raamaudio

Naw, this is a car we will drive long distances to events in, got to have the creature comforts, not like in the old days, I would go without a heater even in winter just to save weight

fix it tickets suck!!!! I had one for the Matrix turbo, what a pain, two days to get it stock looking enough, 60 mile drive to get a referee to ok it and pass smog. Then to see a judge, I was 51 years old, lol, she looked at me and asked, is this your son's car? Nope, it is mine She dismissed the fine, etc, just over an hour later I was putting the turbo back on This time I painted the intercooler black and put on a stock exhaust tip which fit fine.

Rick

DouBLeJ16

am I the only one who actually cares what the car looks like?

the "no rear speakers" for a saving of 2lbs is the dumbest thing I ever heard. on top of that, you're planning on putting in an audio system which is going to add more weight.

make sure you empty your pockets & take off your shoes before you get in the car, you might get a 4lbs. saving.

hell, why dont you just drive around naked? i'm sure your clothes weighs 1-2lbs.

djct_watt

1-2 lbs is not a big deal, of course, but it's the cuumulative result that matters. . . a lb here, a lb there, and you can save hundreds of lbs. The same logic applies to money. . . if you throw away a dollar here and a dollar there, there could be hundreds, even thousands of dollars that you could be saving. And if the name of the game was getting rich, you'd lose. In all out racing (which is what I'm assuming raamy is planning on doing) winning is goal.

DouBLeJ16

but if you're planning on putting heavy subs & a box in your car, why in the world would you take out your rear speakers for a 2 lbs saving? it makes no sense.

if you're that worried about weight, you really shouldn't throw in a system.

raamaudio

A bit grouchy tonight are we?

I have a plan that is a bit unusual but my plans always seem to turn out just fine

It is not just the weight, it is the location and/or the need for such an item to be there. Since this project is a multipurpose business and fun to drive car we make certain adjustments to reach the intended goals.

Perhaps you have not been around a super high end audio competition vehicle, very seldom will you find rear speakers and if you do they are only midranges used for a slight bit of rear fill in proplematic vehicles, most just do not need it.

Then there is the fact we are doing many things in the weight control area like only added ten pounds over stock weight with three amps and a 15" sub and the weight is more centrally located and closer to the rear axle and over it to a degree. Or how about working on a plan to have the battery right in the middle slightly in front of and a bit over the centerline of the rear wheels. We are adding weight but taking it off in other areas and all the weight we add is mounted as low as possible as well.

I have a fairly good idea on how to build a good sound system;)

http://www.raamaudio.com/fanaticmechanic.htm

I get to save two pounds by removing something I do not want or need

I care alot about how my cars look, notice the Tacoma looks rather clean and nice, it was a 96 with over 100k miles on it at the time. Our tC looks rather fine with nice fat sticky tires on the right offset good wheels, lowered on Tein SS coilovers, custom grill, debadged, tint(not done yet), AP color, really sleak and clean, not riced out or somewhere in between, nice yet able to have a bit of fun without attracting the popo;)

Any more questions?

Thanks mister watt You do understand!

We can go faster without the audio system of course but the value to our business is much more significant if we do very well with it installed! That is why we are doing it to a fairly large degree but really we have to admit, the challenge is the biggest reason, not to many cars have been built that can go to the world championships with a serious chance of winning in car audio and race effectively with the same system installed against such "superior" cars as M3's, etc. We want to have our cake, eat it and a bit of some of our competitors as well.

raamaudio

I built a flush mounted with the floor of the car 2.2 cubic ft sealed sub enclosure that only weighs 20lbs empty, normally they weigh 40-60 and up to 80 lbs!

Then I installed a sub that only weighs 25 lbs yet it will match the output yet play lower than any other combination of sub, subs, etc, I could fit and weigh less. Plus it looks rather cool being a 15, shock value in our industry is important but if it works and works well it means even more.

As above the total weight gain in the rear, after removing a few things back there, is only 10 lbs and better located so the effects on handling are pretty much nulled out and 10 lbs in a drag race is practially meaningless(we will not drag race it much anyway).

I understand your reasoning, just trying to explain that we are very much dealing with weight control issues, just doing it differently. A part of me says make it modular so we can take it out when we race. Problem is, long drives to races, some of which will have shows and competitons at, we need to take the system anyway. Once there we do not really want to have it laying around for some bastard to steal it;)
But the real kicker is to be able to listen to a super high end audio system with the windows down, cranking up all the bass we could ever use if in the mood, then go out and post some dang fast times that will be very hard to beat

We do have a method to our madness, really!!!

Rick

reagulator

All these guys are just haters Rick. I think that you are doing a great job because everything you do to your car has some purpose or function to increase the performance of the car in some way or form.

raamaudio

Thanks, I agree, not really haters though, I use that term very carefully. Sometimes just a different viewpoint, sometimes lack of experience(internet is an amazing place to learn but not the only place and does not replace decades of real world experience;)

I have been overworked and fighting off being sick so not at my best but I try to help them understand the meaning to my seemingly madness

Our car is a business statement and advertising tool as well as a means to enjoy spending real quality time together building, showing and racing, really living

We are going to build cars for my son and my daughter next then another for their younger sister a couple of years down the road. Just so it is known, we are not wealthy in the worldly sense, we are happy and having alot of fun and work very very hard to have our way of life, far more than most people would ever consider doing.

Rick

djct_watt

Man I'm likin this guy more and more. . . if I were around yreka, I'd definitely do business with you. As I don't really know where Yreka is, if it's anywhere near Sacramento, I can get you hooked up with some serious advertising.

DuMa

enough talk, show some pics! :D