Car weight. Is this right?

[moparmarc]

The door tag on my 74 Charger list the weight of this car at over 5500 lbs. Is this right?!?

All weights listed at http://www.geocities.com/musclemopars/bodyweights.htm are under 4000 lbs, with the Chrysler 300 series weighing in slightly over 4000. Am I misreading this?

Next question is, how can I lose the weight?

moparmarc

[DartMan360]

Thier is no way your car weighs 5500lbs. According to that site it weighs around 3500. That sounds more like it. As far as getting rid of. Interior. Rip it all out put indoor outdoor carpet in and racing seats. Fiberglass hood fenders and doors. Takeing weight out is the east part.

[moparmarc]

Well, the door tag lists the front at 27XX and the rear at 27XX, and total at 55XX. Does that mean that the car is just over 2750 lbs, because that appears too low (for that size Charger).

When we scale our stock car, we measure each wheel individually and add it all up for the total weight (usually around 3000 lbs). I would assume that the principle would be the same for a street car.

Is that wrong?

moparmarc

[charger500guy]

I think that number indicates the weight at maximum capacity, i.e. with so many passengers at so many pounds apiece, etc. plus trunk capacity, you get the picture.

[goose]

Yeah, I think those are gross weight ratings for the front and rear of your car. The Charger certainly shouldn't weigh much more than 4000 depending on how it's equipped. A smallblock, no options car will probably only weigh 3500 or so while a 400 or 440 car with PS PB AC etc. etc. will probably weigh 4000.

[moparmarc]

I agree that this is gross weight. But even if the total weight, with passengers and a full trunk, weight 5500 lbs, I can't imagine that they'd factor in over 1500 lbs of passengers/cargo. And even that would still leave the weight at 4000 lbs, which is fairly high.

5 passengers at 200 lbs would be 1000 lbs, and carrying concrete *might* bring the weight up 1500 lbs but that's not likely. So I'm thinking they allow only 1000 lbs for passengers/cargo, which leaves the weight of the car at 4500 lbs.

Maybe I'll drop the car on the scales at the race shop and get the exact weight just to be sure.

moparmarc

[tsteiner61]

The numbers you are referring to are the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings) and have very little to do with the weight of your car. They represent the MAXIMUM amount of weight that the manufacturer recommends so that the vehicle is safe. Rest assured, your Charger probably weighs somewhere around 3800 lbs.

[moparmarc]

Aahhhh, now that's what I needed to hear.

I thought the Charger really shouldn't outweigh a Suburban, but I wanted to be sure when selecting the right swaybars and so on.

moparmarc

[amoparguy]

Moparmarc, the weights given on my webpage http://www.geocities.com/musclemopars/bodyweights.htm are the factory shipping weights according to The Standard Catalog of American Cars. I assume it's without fuel which would add about 6 lbs per gallon. Actual weight will differ due to optional equipment.

[T748]

My 74 Charger weighed in at 4136lbs race weight.Thats a 360 car with power steering full stock interior/exterior,260lb driver,an almost full tank of gas,spare tire,some tools and the kind of junk that ends up in the trunk and never leaves.

[moparmarc]

The description of your car matches that of mine to the T. Although you left out one thing: in the back seat, there's a box of parts that came off the car and may or may not be needed later

[T748]

If the smog laws don't change again and the 74's are exempt come 2003 there just might be a few of those parts coming off of mine and some go fast ones added on! I've always wanted to hop it up but that beating the smog man gives out isnt cool at all!!! Here's what the smogger numbers look like at the track,tossing on a set of mc'creary g-60-15's and a pinnion snubber. 15.271 @89.967 with a 60' of 2.206 Not great but not bad either considering the weight and smog.

[BBodiesRule]

I have a 72 Charger and it weighed in at 3820 with 1/4 tank of gas and driver. Nothing in trunk. Take out the driver at 180 and its down to 3640.