Am I off base on my weight estimates?

"Paul, Man of Mustangs" (stangmanpaul)
10/29/2013 at 00:24 • Filed to: None

Where I debate how much the 2015 Mustang will weigh

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Guy says it'll weigh 122 lbs more than the Corvette, yet thinks I'm crazy to think it'll weigh 77 lbs more. I mean, I think the Corvette should be much lighter than it is, using an aluminum chassis, but it's target audience is old guys who want something sporty, yet comfortable and affordable, so sound deadening and thick glass is on order, driving up the weight. Hey, they've got room to spare. Why not? Mustangs are marketed towards a younger audience that isn't so concerned with NVH, so less sound deadening is necessary. Now, sound deadening weighs quite a bit, as does glass. Make it thinner, or use less, and you've shaved 50 lbs, easy. Maybe up to 100 if you're hardcore about it. Use an aluminum hood, and you've saved another 50. Redesign the radiator crossmember, and you've saved 50-75 lbs. Redesign the K-member, and you could save another 50. Shrink the chassis, and you can save 75-150 lbs. Already we're pushing 300 lbs.

TL;DR: Is 225 lbs of weight reduction from a 3600 lb car crazy, while 180 lbs is sane?

DISCUSSION (11)

pdthedeuce > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:31

I don't think Ford is going to disregard NVH ... it may not be as important to younger driver as you say , but cars with less sound deadening tend to sound "cheaper" , and things like that are a big deal nowadays .

Paul, Man of Mustangs > pdthedeuce
10/29/2013 at 00:34

I don't think they will either, but I don't think they're going to use heavy deadening to do it. Probably more like better interior design, more rigid chassis, and better aero.

desertdog5051 > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:35

You may be right. But the audience I see driving late or new model 'Vettes are mostly in their late 30's to middle 40's. (don't know what your definition of old is) I would wait on my weight until the figures are released, it may be surprising.

pdthedeuce > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:35

that would be nice , but you can usually count on car companies to take the easy way out .

Paul, Man of Mustangs > desertdog5051
10/29/2013 at 00:38

Maybe. The weight reduction figures may not come from actual clever engineering, and just from V8 to Ecoboost comparison.

SonorousSpeedJoe > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:47

Well, as you're part of Griggs Racing (IRS kits for 'Stangs, right?), I'd take your word over his since you seem to know where the weight is.

I do, however, think that much of what you said here about the 'Vette is more applicable to the Mustang - it's a car that appeals the masses, so it'd have to be designed to cater to them given its relatively lower price of entry. That would mean higher feature content in a car that, in practice, must be at least somewhat accommodating for people who are jumping out of any given beigemobile into a Mustang - Ford'll have to make it a more refined car, and has more room to work with than GM did with the Corvette. For example, I'm pretty sure that I can make out ventilated seats in the interior spy shots we've seen.

Props to you for being able to back up your points that well; that guy normally gets pretty nasty when he can make a solid argument.

Collin > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:54

The real question is which driver will weigh more? My assumption is that the average Mustang driver will weigh quite a bit more than the average Corvette driver, which will lead to many drag races lost.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > SonorousSpeedJoe
10/29/2013 at 01:02

Torque arm kits, actually. We do IRS upgrades, but the Cobra IRS just isn't that great.

The current model is probably as refined as it needs to be, while MFT could use some upgrades. The frame rails, however, are massive. A decent amount of weight could be saved by making them a bit smaller without seriously affecting the chassis rigidity. Ford also tends to overbuild their bracketry, so hopefully they'll pare some of that down. One of the leaks has said that much of the weight reduction comes from chassis refinements, since they've had 10 years to go over the chassis. Also, I think the weight reduction is more for CAFE regulations, so they really want to cut weight wherever possible. I doubt they'll drop many features, but they'll try to make them lighter, at least.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Collin
10/29/2013 at 01:04

I don't see many overweight Mustang drivers at the Mustang Roundup, so I'm not sure that's the case. If anything, I'd call that a draw.

Collin > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 01:07

Perhaps my rural location lends itself to bias. While Mustangs are quite popular in this county, Corvettes are mostly retired tourists with money to burn on local wine.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Collin
10/29/2013 at 10:48

Hence why I think Corvettes are full of heavy convenience products, such as power everything, sound deadening, thick glass, etc.