"Adding lightness" has long been a winning tactic for
performance.

Stephen

--- Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET> wrote:

> Ok, something that is well known but widely ignored
> is that the rolling weight of your vehicle is a big
> contributor to it's speed and it's economy.  I read
> of people on the list who just seem to 'pile on' the
> extra stuff into/onto their vanagons.  Every 10 lbs
> makes a difference, and it is easy to forget that it
> all adds up quickly, bit by bit.  As I build my own
> current ride,  I've been trying to keep in mind how
> many new lbs. each addition will make.  I've already
> lost few mpg. with the addition of a partial Westy
> interior, a full water tank, extra battery and the
> propane.
>  It's real easy to forget, though, and it's tempting
> to think.."Hey, it'd be nice to have a _____ along.
> Maybe I should find one on the Samba and stick that
> in here, too"  It's easy to let things 'build-up"
> inside, too.  A few days back I was under my fold
> down seat/bed and found some extra tire chains
> (about 20#} and some carpentry tools (another 50#)
> I had my bikes in there and 50# of dog food, plus a
> full water tank and other 'stuff'.  Every start,
> stop, change of direction, I was 'moving' that
> un-needed weight around, wasting energy and using up
> fuel and time..
>   After racing a Porsche for a few years ( ran out
> of $) I learned that even 10lbs extra has a
> quantifiable effect on how well the vehicle
> works..Just something to keep in mind as you pack up
> for spring vacation or do your 'renovation' to your
> vans...Surprisingly, adding horsepower is much less
> effective at helping performance than subtracting
> weight.  So maybe next time you get passed on the
> interstate, don't mutter about the underpowered
> engine, think about what kinda load you may have
> aboard..
>   Don Hanson
>

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