Evo weight reduction ideas
Evolving Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
From: Mi
Originally Posted by MR 600
did u test drive an RS? if u did, please let us know. i am thinking of getting one.
of the weight reduction ideas already incorporated.
Originally Posted by trinydex
the only other thing that other people haven't mentioned is carbon fiber fenders, and there are weight savings from replacing the hood, i don' t know why people say it's pointless the apexi evo saves almost 8 pounds and with a varis hood you can save almost 6. and don't run low on fuel if you're gonna take any turns, the fuel tank is shaped like a saddle and you'll get really bad fuel starve and destroy something.
if you want a list of stuff you can replace (not remove) to save weight
battery, fenders, bumper(s), hood, trunklid, wing, wheels, tires, brakes, coilovers, front strut tower bar, radiator, intercooler piping, exhaust, racing seats, drive shaft, flywheel, pullies (not recommended), and all interior paneling can be replaced with cf pieces from tado. and i think i didn't forget anything.
biggest bangs will be seats, if you actually spend 2gs a seat you can shave 20 pounds per seat. exhaust is at least 20 pounds more if you get ti (keep in mind there are a lot of fake ti systems out there, jic and greddy make the only real ones i know of that aren't japan only). trunk lid will save you almost 15 pounds if you get the best (all american motorsports) but about 10 if you get a varis. replacing the front bumper with a gialla piece will force you to remove a bumper beam so net you about 15 pounds. wheels can save you about 5 pounds a wheel, ce28 in 17x9 is 14.6 pounds a wheel. don't spend money on light wheels and get heavy tires, get some nice rubber (basically don't get heavy falkens). you already did battery and that's a huge one up to 20 pounds. all the other mods are tiny weight savings that will add up, maybe with all the other stuff done that i listed you can shave another 20 pounds. and remember i didn't list anything to remove cept the bumper frame, so there's much more there.
if you want a list of stuff you can replace (not remove) to save weight
battery, fenders, bumper(s), hood, trunklid, wing, wheels, tires, brakes, coilovers, front strut tower bar, radiator, intercooler piping, exhaust, racing seats, drive shaft, flywheel, pullies (not recommended), and all interior paneling can be replaced with cf pieces from tado. and i think i didn't forget anything.
biggest bangs will be seats, if you actually spend 2gs a seat you can shave 20 pounds per seat. exhaust is at least 20 pounds more if you get ti (keep in mind there are a lot of fake ti systems out there, jic and greddy make the only real ones i know of that aren't japan only). trunk lid will save you almost 15 pounds if you get the best (all american motorsports) but about 10 if you get a varis. replacing the front bumper with a gialla piece will force you to remove a bumper beam so net you about 15 pounds. wheels can save you about 5 pounds a wheel, ce28 in 17x9 is 14.6 pounds a wheel. don't spend money on light wheels and get heavy tires, get some nice rubber (basically don't get heavy falkens). you already did battery and that's a huge one up to 20 pounds. all the other mods are tiny weight savings that will add up, maybe with all the other stuff done that i listed you can shave another 20 pounds. and remember i didn't list anything to remove cept the bumper frame, so there's much more there.
im gutting my car for Track only. Ive taken everything from front seats back down to the bare metal. A couple of questions:
1) If I remove the door panels will the glass be exposed when the window is rolled down? I am eventually going to get lexan windows but for the time being, dont want a window to break.
2) What is there to do from the front seats up? I am going to start taking apart the dash today. Any ideas? Radio unit is going. HVAC will eventually go. Airbags will go once the cage and harnesses are in. Thanks.
P.S. This is for the IX.
1) If I remove the door panels will the glass be exposed when the window is rolled down? I am eventually going to get lexan windows but for the time being, dont want a window to break.
2) What is there to do from the front seats up? I am going to start taking apart the dash today. Any ideas? Radio unit is going. HVAC will eventually go. Airbags will go once the cage and harnesses are in. Thanks.
P.S. This is for the IX.
Evolved Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 3
From: Butt**** Nowhere
I've driven RS' and after driving one, I really changed my mind about owning one. No center armrest, no stereo or speakers, interior sounds kind of tinny and cheap (yes, cheaper than our cars already are) The manual door locks and roll up windows remind me of my 81 toyota corolla. 
There are a lot of smart things you can do to lighten the car up.
replacing the stock cast manifold with an aftermarket tubular one will save weight and improve the FRONT/REAR weight distr. The same goes for the o2 housing, and cat/test pipe. Almost all the aftermarket pieces of these parts are much lighter than the stock components.
You can also gut the mesh out of your stock bumper. I was surprised to find so many little brackets, bolts, brackets on top of brackets holding the factory mesh in. I didn't weight it, but I piled everything up and put it in a bag, and it was a good amount of weight.
Replacing the factory metal framed fan with a slim plastic one saves weight.
AMS and Buschur make front crossmember replacements that also save weight in the front.
The spare tire/jack/trunk lining all just make the trunk more roomey and save a ton of weight.
I may go as far as finding bolts that are just as strong as the factory ones but made out of a lighter material. Such as the suspension bolts, seats, undercarriage, etc. If you don't think this is effective, pick up a bucket of bolts.
There's more, I just can't remember it all.
There are a lot of smart things you can do to lighten the car up.
replacing the stock cast manifold with an aftermarket tubular one will save weight and improve the FRONT/REAR weight distr. The same goes for the o2 housing, and cat/test pipe. Almost all the aftermarket pieces of these parts are much lighter than the stock components.
You can also gut the mesh out of your stock bumper. I was surprised to find so many little brackets, bolts, brackets on top of brackets holding the factory mesh in. I didn't weight it, but I piled everything up and put it in a bag, and it was a good amount of weight.
Replacing the factory metal framed fan with a slim plastic one saves weight.
AMS and Buschur make front crossmember replacements that also save weight in the front.
The spare tire/jack/trunk lining all just make the trunk more roomey and save a ton of weight.
I may go as far as finding bolts that are just as strong as the factory ones but made out of a lighter material. Such as the suspension bolts, seats, undercarriage, etc. If you don't think this is effective, pick up a bucket of bolts.
There's more, I just can't remember it all.
You can also gut the mesh out of your stock bumper. I was surprised to find so many little brackets, bolts, brackets on top of brackets holding the factory mesh in. I didn't weight it, but I piled everything up and put it in a bag, and it was a good amount of weight.
AMS and Buschur make front crossmember replacements that also save weight in the front.
Also a link for the AMS or Buschur crossmember? Thanks.
Search around a bit....this stuff has all been covered many times before
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ghlight=weight
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ghlight=weight
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ghlight=weight
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ghlight=weight
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ghlight=weight
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ghlight=weight
I'd suggest reducing rotating mass first. Lighter wheels and rotors make the car feel significantly lighter and a lot more tossable. Make sure to keep an eye on tire weight. Lighter wheels with heavier tires do more harm than good in this respect.
Hood is already aluminum, the CF hood won't be much, if any lighter. CF trunk is nice though, because the stock one is steal. Smaller wheels/tires are HUGE weight savings. Its rotational mass too, which is way more important to free up than static weight.
i have the IX SE BBS wheels, i dont think I can get much lighter than that. Although I do want to do a BBK upgrade ASAP.
CF Trunk and Doors will be on their way in a couple of weeks when I find a good source.
CF Trunk and Doors will be on their way in a couple of weeks when I find a good source.
