Sunroofed evos! Wonder if this answers our weight problems

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Oct 5, 2004 | 02:01 AM
  #1  
Found this on the dsm boards:

Quote: Just saw these come out, There isnt one for DSMs yet, but if theres enough people that need em you guys could contact them to see about having them produced.


http://www.lighterfaster.com/13101/index.html






cool stuff thought id share
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146028 <-- the thread

... I wonder if the roof is as light as the aluminum roofs on the 05's... I mean, if anybody does this, you'd remove the motor, glass, switches, tracks, and what's left is a fat hole with a cf cover, lol

ehh, thought it's a neat idea..
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Oct 5, 2004 | 04:20 AM
  #2  
Hmm, I bought my car with a sunroof so I could open it and enjoy it. I guess that would be good for race days, assuming it is legal to run with it on a track.
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Oct 5, 2004 | 04:28 AM
  #3  
Does that thing rivet to the roof? It would have to be an all out autocross car for me to do that.
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Oct 5, 2004 | 04:46 PM
  #4  
Quote: Hmm, I bought my car with a sunroof so I could open it and enjoy it. I guess that would be good for race days, assuming it is legal to run with it on a track.
Why did you buy an Evo with a sunroof if you are not going to use it. I am sure it is not safe on the track, unless it is really stiff and can handle pretty good upon impact.
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Oct 5, 2004 | 04:51 PM
  #5  
This is why the make an Evolution RS, it's a bit different with Evolutions since they make an 2005 RS with no A/C and an alluminum roof.
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Oct 5, 2004 | 08:20 PM
  #6  
Quote: Why did you buy an Evo with a sunroof if you are not going to use it. I am sure it is not safe on the track, unless it is really stiff and can handle pretty good upon impact.
actually, I think the support for the frame is already there (like a targa supra/mr2 turbo). I don't think that the glass the thing supporting all the weight for the flexing frame...

I think I know you, the only red evo in cal poly right? ...

When I bought my evo, I had no choice because they gave me such a deal on it. It was the last 03 on the lot with 9 miles on the odo, and white too!
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Oct 5, 2004 | 08:59 PM
  #7  
Yes the only Red Evo in the County of San Luis Obispo, in fact I have never seen another red evo since the dealership in Santa Monica. Are you part of CCMW? Maybe Mark's friend?
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Oct 5, 2004 | 10:54 PM
  #8  
Quote: Yes the only Red Evo in the County of San Luis Obispo, in fact I have never seen another red evo since the dealership in Santa Monica. Are you part of CCMW? Maybe Mark's friend?
haha yuppp
the only white gsr evo I know of in town commonly..
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Oct 5, 2004 | 11:19 PM
  #9  
Not a bad idea once and if our roofs start leaking. Until then I will continue to use my sunroof.
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Oct 5, 2004 | 11:53 PM
  #10  
looks kinda ghetto,but not a bad idea for sunroof owners who don't want a sunroof any more
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Oct 6, 2004 | 12:19 AM
  #11  
Quote: Hey Guys there were some good questions so I sent him an email and he got back to me already.

"
Rick, here are a few of my comments in response to the questions:

"It does look pretty sweet .. but come on .. weight reduction ..?? you wont
notice it at all and im wondering how well it seals .. "

Weight reduction is not complete with one part although there is no other
single part on the car that you can remove and replace that can drop 50lbs.
At least I can't think of one. THis basically offers twice the benefit of
replacing your stock hood with a good cf hood. The reason being its weight
up high. Weight transfer is a killer in drag and autocross. The black
silicon comes with the kits as well as all custom hardware needed. I have
had customers take these through auto car washes with no problems.

"It'd be really really cool if they could get it so the sunroof still
works."

The motor and track system is what weighs the most, not the roof panel. If
you left those in you wouldn't be getting the same weight reduction for your
money. You could even make it a manual pop up but then we would have to
engineer a system to seal it over and over again...reliably! This would
mean a more costly kit. Hell there are a lot of aftermarket sunroofs that
don't seal very well. But its basically for the racers out there they want to drop
max weight.

"I'm guessing they could make a speedglass replament. You could also make it
manual that should save quite a bit of the weight."

Yes you could use lexan but here's the problem with that. Lexan scratches,
lexan gives your head a sunburn. Lexan doesn't come with a kit which is a
big deal to the fit and finish of the product. Lexan yellows over time, our
dry carbon fiber panel won't fade since we clear coat the top side with UV
resistant clear coat. Lexan warps when it heats up in the mid day sun. A
rippled panel doesn't look very hot and good luck sealing it. Carbon fiber
has a CTE (Coefficient of thermal expansion) of almost zero. It doesn't
change shape.

Overall we wanted to give maximum weight reduction and still maintain a nice
appearance. The panel weighs about 1 lb. This panel is glossy on both
sides because it is autoclave cured under super pressure and heat."



He pointed out some things I never thought about such as the CTE of some products. As well as lexan turning yellow over time and scratching. I was thinking about lexan replacement and getting a Carbon Fiber hatch. But its useless if its going to scratch easy or yellow! ick :barf:
if you guys read the dsmtuners thread, that's what convinced me.. this isn't ghetto fabricated
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Oct 6, 2004 | 04:35 AM
  #12  
Hahaha! 50 lbs? I have had 3 2G Eclipses, and I took the sunroof out of every one of them at some time or another. They do not weigh 50 lbs. And the glass is the heaviest part of the system. The motor weighs like 1 or 2 pounds.

I will agree with him that weight reduction is not a single point project. Overall this would help. By itself, I'm not sure what you would gain. Not even sure what the Evo sunroof weighs. But I'll stick with my sunroof, since I never want another car without one.
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Oct 6, 2004 | 05:21 AM
  #13  
Quote: since they make an 2005 RS with no A/C and an alluminum roof.
05 RSs don't have an aluminum roof
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Oct 7, 2004 | 02:58 AM
  #14  
wow....that looks interesting
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Oct 14, 2004 | 07:35 PM
  #15  
Heh, bump how heavy is the sunroof?
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