It seems that since Hp is low on this ride, any wieght reduction that can be performed should be considerd.

I have seen some carbon fiber hoods, trunks, roofs, gas covers, ect, but have not seen any data on the actual weight of these items nor have I found any info on the stock equipment.

Considering that the lancer is balanced at 60/40 ( 60% over the front ) any weight reduction under / over the hood would be welcomed.

First we should see what the savings are with a carbon fiber hood and then look into a battery relocation kit to the trunk.

When you consider axle back exhaust, HIDs, Turbos, strut bars, it seems that we are adding more weight to the front while reducing weight in the rear further unbalancing the car. So whats the most efficient way to counter this problem.

Whats the word?

 

The weight added/removed through turbos, exhausts, HIDs, etc. is insignificant and not really an issue unless you're building a multimillion dollar race car. For the most part, weight savings aren't an effective way to increase speed or performance, most of the parts available on the market don't reduce weight that much if at all and for a street car, the sacrifices you'll have to make are pretty high. You're better off spending the money on a turbo.

 

I remember long ago a hood was like 24lbs and a carbon one was 14.
Hood's these days are ligher, so let's say you lose 8-10 lbs.
So 3000 - 10 = a big great 0.34% weight saving !
In that case, I would do some jogging to loose it

 

What I did was take out all the sound deadening, front engine cover, back seat headrests, the boot lid, and got the battery and fluid relocated there. I saved about 10kgs and balanced the car more. Id say its a little faster but only just. I recommend a CF hood too though and any other panels if u can afford them. Also for all internals, aftermarket exhausts etc are lighter and add Hp so go with that and definitely fit a a turbo. Also I rate u jog in the morning too.

 

Quick thoughts:

1. When the car is front heavy, and the front wheels are the drive wheels, is that REALLY a "problem" situation?

2. CF hood usually saves 20-30 lbs. depending on the weight of originals and aftermarket ones. Trunks are generally less (usually a bling mod). Roof is a good weight saver, and helps lower the center of gravity. Gas cover is a joke (see also: bling only).

3. As said, often going on a diet helps way more. I could personally lose 100 lbs. and be much more healthy AND be less of a weight problem on my car.

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Also, some cut & paste magic from an old thread on here...

Taken from an Import Tuner article. The Civic (which is relatively close to our Lancer and will give you an idea of the concept) had a weight/HP ratio of 18.18. This means that for every 18.18 lbs. removed, roughly one HP would be gained. The torque figure was 22.04. Read the article - it'll give you a much better understanding than the quick info I copied below.

Import Tuner weight reduction plan
Car used: 2003 Civic SI

Level one
Passenger seat & bracket - 33 lbs.
Rear seat and cushion - 21 lbs.
Head unit/speakers - 20 lbs.
Floor mats - 5 lbs.
Trunk lining - 3.5 lbs.
Spare tire & jack - 33.5 lbs.
Fuel - 6.2 lbs. per gallon

Level two
CF hood vs. stock - save 34 lbs. !!!!!!!
Mini-battery vs. stock - save 20 lbs.
Remove driver seat, add lighweight seat - save 20 lbs.
Headliner - 7.5 lbs.
Power steering - 12 lbs.
Air conditioning - 32.5 lbs.
Door panels - 13 lbs. each
They also upsized the wheels from 15s to 18s and still saved one pound each.

Level three
Fidanza flywheel vs. stock - save 6 lbs.
Sound deadening stuff - 20 lbs.
Dash support - 17 lbs.
Roof support webbing - 5 lbs.
Side impact beams - 19 lbs.
Misc. brackets (ECU & fuse box brackets, etc.) - 12 lbs.
Remove 2/3 of firewall layers - 15 lbs.

etc. etc. etc.

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Taken from Buschur Racing's DSM tips.

Weight savings that won't kill you
* Remove the padding from the bottom of the carpet
* Remove the tar-like sound deadener on the floor of the interior and on the firewall
* Carbon fiber hood and trunk
* Get rid of the spare tire, jack, tools, rear seats, rear deck lid, rear hatch carpet, metal brackets in the rear hatch, and the heat shields in the driveshaft tunnel.
* Convert from power steering to a manual rack
* Get lighter wheels and tires

Weight savings that might kill you - for track use only
* Remove the rear bumper
* Cut weight out of the front bumper and have an aluminum bumper bracket made to support the bumper cover
* Remove all seat belts and the front belt motors and replace them with 5-pt racing harnesses

 

Very nice Blacksheep. Good lookin out.

 

Thanks. I was glad to find that article online. I never did get around to going back to the magazine even though it's sitting at my house. Now I gotta try and do our HP/weight ratio...

 

Curb weights:

MT
DE - 2922
ES - 2944
GTS - 3032

CVT
DE - 2999
ES - 3021
GTS 3109

Add driver weight (165 for average person, or use your own weight if you know it)

Divide by HP and TQ

So, for example, my CVT GTS (3109) and my fat *** (265) equal 3374 pounds. So the ratios would be:

22.19 LBS/HP
23.11 LBS/TQ

So if I lost 100 lbs, my car would theoretically gain 4 HP. And anything I removed from the car would have the same effect.