Will stripping interior affect handling?

[GabrielKnight]

If taking out all standard seats and replacing with light bucket seats make enough of a difference in weight to affect handling on standard tuned suspension?

[busterhymes]

dont think you will notice any difference apart from the fact that a lighter car will perform better in terms of acceleration/top speed but again by how much thats another story some of the other guys on here with stripped out cars could advise im sure :)

[Jamie.]

Mine was skittish with rear interior out.

If you want to do that imo you want to get some adjustable suspension.

Both my 172 and Williams were ruined with interior out and as such always ended up putting it back in.

[busterhymes]

:shock: quite surprised it makes such a difference well u live and learn :wink:

[Winston]

I found it made the car alot more fun..... It used to hang its tail out alot lol

[Daz.]

I didn't like it, it all went back in

[rob-legend]

i've done it had it like that for two and a half years now, the back end is definately more lively, but other than that, just noisey :P

[GabrielKnight]

Noisy in good way, or bad?

Did you remove the thick boot carpet?

[sleeky]

My valver is totally gutted and the rear end is rather skittish with the stock suspension, however I have now moved the battery to the rear and that has helped make it more stable :)

[rob-legend]

Noisy in good way, or bad?

Did you remove the thick boot carpet?

well my williams is a weekend car, so i like it, but driving it everyday, the loud noise could eventually piss you off. haha

and yes i took it out, i've took everything out.

[2 live]

as abvove really. makes the back end a little more skittish. all adds to the fun tho. lol

[bendee]

always made the car feel more alive to me from the day i stripped my first car ive had stripped cars.

[Coops]

much better with stripped car, lighter and more nimble by far and imo rear end skittishness is not really an issue at all in any of mine i've stripped.

[GabrielKnight]

So, to summarise the feeling here... a stripped Williams is a disaster as well as the best drive ever!

Personally, since posting the question, I don't like it as much. Having spent several hours stripping and refitting with very light Cobra seats, the drive is just too tetchy. Tbh, those original seats are damn heavy.

Of course there is a slight difference in acceleration, but the 2.0L is more than enough without stripping. A stripped 1.2 will give significant gains while the speed difference isn't enough to worry about handling, but by 80mph on country roads, cornering tonight just felt flimsy.

I guess they knew what they were doing when they designed the car. I should have stuck with factory, as I have a well kept minter where everything else is standard. Of courseI'm keeping the original seats for resale, but in the meantime nothing feels right any more.

At the same time, I have little use for the back seats, and I want my racing harnessses. So I guess I need to just add the same weight again. Can't see myself putting the battery in the back. A heavy ICE system would be ideal, but I'd never get my shopping in the boot! So.. How much does a roll cage weight??!

[MAXIBOY]

about 30/40kgs.

if stripped in needs lowering and adjusting the tyres pressures to compensate in my opinion..but can feel loads better.

[Coops]

agree with the above then on the given experiences, both my stripped clios have had lowered and uprated dampening suspension.

my current one had several other suspension mods and it really is totally stripped out at the rear, there is nothing under the rear floor pan, aux fuel tank,spare and cage and latch for cage all gone and the exhuast is a side exit so no rear box. run fk coilover kit, powerflex bushes on front,15mm spacers, again up front and superlight wheels with r888 tyres. infinatly out performs my pretty much standard williams in all conditions :D

[stan]

if the suspension is set (by the factory--roll bar pre-tension, damping rates, spring rates, ride heaight etc etc) in a particular way for a given wegith, and your used to that way, then you go and alter the weight of the car then of course its going to feel different.

Once youve stripped it ideally you want to alter brake bias for a start, then look at spring stiffness and damping.
This isnt achievable on near standard suspension, so often doesnt get considered. The outcome is a car which isnt handling to its optimum.

[2 live]

but to be fair..the car isnt handling at its optimum from the factory.


they have to deal with the comfort side of things to appeal to a greater customer base.


whats gained in 1 area is undoubtedly lost in another area.


most ppl dont think of it this way.

[ThRaXaIR]

in a word....no. haha well not very much, my rear is stripped bare baby! :oops: anyway....i can personally lift the back of my car off the floor and yet on track its had no bad efffects the only time its ever got real hairy on track is when it was raining. the onlt suspension tweaks i've had are 172cup springs and now a cage which has changed the handling a tad.

so i wouldnt worry about it, these are personal experiences though :P