everything in the trunk, including the decorative panels. It is less safe to remove the fuel cell retaining bracket, but that thing weighs almost 100 pounds, so I'd remove it. You can remove the stock skid plate protecting the oil pan. That's over 15 pounds. I would NOT remove the strut tower brace for AutoX, but I would for drag racing. It was suggested to me that if I REALLY wanted to strip out weight, that I could remove the seats. But I'm just not that serious a racer.

[PadreGTO]

Everything else about this car looks spectacular...it is just too heavy
Yep, it's heavy, no way around it. My A4 weighs in at 3865 with me in it and no gimmicks. I autocrossed it once and the weight is a definite disadvantage.

Padre

[GTOdriver7]

there is no getting around the GTOs weight. it is a bit of a hog. but if you sit the back seat and then sit in the back seat of an Fbod, you will see where the extra weight is going ;).

hey, you cant have it all. if GM made a car that ran low 13's, got GREAT gas mileage, and could carry the family, and only cost 20k. then everyone would have one. you gotta give something up somewhere is my point.
if weight and ultimate performance is what you are looking for, go for the Fbod or Vette.

[High Octane]

Cat Scale Certified Weight
I70 Exit 94 Columbus OH
Steer Axle 2060 lb
Drive Axle 1720 lb
Trailer Axle 00 lb
Gross Weight 3780 lb

[phobos512]

I thought I saw somewhere on here that BMR was working on a new fuel tank protector? Whatever happened with that?

[Tigger]

As I posted in another thread, I was at an autocross event a couple weeks ago at Rockingham, and the dragstrip scales were open. My m6 GTO's gas tank was about 3/4 full. The car weighed 3740 without me in it. I can't remember if the scale rounded to 5 or 10 pounds.

[lively]

My M6 weighed in at over 3800 pounds with me in it... and that was with a carbon fiber hood and an empty trunk!

You can safely remove everything in the trunk, including the decorative panels. It is less safe to remove the fuel cell retaining bracket, but that thing weighs almost 100 pounds, so I'd remove it. You can remove the stock skid plate protecting the oil pan. That's over 15 pounds. I would NOT remove the strut tower brace for AutoX, but I would for drag racing. It was suggested to me that if I REALLY wanted to strip out weight, that I could remove the seats. But I'm just not that serious a racer.
Florit, the back seats are really easy to remove. Bottom cushions come out by pulling two tabs. Back comes out after that with two blts at bottom of cushion. Everything else you said I second.

[No ConeSS]

I just picked up my Blue/blue M6 today, and went straight to the scale. W/ me in the car (357 lbs) and a full tank of gas, the print out is 4,140 lbs. 4,140-357= 3783. That's what mine weighs.

About it being too heavy, don't count it out just yet. I have been autocrossing a '96 Impala SS for over 4 years, and that car (again w/ me and just shy of a full tank tipped the same scale at 4580) turns a lot of heads, and is fairly competitive (mid-pack) in Street Mod (where I run it in, in the St. Louis region...). Once I get past the 'break-in' period, I'm gonna do one or two autocrosses w/ the GTO.

[BowdawG]

One of the reasons for the weight of our cars (besides they are bigger than the F-body) is they are derived from the Opel Omega (90's european front wheel drive GM car.) This car was directly imported to the US as the Caddy Catera... wow those fender creases look familiar... anyhow, when Holden took the platform to OZ, they beefed up components in the suspension and the body, and obviously made them rear wheel drive (I guess we should be lucky theyr'e under 4000 lbs dry). This is also the reason why we have a 6.5qt oil pan- the subframe in the car doesn't allow for a rear sump oil pan, so to prevent starvation, they added more capacity!!

[mlc]

It is less safe to remove the fuel cell retaining bracket, but that thing weighs almost 100 pounds, so I'd remove it.

I would leave this in for autox. It is heavy but it looks structural and with all the hard turning I think it help keep the car true.

[Maestro]

One of the reasons for the weight of our cars (besides they are bigger than the F-body) is they are derived from the Opel Omega (90's european front wheel drive GM car.)

The Omega is and has always been a rear wheel drive chassis. FWIW.

[M'BOBO]

Weighed my cars at the drag strip -
04GTO with driver and gas - 3880#
03 Cobra with driver and gas - 3920# What! a 2 ton mustang and its considered a sports/pony car?
The GTO is not the only car with a weight issue.

