cygnusx1 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 This theoretically works, but how accurately? Anyone going to give it a try and compare it to a real scale weight? When I fix EVERYTHING in my Z, which might be never, I am going to try this for fun. I will drive the four tires onto left over floor tiles to get a smooth surface to measure from. http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-weigh-your-car-127482/ For those of you that think it's bunk, or a waste of time...maybe this video is for you: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-determine-if-she-s-a-hooker-or-a-cop-77614/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaggyZ Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 "If you've come within 10%, you've done a great job." The calculations may be reasonable, but hoping for 10% is not accurate enough for me to care - I can guess a car's weight within 10% just by looking at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkgts1 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I remember seeing this on "Bill Nye the science guy" when I was in middle school, lol. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Yeah didnt look like she was using much accuracy in putting the paper down/measuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g9m3c Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Yeah didnt look like she was using much accuracy in putting the paper down/measuring. That's what I thought. The two pieces of paper would have to be perfectly parallel (same gap on both sides of tire) to get an accurate measurement. I being the statistician I am, though, see sooooo many variables that would throw this off. Like mentioned above, I bet I could more accurately judge a car's weight by looking at/in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Also keep in mind that the car being weighed is being compared to a factory weight. Different tires, different CD player, dirt in carpet, stuff in the trunk, junk on the floor or in the back seat, amount of gas in the tank, all that stuff makes a difference and is not included in the factory weight. Yes, the amount of dirt in the carpet makes a BIG difference. For example, my work truck: carpet dry, before washing: 105LBS. Carpet dry, after washing: 89LBS. The truck did not appear dirty to the eye, but the wash water said otherwise...as did the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namor Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Also keep in mind that the car being weighed is being compared to a factory weight. Different tires, different CD player, dirt in carpet, stuff in the trunk, junk on the floor or in the back seat, amount of gas in the tank, all that stuff makes a difference and is not included in the factory weight. Yes, the amount of dirt in the carpet makes a BIG difference. For example, my work truck: carpet dry, before washing: 105LBS. Carpet dry, after washing: 89LBS. The truck did not appear dirty to the eye, but the wash water said otherwise...as did the weight. you aren't comparing anything to factory, you are simply finding the amount of contact area your car has with the ground. Contact Area X PSI = weight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batou Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 One thing I think would screw this up completely. What if you have wider tires installed, would make your contact patch much larger and not change the weight much. Also wouldnt PSI stay around the same range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 ...Contact Area X PSI = weight I just found a great way to reduce the weight of my car. Let all the air pressure out of my tires! Contact Area X 0 PSI = 0 weight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun79z Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Dan Juday; Good point! Four tires with 30 psi each....well there's 120 lb. all by itself. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 I just found a great way to reduce the weight of my car. Let all the air pressure out of my tires! Contact Area X 0 PSI = 0 weight Actually, the rim would apply enormous pressure on the inside of the tire if you had zero PSI. You would need to find the contact area of the rim to the inside of the tire. Hire a mathematically oriented mouse and install it in your tire casing with a ruler and some small peices of paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z2go Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I stopped paying attention when the subtitle said "measure de gap" ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z2go Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 ...one more thing... if you are supposed to look in your owner's manual to see if you are correct... what was the point of all this?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.