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MG MGF Technical - Lightweight MGF

Hi everyone,
are there any companys who would specialize in "stipping out" an F a-la lotus Elise,to lose a few kilos,ie carpets, door panels maybe replace the seats with carbon lightweights,im not sure what else could be removed, if it could lose 50 kilos it would IMHO help. I have considered doing this my self and sourcing the parts individualy.Any comments?

Cheers
Stuart
Stuart Whiteway

Afternoon Stuart - long time no hear!

I think you could get rid of 50 kilo without too much trouble - but tell us why?

Ted
Ted Newman

Remove yourself, I'm sure that'll remove a few more kilos. not as much fun though...
John

Hi there Stuart

Lose the standard seats mate- and install some Sparco items. You'd not believe how heavy the standard trim is!

If you don't want to do this yourself (not difficult TBQH), you could approach one of the companies that prepare MGFs for racing- which is what you want for a few quick laps of the Nurburgring ;o)

The company that first springs to mind is Techspeed here in Warwickshire, but a bit of research sould reveal a few more specialists, and frankly, as there are no special considerations for an F interior, just about any race specialist would be able to help you out.

I'm just a bit curious- why? Are you planning a bit of motorsport?

Rob
Rob Bell

Hi Ted,
not really sure why,but I only seem to use my F for thrashing around the the Nurburgring these days
most weekends infact,I guess its the minimalist in me,maybe it wont make much difference,but psychologically it could to give me that racer feel!!
Stuart Whiteway

Hi Rob,
now you mention it, I am planing a few sprints and hill climbs this year,Techspeed was on my list for gearchange,and suspension anyway,finally convinced myself this was the way to go instead of buying a new Elise!
Getting some good laptimes in at the ring,and spoke to a german there with a stipped out golf who reckons that 50 kilos should be enough to notice a differnce!
Have not been on the BBS for a while too busy selling BMW'S,like crazy,( i think everyone has got one now in Frankfurt!)

Cheers Stuart
Stuart Whiteway

Take out the spare wheel, jack etc, remove the hood and frame, drain out fluid from the washer bottle, remove passenger seat, take the radio, ariel, ashtray, lighter out. That lot should be at least 50 kilo. Anything else??
JFK

Loads more:

T-bar and centre cubbies, sound deadening material over engine cover and rear bulk head. Carpet and sound deadening material throughout cabin. Speakers in the doors (if you are disposing of the radio anyway), electric motors for the window mechanism. Boot trim. Exhaust heat shield. Engine bay grille under boot lid. Front bulk head shrould trim. Replace seat(s) with carbon or glass fibre racing seat(s).

If you do decide to remove the hood frame, then fit a safety devices half roll cage which will not only enhance safety in a weekend racer, but also enable you to fit the Motorsports lightweight hardtop.

I reckon you'd see a saving of over 100 kg by stripping down to this level :o)

Have fun Stuart!

Rob
Rob Bell

Sounds like fun, but stuart, why the decision not to get the elise. surely by stripping the car down you are removing the things thats give the f an advantage of an elise. i.e comfort and practicality.

surely even a stripped out and sorted MGF isn't a match for an elise. I may be wrong.

I am not having a go at all buy the way, i'm just interested to know more of your reasoning.
Matt

Hi Matt,
I dont think I would go as far as the extemes Rob mentioned,but the reason for not opting for an Elise is because I am big into Mountainbiking,i carry my bke on the back of my F a lot using a modified official Rover boot rack,I know I could not manage this with an Elise,so I still need the more practical side of the F,including the bigger boot space.
I have also seriously thought about the 160 instead,but again the rear spoiler means no boot rack..or?

Cheers Stuart
Stuart Whiteway

Stuart,

Totally off topic but...

1. What do you lub your bike chain with?

2. Do you wish you did not have to lub your chain?

3. Interested in a lightweight (approx 30% lighter than current chains) that does NOT require ANY lubrication - runs dry and does not rust?


The same questions apply to anyone else interested as well.

Sorry for posting this on the BBS though. :)
Paul Lathwell

IF I bought a Trophy 160 (which I doubt, as I plan to wait until at least 2002 to see what other more extreme versions of the 'F come along), then I would either ask for it not to be fitted in the first place, or remove it after delivery.

Not a very big fan of spoilers on two seat sports cars- spoils the lines etc. On a four door family saloon, then I quite like 'em- love Scoody Imprezas! New X20 mighty fine too.

Rob

PS Stuart, if I were to go for a less extreme version, then I'd change the seats as I mentioned in my earlier posting, for light weight buckets. Something along the lines that many of the Adingdon trophy racers have done, and kinda similar to this http://homepage1.nifty.com/daitakei/mgf/f_modi/P1010306.JPG
Rob Bell

Paul,

what's that bike chain ??
I have changed mine recently, but I'd like to know ...

Fabrice
Fabrice

>>finally convinced myself this was the way to go instead of buying a new Elise!<<

Hi Stuart, interesting decision. Similar to you, I have decided to keep my F for at least another year- more hill climbs and speed events, more track days (it's a shame that I am not as close as you to the Nurburgring!!!) and basically have as much fun as possible with the car.
Regarding the Elise, I note that early motors have fallen in value in the UK to around 13k this winter. They'll be more for sale next winter for less- so what's the rush to change? :o) Whilst my MG continues to provide so many smiles over the miles, and is so tunable, why should I? I guess you've had similar thought processes too!

Rob
Rob Bell

Fabrice,

e-mail me and I'll tell you more - not really the place for it here. ;)
Paul Lathwell

Paul,
you cant beat WD40 IMHO!

Rob,
My thoughts exactly Rob, I am going to wait at least another 2 yrs,wait and see if we get a more exteme F,in the meantime play around with mine until I get bored( which I cant see),as long as I am enjoying it why change.

Stuart
Stuart Whiteway

Stuart,

What are your lap times round the 'Ring these days?

Regards
Paul
Paul

Hi paul,
In good dry conditions I am getting under 9 mins and 30 secs but it depends where you time it from,I followed a BMW Z3 coupe 3.0 last time and he had good racing lines,so I was able to match his speed in the corners but he blew me away in the staights I braked later than him so I would catch up,Still its all relative the more you drive the ring the the easier it gets,its like a state of mind you start to pedict the turns before they come.The ring still scares me and I think a better driver than me someone like Rob after maybe 20 laps or so could get close to 9 mins,but thats pushing the limits of the MGF,I have driven my mates Skyline around in 8.30 and thats scary.
I believe the lap record is 7.50 in a caterham superight R500, but I think porsche GT1 broke that in 7:30 odd!!

Stuart
Stuart Whiteway

Stuart,

>you cant beat WD40 IMHO!

Yes, you can - NO lubrication and that is what I'm talking about a bik chain that requires NO oil, no lub no nothing - put it on the bike and foget it. Added benefits include approx 30% lighter. :-)
Paul Lathwell

Stuart,

Any details/piccies of your modified rack. I currently have to run an old Astra to move my bike. Woulld love to ditch it.

Gavin
gavin phillips

errrr, remove the F register badge off the front :-)
Tony Smith

This thread was discussed between 02/02/2001 and 05/02/2001

MG MGF Technical index

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