[GoatHerder]

This is not a good car to road race, my dad and brother are running a CTS-v in scca T2 right now and the car has power out the ying yang but rolls like a ship. You cant settle the car in quick turns. Granted that is with basically stock suspension. The GTO falls into the same category with the power and the weight, only difference is a lower center of mass, smaller frontal area, and the lack of the dual mass flywheel that robs the CTS of about 20 horses.

[GTOdriver7]

This is not a good car to road race, my dad and brother are running a CTS-v in scca T2 right now and the car has power out the ying yang but rolls like a ship. You cant settle the car in quick turns. Granted that is with basically stock suspension. The GTO falls into the same category with the power and the weight, only difference is a lower center of mass, smaller frontal area, and the lack of the dual mass flywheel that robs the CTS of about 20 horses.

if you are planning on road racing you definetly need suspension and new breaks.

[Snow Goat]

1) How much are M6 GTOs really weighing on the scales?
2) How much weight has been documented as safely removeable (spare tire, jack, wheels, this bar, that bar, etc.)

Everything else about this car looks spectacular...it is just too heavy :|

TIA

I think my signature answers your question. I may have to lay off the fast food too.

[phobos512]

I think my signature answers your question. I may have to lay off the fast food too.

All I see is mods and QMT...Nothing about weight. Am I missing something?

[GTOdriver7]

IBM/B M6
302.4 rwhp 313.8 rwtq
-borlas
-cold air intake
-BMR skid plate
-and $1300 later = 13.95 @ 100.74 mph
and still hungry for rice

yes, what are missing?

[OrangeCrushM6]

All I see is mods and QMT...Nothing about weight. Am I missing something?

What he is saying is "look at my rwhp, look at my 1/4 times with the mods
he has" with that power he should be faster and maybe he needs to lose some weight too. :cool:

[dmonty]

I think my signature answers your question. I may have to lay off the fast food too.

Snow, you referred to laying off the fast food but did not list your weight. I have no intention of embarrassment or anything negative, but if we are threading about weight vs. time then we need to know driver vs car weight. If losing 20 lbs when switching to a BMR skid plate is a factor than driver weight is also a factor. BTW, I am still waiting to pick up mine. Obviously wieght is an issue for time and would give a better idea for those with similar weights what to expect at the track.

I currently weigh 200# and plan to try to reach 185-190. This is a separate issue since I started my diet 4 months before I got my goat when I was at 235#.

I also have recruited a driver for my goat that weighs 100#. She loves the car and has been hinting about my letting her drive it. I figured that I should take it another step and teach her how to race it. I plan to visit the track with her in a few weeks and will run myself and let her run and compare the delta to see what a 100# diff does to the times.

Thats my plan anyway. This should be interesting...
_DM

[FLORIT]

...I have been autocrossing a '96 Impala SS for over 4 years...
At the last SCCA Solo2 event, my Dad had a cop drive his '02 (I think) Mercury Marauder and they won the F-Stock class! His car DEFINITELY turned some heads.

But I agree the weight of the GTO hurts it in AutoX. I have some pics of mine taking the turns and the body roll makes it look like it's gonna pull a strut off. New brakes, stiffer sway bars (front and rear), and LOWERED just a fraction... these are "must do" mods on my list for next year.

Screw drag racing. AutoX is way more fun and I think the GTO is more suited for road racing than drag racing, even though it is not ideal for either.

The best application I have found for the 2004 GTO is Interstate travel. "King of the Highway."

[Tigger]

I agree that some suspension work, bigger brakes and probably wider tires would all help the GTO be more competitive in autocross. However, I do not plan to spend any money on performance mods for autocross until I first learn how to be a better autocross driver. I'm sure that an experienced driver could get a far better time than me if he drove my Goat on the same course.

Bigger brakes and changing the rear sway bars will knock the GTO out of F-Stock. I'm pretty sure you could go with wider tires as long as the rims are still stock (or same size as stock). I also think you can change the bar that ties the top of the front struts together to a larger bar without getting bumped out of stock. I've also heard that you can replace bushings in the suspension with stiffer ones as well as putting in better shocks.

But like I said, until I get to be a good enough driver that I can identify problems with specific maneuvers as being caused by limitations of the car instead of limitations of my driving skills, I don't plan to spend much money on mods.

Oh yeah, I also want to echo that autocross is great fun. If you're at all interested in driving on the edge in a safe, controlled environment, you should definitely check it out.