first i just want to say my computer sucks, so if there is a thread on his about this i cant find it and i would appreciate it if somebody can put a link on this thread.... SORRY otter, dont delete my thread b/c my computer sucks, let this one ride out or at least post a link on here, i appreciate it...

well anyway, im just lookin for some of your guys advice about what i can do to make my car a little lighter w/ minor moding, cheap or little money, but still keep my "comfy sedan" feeling

i got the spare tire out, lighter rims, CF hood so far... i was thinkin racing seats... are they universal or do i need a fitment for ralliart, and how much lighter u think they'll be?

any other suggestions?

 

Ultimate weight reduction technique:

Lose weight. It's cheap and requires no modifications to your car.

 

lol i was actually thinking that.... must be why little asain guys are good racers

but for real, helpful advice would be nice

 

De-badge it and take off stock wing... maybe 5lbs there?!!!

There's nothing you can really do that's going to be cheap. I mean good racing seats are mucho $$$. Same with CF parts. You can do like the Evo-RS, like take out radio/speakers/amp, remove sound insulation, remove all electric windows, locks, cruise control, etc. Sounds a little too extreme for me. Maybe remove rear seats and get a roll bar?

 

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Yup, there's no such thing as keeping all the comfy gadgets and reducing the weight substantially. Like reTro said, go with CF if you can afford it... but there's only the trunk left (or is someone selling some fenders now as well)?


Bottom line, you have to decide man... do you want to drastically reduce weight to gain a bit in the performance department or do you want a nice daily driver? It's your choice...


If I were you, I'd buy an older car that's a solid platform to build on, strip the car down and go on from there. Then you keep the RA as a daily driver and enjoy all it's nice options... after all, the RA is a good buy partly because it's so well equipped.

Opinons may differ though... good luck with your project.

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remove passanger seat, rear seat, carpet, headliner, dashboard, door panel's, replace window's with lexan, go on a diet, speakers, head unit, airbags, crash bumpers, side inpact bars, windshield wiper fluid resivour. (just lifts out. weighs about 8 lbs when full) and that about does it...

 

thanks guys, i probly wont be doin that cuz i like my comfy sedan. i figured there wasnt much to do but i figured i'd ask. thanks again guys

 

Lightweight battery... I don't know how much the stock one weighs but a Hawker Genesis pc545 or g13ep will be around 11 lbs.

 

If you want to get rid of the most weight cheaply that is the way to go. But like you know and others have said, you obviously are going to lose the creature comforts of your car. The best way to lose a nice amount of weight and still look good is to replace as much stock pieces with carbon fiber. But this is not the cheap option. So choose as you will.

 

yah like everyone has said. the ralliart was not intended to be a race car... its just a tad to heavy. if u want to build a great racecar find an older MR2 or Miata or 2 door civic which are all relitively cheap and build it from there. The ralliart is a very nice daily driver and there is no point in striping it all down to race it like once a month

 

Comforts aren't needed if you are doing weight reduction. All you need is a comfortable racing seat. If someone is that serious about loosing weight on their car, they must be racing pretty compeditive. Why replace all interior stuff or anything with carbon fiber, when you could have it gone in the first place in that senario. The CF would have to be re-inforced and somehow held to the car, which requires an underlying structure anyways. The interior components aren't _that_ heavy to begin with, so replacing with CF is inefficent and costly vs. just taking them out. The only place that would benefit the CF would be a hood, trunk, and bumpers.

Anyways, Ralliart_on_LSD, you have a good start. There isn't much else that will make a HUGE difference. Scrape off all the gooey undercoating and remove all the stuff off your car that can be removed. If you are really that serious, its the only way to go. I mean, woohoo, you might take 100lb off the car if your lucky with all the interior components removed. And exterior, there isn't really a good way unless you remove the safety components of the car. In a crash, that wouldn't be so good. If you don't already have one, a lightened flywheel makes the car "feel" a whole lot lighter on acceleration. I just put one in my lancer.

Buying a car that in the first place that you consider "heavy" is like going out with a fat chick and making her try to lose weight. It just doesn't work without consequences. BTW, the ralliart really isn't that heavy compared to most cars. Go turbo if you want the best results instead of putting the same amount of money into weight reduction with lighter rims, carbon fiber everything, etc.

 

alright guys thanks for the help.... yea i already had that lightweight flywheel.... very good invest ment....... but hey can somebody give me a ll moredetails on that lightweight battery please.... thanks

 

also.... what about racing seats or recaro's or something.... anything that'll fit the ralliart? how much less will they weigh? and where can i get them?

 

get like a yellow top or red top battery... i believe they are smaller // lighter than stock and still have the same output and capacity

 

Mini battery conversions are popular with the Evo guys. The idea is that, since you should only be pulling power from the battery when starting, why not use the smallest battery possible that's still capable of starting the car? The downside is that they drain fast if you run your stereo with the car off.