Weight reduction methods for going fast (run 11's cheap!)
Sep 10, 2009, 01:46 PM
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Weight reduction methods for going fast (run 11's cheap!)
People keep asking me how I got my car down to 2850 with a full interior. I can't say everything for you, every car is different, but this is a good path for anyone who wants to get their stock weight evo down and put it on a diet. Much of this is common sense, a lot of it is not. I warn you that your car will be less streetable the more weight you take out, but you will be doing your car service. Every pound you take out you are going to accelerate faster, brake quicker, and put less stress on your drivetrain.
The basics:
Exhaust - getting rid of the heavy stock ehaust, including the o2 housing, and going with a lighter one not only increases power from adding more area, but you can save probably 50 pounds here!
Trunk area - pull out the spare tire, empty your sprayer bottle or remove it, take out all of the plastics, carpets, padding, etc.. You can still use the area, it just won't be comfy!
Engine bay - I actually found a lot to remove here, I pulled out the big bracket under the intake manifold, a lot of extra bolts and brackets that hold things like the stock boost controller. Just look around, and you will find items that are not needed.
More free mods:
Crash bars - You don't want to get in a collision after removing these, but you can save a good amount of weight. No one can tell that you removed them, and it is weight you can notice!
EGR/Evap - This will affect your ability to pass your state inspection in some states, but if you are on the stock ECU still, there are ways around that. The evap canister in the back of the car is heavy, so get that out of there. The EGR stuff up under the hood can add up fast too. Yank it all out of there!
A/C - You have windows, pull all of this out! STM sells the belt you need to still run your power steering, so you can remove the compressor, condensor, lines, brackets, and everything.
Subframe braces - these are the two bars under the downpipe. I pulled mine off, threw my car into some corners, and felt absolutely no difference in feel. If you only drag race, you do not need these.
Front strut bar - Just like the braces, if you drag race, you do not need this. Even for daily driving and spirited driving, I have felt absolutely no difference in drivability by removing mine.
Things you can buy:
Brakes - This was one of the biggest areas I lost weight from. By purchasing the AMS lightweight Wilwood front and rear brakes, I was able to save about 40 pounds of rotational mass from the rotors, and then another 30 pounds of dead weight from calipers, brackets, e-brake, etc..
Coilovers - Another 40 pounds can be saved by ditching those heavy stock struts and springs, and going with something lighter like the Meagan Racing coilovers. This also allows you to run a larger tire!
Wheels/tires - Simply by going to a lighter wheel you can shave off 20 pounds or so, but shop around for light tires as well. When I ran my 11.2, I had a set of 15" rota slipstreams on which weigh about 14 pounds each, and then the 26 x 9.5" Hoosier QTP's that are about 21 pounds each. That saved another 40 or more pounds over the stock wheels/tires.
Clutch - This is an area that is overlooked a lot of the time, but by going to a nice clutch like an Exedy twin or triple plate clutch and flywheel, you can save another 10 pounds or so, and that is rotational mass!
Have a big bank account?
Driveshaft - AWDMotorsports makes a wonderful 2 piece aluminum driveshaft that saves more rotational mass off of the car. Our dynotests showed a significant increase in power and torque all throuout the run with this driveshaft on the car compared to stock.
Buschur mounts - You can save more weight here by replacing the heavy factory mounts for the rear diff with the lightweight Buschur parts. This can add up fast, but after you have done all of the free ways of saving weight, you need to start paying to be playing!
ABS delete - This is severe, but if you want to drop more weight, and simplify your engine bay more, the STM ABS delete kit is a great way of doing this. This kit includes all of the brake lines, and everything else you will need to completely remove your factory ABS.
CF roof - Only for the severe racers, the carbon/kevlar roof allows you to remove the factory sunroof, saving at least 40 pounds off of the highest part of your car.
This is just a guideline to help spark your mind in areas to save weight. The interior still has TONS of weight in it. Pull out those extra seats when you race. Pull out your carpet and remove the padding and sound deadening underneath. Your car will be louder, but it's all weight that you can't see but will help you to go faster.
If anyone has more ideas, post up. This would be a great resource to have for those who really don't know how to get their cars down in weight.
--mark
The basics:
Exhaust - getting rid of the heavy stock ehaust, including the o2 housing, and going with a lighter one not only increases power from adding more area, but you can save probably 50 pounds here!
Trunk area - pull out the spare tire, empty your sprayer bottle or remove it, take out all of the plastics, carpets, padding, etc.. You can still use the area, it just won't be comfy!
