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The n00b weight reduction itch...

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Old 04-04-2011 | 10:17 AM
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Default The n00b weight reduction itch...

Alright, I just put a stall in my mostly street car and now im thinking weight reduction. But of course I do realise some parts that I take out might be at a price or a lost luxury for a street car. If I am going to put the car on a diet its not going to be hardcore (right now anyway lol) I have a plan on whats coming out and if I take out 1 thing, then all of them must come out for the total weight loss.

Here is what the plan looks like...maybe about 100lb loss with these...
Rear seats,seat belts+brackets...no replacement. - 32lbs
Carpet - 41lbs + 10lb light weight carpet = 31lbs
Front and rear bumper supports - 43lbs + two MWC tube supports = 37lbs

Then at the track only these reductions will be made... 30+lbs loss with these...
Sway bar - 14lbs
Lighter rear DRS - 16lbs
Maybe skinnies up front - ?

Parts already gone...55lb loss with these...
spare + jack - 37lbs
disk changer - 8lbs
airpump and everything attatched - 10lbs
no cats with tsp ory - ?lbs
and smaller things - ?lbs

The lb #s I got from the sticky. I dont think they are 100% accurate but oh well. Total loss for at the track would be 185lbs +
I know theres probly some debate in there but oh well.

Now, to me 185lbs loss for the track sounds pretty damn sweet but like I said it comes with a a price or a lost luxury for a street car.
The biggest concern im having right now is taking out the factory carpet. I can only imagine how hot or loud it will be in the car replacing it with thin light stuff. How much hotter and louder will this be over stock?
Old 04-04-2011 | 11:26 AM
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If the exhaust goes out the back it wont be very much louder. Duels and cutouts will be quite a bit louder. FWIW I took out the sound deadening on my old car and it wasnt worth it at all, stock carpet fit like **** after.
Old 04-04-2011 | 12:10 PM
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my stock carpet fit damn near the same, just a tad looser, but I bet I ripped out 20 lbs or so of the sound deadening...There is a lot in useless weight in our cars. Just the junk in the console and glovebox can add up to 10 lbs...
Old 04-04-2011 | 02:42 PM
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Its a ory catback car no cutouts.
I got the back seats out and got the rear and driver side of the carpet up. Im looking at all this wiring by the door. Seems like this stock carpet does a nice job off protecting these wires. Im thinking on putting it all back. Damnit!

Last edited by senicalj4579; 04-04-2011 at 05:05 PM.
Old 04-07-2011 | 11:33 AM
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I doubt MWC's front and rear bumper supports weigh a combined total of 6lbs. The Burkhardt piece Raron just lightened was 6lbs AFTER he lightened it for the front one alone.

The front sway, unless you road race, is worthless anyways. I took mine off and noticed no difference.

The skinnys I used up front for track day saved me about 35lbs over my 17x9.5" chrome ZR1's with Nitto 555's.

Lighter rear Drag Radials? I don't think you'll find a rear tire weighing 16lbs a piece.

Take the A/C out. That's about 40-45 lbs right there w/o removing the heater core on the firewall. If I don't use my A/C in North Carolina don't use a ***** excuse that you need it in CT lol.
Old 04-07-2011 | 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by djfury05
I doubt MWC's front and rear bumper supports weigh a combined total of 6lbs. The Burkhardt piece Raron just lightened was 6lbs AFTER he lightened it for the front one alone.

The front sway, unless you road race, is worthless anyways. I took mine off and noticed no difference.

The skinnys I used up front for track day saved me about 35lbs over my 17x9.5" chrome ZR1's with Nitto 555's.

Lighter rear Drag Radials? I don't think you'll find a rear tire weighing 16lbs a piece.

Take the A/C out. That's about 40-45 lbs right there w/o removing the heater core on the firewall. If I don't use my A/C in North Carolina don't use a ***** excuse that you need it in CT lol.

Im using the MWC # that they gave me. Its not the same tubing and its ONLY a small support. Thats the # they gave me. Maybe you should call them out on that.

The hoosier drag radials are 8lbs lighter than the yokahoma s drives that I usually have on the car. 8x2=16 its a 16lb weight reduction from the street tires.

a/c is going no where. Yea your right, I could do without my a/c but im also thinking about my 2 young kids. So theres the ***** excuse call it what you want.

Decided that its not worth it to do any of this. The car will stay full weight. Thread/the end
Old 04-07-2011 | 12:40 PM
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From my personal EXP.

JL and I took off the insulation on the carpeting. I did notice some increased cabin noise but nothing too crazy.

IF the all I had was the bare metal, I expect a very loud ride. Mind you with the Corsa its ok now.

