Kerb weight and beyond

[Tiptop]

Just wondered what the actually kerb weight of a A500 is, i have heard so many rumours, factory states the car is 1035kg but i've also heard people throwing round numbers in excess of 1100kg.

 Also there is plenty of information on the power gains of aftermarket products but the weight is something that is often overlooked, Having some large mods myself including a full turbo back exhaust system and fmic I've often wondered if i have saved/gained any weight over the standard systems, even small savings on this car can lead to big performance changes for example the difference in 0-60 times from a car on a full and empty tank of petrol.

I find it hard to believe the car has the factory kerb weight of 1035kg when the new 595 with 180bhp from factory has a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds and the biposto weighing 995kg and 190bhp has a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds, even with semi slicks and wider tyres that doesn't add up to me. The difference is too extreme

[anewton10]

Isn't the 0-60 time for the biposto the fully loaded version (£50000) so it has the dog ring gearbox, hence very little time lost changing gear

Got a weigh bridge near me so i wonder if they would weigh my car for small fee😉

[CJ]

You would have saved weight with your FMIC as the twin setup has heavier steel pipework but you may have gained a few with your exhaust system which i assume is stainless? Stainless steel is heavier than mild steel by about 5-6% i think. Racing style coilovers and wheels will be lighter (unsprung weight) than standard too. And i would guess that Abarth fiddled with the mapping for a fatter torque curve than bhp.

Even if they shared the same power the lighter car will be faster every time because it has less weight to move.

[Tiptop]

No doubt biposto is faster but a difference of 0.8 second to 60 for 40kg and 10bhp doesn't stand up in my opinion.

[Skevy]

I'll let the wise words of James May to explain why there is so little gain. Look at the video below and jump to the 1:35 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO0PgyPWE3o&feature=youtu.be

[anewton10]

No doubt biposto is faster but a difference of 0.8 second to 60 for 40kg and 10bhp doesn't stand up in my opinion.

Yes but it's not only to do with the weight why the biposto is so quick from 0-60, it has a dog box (if you have that option) so basically you can change through the gears super quick. It's the quickest way of changing gear without an electronic all bells and whistles paddle shift. Basically if you put that gearbox in a new 595 (180 bhp) it would only be 1-2 tenths slower than a biposto due to the biposto's lighter weight and 10bhp more

[Paullly]

Power and weight isn't everything, better mechanical grip, different ratio gearbox, lower unsprung weight, torque band are all examples of things that can effect 0-62 times as well as what anewton said about the different style gearbox which is a racing style box. Actual weight of a standard 500 with a full tank of fuel, coolant, oil is around 1080kg if the weigh bridge at work is accurate.