last weekend Steved very kindly helped me corner weight my mk1. Thanks again Steve! I think a lot has been said and assumed about the relative lightness of a mk1 compared to the lardiness of a mk2. Anyway my car is a mk1 fitted with a ABF on Kjet, stripped interior except for the top dash, heater and door cards, 2 bucket seats on steel mounts, 6 point 1.5" cage with no diagonal, flexiglass with original rubbers, welded single skin sunroof, and no bumpers. without a driver and with about 25L of fuel weighed in at.......................... 877kgs (596F 281R) To say i was shocked and stunned is a understatement, i was really expecting to be at least sub 800kgs. More shocking still though was on the same scales on the same day, Steve's Mk2 sprint car, which is fitted with a 9a on twin 45's, stripped interior except for top dash and heater, 1 bucket seat on steel mount, no sunroof, 6 point 2" cage with diagonal, no soundproofing but still undersealed like mine, flexiglass with some rubbers, bumpers but with no steel inners, fibreglass tailgate and racing battery with no driver and about 10L of fuel weighed in at.......................................... 860kgs (575F 284R) just goes to show that there really is not that much weight difference between similarly stripped mk1 and mk2's. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ List of weights so far, with hotlinks to posts: All weights are a) actual measured weights, not estimated (except where asterisked *); and b) without driver Mk1 Polo jaymac - 730kg Mk1 Golf geoff thomas - 655kg Jelly - 660kg Kamei Golf 1980 - 685kg pol* - 692kg mr hillclimber - 748kg racer66 - 765kg with 10-20 litres of fuel Keith R - 800kg MK1-Tron - 800 +/- 10kg Kitsune - 800 +/- 20kg 16v185 - 825kg Chris Eyre - 810kg (830 post conversion) samfish - 830kg (900-70 driver) vwgolfmk1 - 840kg Maurice Reeves' reshelled Mk1 - 853kg (previous car weighed April '06 at 864kg, half fuel) jamesa2 - 860kg Kirk Slick 50 - 864kg ITB45 - 864kg M7R - 870kg IV - mk1 16V - 877kg (22/1/2006) Ray268 - 885kg Benny - 895kg, full tank Brunty - 923kg TrackCab16v - 1030kg Scirocco Jools - 720kg* Rob Carvell - 760kg mr.brown - 870kg (Scirocco G60) * Appears to read low - see posts afterwards. Mk2 Golf g-dub - 739kg vturbo - 855kg goof - 864kg Steved - 835kg (16V, 1.8T: 865kg Bomber604 - 848kg Works Group A Golf 1986 ?v - 880 kg marmite monster - 900kg G2T - 900kg jono395 - 918kg iguana - 980kg pascal77uk - 996kg G-Man - 1060kg gunit-84 - 1060kgs Corrado vwgolfmk1 - 899kg gingernuts - sub 950kg Mk3 Golf steved - 910kg pascal77uk - 980kg Sebastian Lindholm's UK works GpA rally Mk3 Golf GTI 16v, 27/3/1994 - 1010kg Pb81 - 1022kg Vento UK Vento VR6 Challenge race car, 1995 - 1070kg Ibiza RobT - 961kg Seat Sport-prepared Ibiza kit car Evo 2, 1997 - 1008kg Seat Sport-prepared Ibiza kit car Evo 1, 1997 - 1027kg Badger5 - 1127kg Polo 6n Big4244 - 1106.5kg Audi A3 Sambo - 1270kg Interpretation obviously involves understanding the spec of each car. To avoid getting drawn into putting up individual spec lists on top of all the data. there are hotlinks to each post where details are given. No account of fuel levels taken - see individual posts. Beyond that, it's a case of searching in Members Gallery for threads started by the users to see if more details on cars are available. Last updated: 16/3/2011
Very interesting info. I've also uncovered some evidence about VW's unique weighing methods - 1983 Scirocco GTI brochure states kerb weight as 865kg, MOTOR Magazine test (with fuel for 50 miles <= 10 litres) shows actual weight as 919kg. Even considering the fuel that's a 40kg difference.
pretty much sums up your findings.......anything else you can take off the mk1? Oh one other thingdo you thinkall the stuff you can remove from a mk2 weighs more that that of the mk1? because that could go toward explaining the same weights when fully stripped.
The Mk1 / Mk2 comparison's been baffling me since we spoke Ian, and also the apparent void between yours and Infinity's. Were there any great differences in wheel types with Steve's & yours? The Mk1 has a spare wheel well, but inside floor deadening removed? I think it's more Steve's that's actually surprising, in outright weight terms - have you had the 'locust' angle grider through it Steve, chasing every bracket, surplus metal etc?
It was suprising that Ian's car was so 'heavy' but the trouble is he now thinks he's a driving god as his car goes so well,but isn't as light as he originally thought. Edited by: GVK
How about different roll cage material.The mk1 may have a heavy tubed cage and the mk2 may have a lighter one? Interesting cos I am building a mk1 track car instead of a mk2 example and the weight difference is a major consideration. Less weight less HP needed therefore less money spent.
there's quite a bit of weight in all the soundproofing & i wouldalso check the wheel/tire weights between the two (beat me to it Chris) & does either have stainless steel exhausts? um weight of coil-overs vs non adjustable suspension?
We are both running coilovers (spax V avo) We are both running pretty heavy wheel (steve 7 x 15 zender turbo V me 6 x 15 Sebrings) i running a jetex rally system not sure about Steve?? No sound deadening removed in mine at all and i think steve has only stripped the front of his so far,(???)
I've still got the headlining and foam stuff to take out not to sure how much that weighs. I dont know if the 1.3 shell is lighter in any way to a Gti shell.
My Ashley exhaust system, main weight of which is in the backbox, obviously, that weighed 12.5kgs (I think). I've just read a bit in Circuit Driver about EDO Competition reworking a Maserati MC12, the exhaust on that weighed 25kgs! and he replaced it with his own design weighing just 7kgs.
Worth adding up the tar, roof tin supports, wheel well, steel wings, bonnet, boot, various brackets. Good result achieveable easily in the Mk1 I'd say without raking off under-side underseal. Other: small battery, remove old battery tray, seat rails out if you really like punishment. The spot weld drill is the key. Bits of tin also whereever it's not needed (couple of bits to come out of the mid-front panel which you see in some Mk1's / not others). Do-able, but to do it neatly does take time/effort, esp raking off the tar (fan heater/heat gun, plus freezer scraper(s) + gunk + brake cleaner + thinners wipe-over to finish).
Iwill be able to tell you the weight of all the floor tar in a mk1 within the nexttwo weks as mine should be done by then hopefully. chris im not going the heatgun way mate.