You can Ozite the car which will offer some sound reduction, not sure how much but will look MUCH cleaner.
Old 04-07-2011 | 12:52 PM
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There is some weight stuff you can do that isn't going to hurt the daily use of the car. The fact that you drive around with kids in the car, I would highly caution against anything being removed that's safety related.

You're kind of stuck buying lighter stuff in alot of cases... but there's still some things you can do that will take some weight off.

I'm not sure where in CT you are, but I'm in new britain.... if ya want to swing by one day I can go over the whole thing and point it all out... easier when you're in front of the car then ti try to type it all. Plus there's a weight reduction sticky at the top of the DR section.
Old 04-07-2011 | 01:16 PM
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My opinion... keep it full weight if it sees even 30% street time. Been there done that won't do it again unless its a drag car, then it will be the whole way.

If you get a good setup you will beat weight reduction cars with similar mods.

Now I do run pro stars I have long tubes with no cats etc etc.. any suspension parts I buy that I can get light weight I do.. but seats speakers supports door bars etc etc all that stays in my street car.
Old 04-08-2011 | 08:28 AM
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I'd pretty much do the same. Leave it all in there. But, there's a few things, that you can do that really won't effect it at all.. other then maybe making it a little louder inside the car.
Old 04-08-2011 | 09:12 AM
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Originally Posted by BlackScreaminMachine
From my personal EXP.

JL and I took off the insulation on the carpeting. I did notice some increased cabin noise but nothing too crazy.

IF the all I had was the bare metal, I expect a very loud ride. Mind you with the Corsa its ok now.

You can Ozite the car which will offer some sound reduction, not sure how much but will look MUCH cleaner.
Iv seen some work that some guys have done with that carpet and indoor outdoor. It looks really good!



Originally Posted by JL ws-6
There is some weight stuff you can do that isn't going to hurt the daily use of the car. The fact that you drive around with kids in the car, I would highly caution against anything being removed that's safety related.

You're kind of stuck buying lighter stuff in alot of cases... but there's still some things you can do that will take some weight off.

I'm not sure where in CT you are, but I'm in new britain.... if ya want to swing by one day I can go over the whole thing and point it all out... easier when you're in front of the car then ti try to type it all. Plus there's a weight reduction sticky at the top of the DR section.

Iv pretty much weighed out the gain from doing the minor reduction and decided its just not worth it UNLESS I go all out and take ALOT of weight out. I figure I will get around the same result just adding a ported tb vs taking 100lbs off the car which just sounds insane. So unless I make the car full drag car then its not worth it to me.I dont drive the kids in the car all the time but want it ready for them just in case my beater goes down lol
Im right in norwich so maybe an hour away. Thanks for the offer maybe ill take you up on it sometime



Originally Posted by lemons12
My opinion... keep it full weight if it sees even 30% street time. Been there done that won't do it again unless its a drag car, then it will be the whole way.

If you get a good setup you will beat weight reduction cars with similar mods.

Now I do run pro stars I have long tubes with no cats etc etc.. any suspension parts I buy that I can get light weight I do.. but seats speakers supports door bars etc etc all that stays in my street car.

I pretty much see it like you do at this point. Unless I take a few hundred lbs out then its worth it but only then I will make it a full out drag car.
I started taking out the carpet other day and saw all the wiring. The stock sound padding and carpet does a nice job protecting all that stuff. Couldnt stand to think a thin carpet was gonna be over it so I put it back lol


Originally Posted by JL ws-6
I'd pretty much do the same. Leave it all in there. But, there's a few things, that you can do that really won't effect it at all.. other then maybe making it a little louder inside the car.
Would these few things that wont really effact much add up to a good amount of weight?
Old 04-08-2011 | 10:34 AM
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Heat shields, redo the carpet with ozite, take the loom off the wiring harness, get rid of the sound deadening stuff in the trunk, by the time it's done probably 100 lbs and it will really only cost ya the time to do it, and the carpet.

Doesn't seem like alot... but it's essentially free to do. That, along with the rest of the little things that you haven't probably done to the car and I bet you can squeak another 3 tenth's off it and get it into the 11's Your call.
Old 04-08-2011 | 10:42 AM
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.3? I thought 100lbs is only about .1 or 10hp?
Old 04-08-2011 | 12:25 PM
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I'm saying .3 with the weight reduction, and the other things you were looking at that haven't been done yet.

If the weight isn't something you want to deal with, just ditch the 3.23 gearset and ptu a 3.73 or 4.10 in the car. Auto cars aren't that hard on the 10 bolt, and it will probably last a while at your power level like that... put the 4.10's in and I bet it picks up alot.
Old 04-08-2011 | 01:34 PM
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Lots of constructive ways out there to get weight off a car. My SS is @ 3100. It still has all creature comforts, sounddeadening, swaybars, bumpers....basically a complete car with lighter parts.




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