Engine bay - I actually found a lot to remove here, I pulled out the big bracket under the intake manifold, a lot of extra bolts and brackets that hold things like the stock boost controller. Just look around, and you will find items that are not needed.
More free mods:
Crash bars - You don't want to get in a collision after removing these, but you can save a good amount of weight. No one can tell that you removed them, and it is weight you can notice!
EGR/Evap - This will affect your ability to pass your state inspection in some states, but if you are on the stock ECU still, there are ways around that. The evap canister in the back of the car is heavy, so get that out of there. The EGR stuff up under the hood can add up fast too. Yank it all out of there!
A/C - You have windows, pull all of this out! STM sells the belt you need to still run your power steering, so you can remove the compressor, condensor, lines, brackets, and everything.
Subframe braces - these are the two bars under the downpipe. I pulled mine off, threw my car into some corners, and felt absolutely no difference in feel. If you only drag race, you do not need these.
Front strut bar - Just like the braces, if you drag race, you do not need this. Even for daily driving and spirited driving, I have felt absolutely no difference in drivability by removing mine.
Things you can buy:
Brakes - This was one of the biggest areas I lost weight from. By purchasing the AMS lightweight Wilwood front and rear brakes, I was able to save about 40 pounds of rotational mass from the rotors, and then another 30 pounds of dead weight from calipers, brackets, e-brake, etc..
Coilovers - Another 40 pounds can be saved by ditching those heavy stock struts and springs, and going with something lighter like the Meagan Racing coilovers. This also allows you to run a larger tire!
Wheels/tires - Simply by going to a lighter wheel you can shave off 20 pounds or so, but shop around for light tires as well. When I ran my 11.2, I had a set of 15" rota slipstreams on which weigh about 14 pounds each, and then the 26 x 9.5" Hoosier QTP's that are about 21 pounds each. That saved another 40 or more pounds over the stock wheels/tires.
Clutch - This is an area that is overlooked a lot of the time, but by going to a nice clutch like an Exedy twin or triple plate clutch and flywheel, you can save another 10 pounds or so, and that is rotational mass!
Have a big bank account?
Driveshaft - AWDMotorsports makes a wonderful 2 piece aluminum driveshaft that saves more rotational mass off of the car. Our dynotests showed a significant increase in power and torque all throuout the run with this driveshaft on the car compared to stock.
Buschur mounts - You can save more weight here by replacing the heavy factory mounts for the rear diff with the lightweight Buschur parts. This can add up fast, but after you have done all of the free ways of saving weight, you need to start paying to be playing!
ABS delete - This is severe, but if you want to drop more weight, and simplify your engine bay more, the STM ABS delete kit is a great way of doing this. This kit includes all of the brake lines, and everything else you will need to completely remove your factory ABS.
CF roof - Only for the severe racers, the carbon/kevlar roof allows you to remove the factory sunroof, saving at least 40 pounds off of the highest part of your car.
This is just a guideline to help spark your mind in areas to save weight. The interior still has TONS of weight in it. Pull out those extra seats when you race. Pull out your carpet and remove the padding and sound deadening underneath. Your car will be louder, but it's all weight that you can't see but will help you to go faster.
If anyone has more ideas, post up. This would be a great resource to have for those who really don't know how to get their cars down in weight.
--mark
Last edited by neonglh; Sep 10, 2009 at 02:00 PM.
Sep 10, 2009, 02:00 PM
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Don't even get me started on how 5 - 7 pounds isn't heavy when it comes to weight reduction. How many places can you go to on your car and just for free remove 7 pounds in one move?
And this is more than a "post your exact weights" thread. People asked me how I got my car from 3300 down to 2850 and still have the ENTIRE full interior. This is how.
And this is more than a "post your exact weights" thread. People asked me how I got my car from 3300 down to 2850 and still have the ENTIRE full interior. This is how.
Sep 10, 2009, 02:27 PM
#8
Don't even get me started on how 5 - 7 pounds isn't heavy when it comes to weight reduction. How many places can you go to on your car and just for free remove 7 pounds in one move?
And this is more than a "post your exact weights" thread. People asked me how I got my car from 3300 down to 2850 and still have the ENTIRE full interior. This is how.
And this is more than a "post your exact weights" thread. People asked me how I got my car from 3300 down to 2850 and still have the ENTIRE full interior. This is how.
I posted the link because I'm pretty sure some people would like to know exactly what they are getting out of the part removals.
