Colin Chapman, racecar driver extraordinaire and founder of Lotus, was a firm believer in light weight. Less weight = better acceleration, better braking (including braking later and harder before a turn), better cornering (less lateral load on the tires and suspension) and so on. It’s no wonder, obviously, than the modern Formula 1 racecar is all carbon fiber. Coupled with the extraordinary output of the F1 engine, these cars fly. Hit the jump for the details of this load-lightening fun!

It is in this spirit that we will be measuring the weight of every piece of aftermarket performance part we put on the car. Whether it’s rotating mass, sprung weight, unsprung weight, etc, etc, etc, each ounce saved / eliminated will pay dividends at the end of the day.

In upgrading the suspension and braking system from the Evo, a total of 3 pounds was eliminated from the car. Now, you may say to yourself, “3 pounds? That’s it?” Well, the number alone doesn’t tell the whole story, so here are the specifics on what was done:

• OE Bilstein dampers & Swift springs - Zeal Function Xs coilovers = 11 pounds eliminated
• OE Brembo 4-piston front calipers - Endless 6-piston front calipers = 1.6 pounds eliminated
• OE Brembo front rotors - Endless 2-piece rear rotors = 4 pounds eliminated
• OE Brembo 2-piston rear calipers - Endless 4-piston rear calipers = 6 pounds gained
• OE Brembo rear rotors - Endless 2-piece rear rotors = 8.8 pounds gained
• Front dust shields removed = 1.2 pounds eliminated

That’s a total loss of 3 pounds. Although this is all unsprung weight, it is important to note the performance gains of an upgraded brake system - especially the larger, 2-piece rotors with a vane design that lends itself to cooling much, much better than the OE Brembo rotors; better braking and feel with the staggered piston design within the calipers; and the more aggressive Endless CC-X brake pad compound which should lend itself well to spirited driving on the street and on the track.

There wasn’t much to say on the rotational mass front. The Evo is currently outfitted with AME Circlar Spec-R 2-piece wheels in 18×9, shod with Dunlop Direzza tires in 245/40-18. It’s certainly stylish, but we’ll be looking to get some new shoes for the Evo in the near future. We still want to maintain some style, as the Evo is intended as a street car build, but we do care very much about rotating mass and the performance gains that can be achieved by reducing it. We’ll still stick to the 18″ size, but definitely will exercise our option to shed some weight at all four corners.

The suspension bits from WORKS is on its way. We’ll be throwing on their braces and rear sway bar to help tighten the chassis and reduce understeer that plagues most 4-wheel drive platforms. More on that later.

SOURCE BOX

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