More power?

[Buz]

Losing the spare and associated tools is a good idea.  I only have a spare in the car that we use for long trips and a large can of fix a flat in the others.  A full size spare on a steel wheel and a jack can weigh 60lbs.  The SL will probably not stray that far from home.  The only times I have had blowouts in the past was driving on the highway on tires that I knew were too old.  I now check the DOT build dates on the tire sidewall and replace them after 5 years regardless of how much tread is left.  Any car or trailer that is not used a lot will wear out the tires with age instead of wear.

[Raymond]

Buz, your tweaking plans sound good to me.  Some people like a show car and some like to enjoy the extra spirit they personally add to the stock performance.  Like Jim says, it's all for fun, just do it.  

Removing the spare will make the rear end lighter and change the front to rear weight ratio.  That won't make the understeer better.  I have a friend who is moving his battery to the trunk.  Stiffer springs and suspension rubber are worthy investments.

Matt, Regarding the Avgas, it just ain't practical. Aviation fuel is 100 octane low-lead.  I ran some in my 280 shortly after purchasing it and it ran great!  Until the head gasket blew.  That may have blown because I found the head bolts unevenly torqued but the gas may have contributed.  Also, the taxes on Avgas are WAY higher than auto gas so it will always be a buck and a half higher than 93 octane auto gas.

Ray
'68 280SL 4-spd Coupe