There are plenty of options available to lighten up the front end - alloy uprights, alloy hubs etc.
Are there any common ways of dropping some weight off the sierra rear setup? The obvious candidates would be turning some material off the hubs and
having the bearing+caliper mount made from ally?
James
Jamse
[Edited on 3/12/07 by cloudy]
swap the brake calipers for something lighter?
Geoff Berrisford does alloy Sierra bearing carriers. Freelander diff with these, some one piece driveshafts and some lighter brakes might make some difference.
Why would you want to lighten the rear end?
It's hard enough to get decent usuable power down as it is, without making it any lighter? Especially in 'damp' conditions. The issue
has always been keeping the back end grippy with front engine, rear drive scenarios - Capri's anyone? I sometimes wish I had more weight in the
back...
I'd concentrate on lightening the front and leave the rears - or cheaper still - go on a diet (not aimed at you personally, just a cheaper
'locost' alternative'
quote:
Originally posted by muzchap
Why would you want to lighten the rear end?
It's hard enough to get decent usuable power down as it is, without making it any lighter? Especially in 'damp' conditions. The issue has always been keeping the back end grippy with front engine, rear drive scenarios - Capri's anyone? I sometimes wish I had more weight in the back...
I'd concentrate on lightening the front and leave the rears - or cheaper still - go on a diet (not aimed at you personally, just a cheaper 'locost' alternative'
I dont thik the sierra rear end is *that* bad.
there is only the beam and 2 arms and they arent too heavy. the trailing arms are a bit OTT if you arent using springs in the spring pads you could
prob fabricate some nice alloy arms or something.
I believe this car is mid engined so won't have quite the traction problems of a capri
Cheers
David
indeed, all my weight is over the back end anyway - so anything I can loose here will only help bring the weight distribution towards 50:50
does Geoff Berrisford have a website at all?
make your own IRS 
Reducing unsprung weight is a good thing for traction, not bad.
Agreed in a Mid/Rear configuration - didn't realise it was Mid/Rear 
Well everything needs to be alloy mate
Just like my Elise - everything is so bloody light, the 4 calipers = 1 Sierra.
I know a guy who's just developed a lightweight rear end kit for kitcars. both sides = the same weight as one of the tradtional hub carriers.
Give me a U2U if interested and I'll hook you up with his details. I wanted to do it - but decided against it as I need the weight or more
pies - pies are cheaper
M
GB Engineering linky
next up, reducing weight, first try golf calipers, alloy bodied and fit the std ford sierra rear mounts as well as being cheap.
Next, lighter CV joints, the lobro ones can have a good chunk turned out of them from the od in the middle.
Then the driveshafts can be swapped for lighter ones (from gb engineering) for £80 each
The hubs are not that heavy and certainly the alloy ones are not that much lighter as there's not that much metal there to start with.
The bearings are seriously over the top for a locost etc but your stuck with them really!