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good ways to reduce car weight?

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Old 09-27-2009, 06:48 AM
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Default good ways to reduce car weight?

so i wanna do a few things to reduce a little weight in my tc

im taking out the back seats, spare tire, stock sub.....
what are some other things i could do to make the car lighter other than buying carbon fiber parts, im in the process of looking for a hood and hatch already, i dont wanna strip the car completely, just wanna shed a few pounds.
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Old 09-27-2009, 10:52 AM
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there have been threads about this before, but there really isn't much you can do, seats, spare, trip, sound deadening, but ask kanundrum, it gets kinda annoying driving around with no interior beyond the two front seats. you can put on a lighter wheel and tire combination.
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Old 09-27-2009, 12:12 PM
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Its not worth it... unless your tracking it...
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Old 09-27-2009, 02:50 PM
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Some ideas: race battery (Optima), smaller/forged wheels, aluminum flywheel, omit floor mats, omit rear or front speakers or all of the sound system, carbon fiber fenders and roof, replace side windows with lexan.... Though I believe that last one is illegal, I've seen a really discreet looking install recently. I know you don't want to buy cf, but it is light, and it'll make your wallet lighter too.

Last edited by divisii; 09-27-2009 at 02:56 PM.
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Old 09-27-2009, 03:20 PM
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Smaller wheels, small battery, spare tire removal, jack removal, rear seat / trunk interior removal, door panel removal. Are you planning on turning your car into mainly a track car? If not I'd just go with lighter rims / removing spare tire. Those are fairly heavy items. Small battery doesn't hurt either.
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Old 09-27-2009, 03:32 PM
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roof is got to be the quickest cheapest weight loss, without losing any comfort
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Old 09-27-2009, 03:48 PM
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take the motor out....i heard that would make it a lot lighter
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Old 09-27-2009, 03:54 PM
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How does that work?
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Old 09-27-2009, 04:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Chuckie
take the motor out....i heard that would make it a lot lighter
so the legend goes lol



....rule of thumb is that every 100lbs is .10 of a second of 1/4...so in theory taking all the extras wont do much if you mis-shift, take off wrong etc..
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Old 09-27-2009, 04:32 PM
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hit the gym?
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Old 09-27-2009, 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Murphys_Law
roof is got to be the quickest cheapest weight loss, without losing any comfort

I would have to doubt those comments.

The roof assembly, with glass, weighs about 70 lbs. And then you have to replace that roof assembly with something else (unless you want a big hole in the roof), meaning you save less than that. And you have to have something made to replace the roof, unless you have the means of doing the sheetmetal/fiberglass/etc work yourself. Plus making a mounting solution... and then having an ugly looking underside unless you make a new headliner. Nothing cheap and quick about it.

I think Rick (the first CF roof on a tC as far as I know) said overall he saved about 30-40 lbs by removing the factory roof and replacing with a CF unit after the mounting hardware and everything was fabbed up and installed. Granted, when you are making a serious track car as he was, 40 lbs or so that far above the CG may be worth it since thousandths of a second per lap can count, but for 99.999% of people driving the tC I would say replacing the roof is not a good option for reducing weight.
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Old 09-27-2009, 05:12 PM
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engifineer: I'm glad you posted. I had the same thought but lacked the technical knowledge to back it up. ROOF removal seems like the most difficult way to reduce weight, not the easiest lol.
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Old 09-27-2009, 05:31 PM
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(most numbers are a serious guess)
Lightweight Hatch Replacement ~15lbs
Lightweight Hood Replacement ~20lbs
Lightweight Door Replacement ~30lbs
Lightweight pulley wheel ~5lbs lost
Glass roof replacement ~70lbs
Flywheel replacement ~12lbs
Spare tire and tools ~30lbs
Interior Paneling ~40lbs
Passenger Seat ~25lbs
Sound system ~ 30lbs
Floor mats ~12lbs
Rear seat ~40lbs
Carpeting ~30lbs


Just think about your car, what is necessary in order for the car to safely move down the track? All the rest of it you can take out or replace with a lighter piece. However know that the more drastic you get in weight reduction the more uncomfortable the ride can become, mostly a lot louder.
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Old 09-27-2009, 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted by metalranger33
so the legend goes lol



....rule of thumb is that every 100lbs is .10 of a second of 1/4...so in theory taking all the extras wont do much if you mis-shift, take off wrong etc..
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Old 09-27-2009, 09:25 PM
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driver clothes delete
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Old 09-27-2009, 09:26 PM
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Soccer boy.... see my previous post.. replacing the glass roof saves you less than 70lbs.

http://www.yoursciontc.com/forums/in...6&hl=raamaudio

15th post down... saved him 46 lbs.
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Old 09-28-2009, 01:14 AM
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Face it the tC is heavy and there isnt that much to remove to make it considerably lighter unless you run CF exterior parts all over (hood which isnt actually that much according to my holding it, trunk, fenders, doors). But if you do the CF doors your gonna need a roll cage which throws weight back in cause if you get in an accident your screwed.
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Old 09-28-2009, 01:29 AM
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Originally Posted by highvoltage1
Face it the tC is heavy and there isnt that much to remove to make it considerably lighter unless you run CF exterior parts all over (hood which isnt actually that much according to my holding it, trunk, fenders, doors). But if you do the CF doors your gonna need a roll cage which throws weight back in cause if you get in an accident your screwed.
AC unit, Heater Core, Glove compartment, Headunit (who needs a headunit when you can hear turbo spool....that's the sound of music there lol). Giving up a heads up Steve you might get irritated over time with the amount of cabin noise from removing everything.

Trying to shave some weight from a car has it's consequences which is more sound coming through the cabin.
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Old 09-28-2009, 01:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Joyride
hit the gym?
my thoughts exactly.

you wanna shed a few pounds? exercise.
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Old 09-28-2009, 02:02 AM
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Trade your car in for;

Lotus Elise -
Mazda Miata -
Honda CRX (88-92)-
Toyota MR2
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