87 Turbo T vs. GN Weight

[1987BuickGrandN]

My dad recently picked up a 1987 turbo T out of florida

After driving his turbo T it makes my GN feel like a school bus

it seems as though his car is 1000lbs lighter then mine

more responsive in every respect

WTF gives?

is the turbo T that much lighter then the GN?

 

[WeSS]

weight GN vs. T

well I owned a hardtop 87 GN & now I own an 87 turbo T (T-tops) I swear the T feels lighter. Its the front & rear bumper supports. The alluminum items that came in the Ts that cut down on the weight. I have 2 say that in a GN your the favorite. In the T your the underdog. Gn's are supposed to be fast. They look like a stealth fighter. The T looks like a grandpa mobile. Nobody expects anything from a gramps car. Gotta love them little v6'sss they only put out slightly more power than a V 8

 

[zam70]

Re: weight GN vs. T

Originally posted by Wes 87 Turbo T
I swear the T feels lighter. Its the front & rear bumper supports. The alluminum items that came in the Ts that cut down on the weight.

There wasn't that much difference in the weight. the bumper supports wouldn't make that much difference AND only some of the Ts had the aluminum ones - even then some of them only had one and not the other.
The biggest advantage of the T over the GN was the T didn't have the rims made out of lead.

There's alot of other factors that will make a car feel lighter/heavier.

I DO know the 87s were lighter than the 86s because they didn't have the chrome strip across the grill...

 

[azgn]

actually all 86 GNs had alum bumper supports, so for the most part were a bit lighter than the 87's

 

[gnxis]

not to flame but does the t have any aftermarket stuff the gn dosent? bigger turbo?bigger injectors,dp,adj wastegate giving more boost?
lots of factors. could be any number of things.

I've got a friend that has a stock (except 3" dp and kn) that runs 7.70 with sticky tires. He jokes that the car was built on wed instead of fri.

probably not weight diff

 

[Nick Micale]

Originally posted by 1987BuickGrandN
.....After driving his turbo T it makes my GN feel like a school bus........it seems as though his car is 1000lbs lighter then mine

...is the turbo T that much lighter then the GN?

GENERALLY speaking, the T's in 1987 were about 200#'s lighter than a GN. Even though both were Regals, they had different classifications in the CAFE listings for the Feds fuel economy requirements.

 

[zam70]

HELLO - I was joking....

 

[Whitettype86]

ZAM70

We know your Joking

 

[NEARING]

My 86 T was 3525 with me in it on VMP's scales. I'm about 185lbs

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

Also depends on options or lack of options. I'm sure a heavily optioned car would weigh alot more than a base model. I know my Turbo T Limited has extra insulation and padding, heavy bench seat, heavily padded vinyl top, power windows/locks, cornering lights, etc. . Also I think some GNs had steel drum brakes instead of Aluminum. All that extra stuff adds up.

 

[knucklehead]

Remember the T has the alum. wheels.Gn has has the heavy steels. i lost 60 lbs off my GN when switched from GN to GTA wheels.Thats rolling weight too...MY all stock 86 T weighs 3120.It has alum bumper support and drums and has no options except a/c. A lightweight stripper..(Factory am radio)GN's are naturally heavier thats why the we4 came about..........

 

[1987BuickGrandN]

knucklehead: is there such thing as a off color WE4??

say a silver one?

 

[salvageV6]

All WE4's are black like a GN.

Unfortunately mine is heavier than my GN.

Both are piggies with lots of options.

No biggy... just make more HP instead to make it go.

 

[1987BuickGrandN]

i've decided to put my GN on a diet. I think i'll start with some alum bumper brackets.

i could use a top ten list for weight savings!

I've already got some light alum rims.

any other suggestions?

A 2900lb GN would mean some serious business.

 

[WakkoSS]

Aluminum drums help and are not that much money. Many of the options are a weight savings vs. comfort or vs. cost problem. An aluminum radiator support will save weight but is expensive and a pain in the butt to install. Removing the A/C system will save weight, but who wants to drive with no AC? TTops weigh alot, but there's nothing you can do if you have them already. Removing the front sway bar helps, but if it's a daily, you sacrifice handling.

 

[1987BuickGrandN]

i think ill go with some alum drums, or how about some disc rear brakes?

 

[charleslong]

my GN came with no front sway bar, alum bumper mounts, alum rims, and no spare. I would like a front sway bar, b/c handling sucks w/o it.

 

[WakkoSS]

Finding a stock GN sway bar should be easy and cheap, but you might want to find a hollow one from an F body. Stronger and lighter. 36mm is the best, though a little harder to find.

 

[charleslong]

Originally posted by WakkoSS
Finding a stock GN sway bar should be easy and cheap, but you might want to find a hollow one from an F body. Stronger and lighter. 36mm is the best, though a little harder to find.

what f bodies did they come on?

 

[WakkoSS]

Someone chime in here to help me out. I think they were the late 80's Trans Ams and IROCs, but I'm not sure. Try doing a SEARCH and type in 1LE. Could be a thread about it already.