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Some things.... AC (35lbs total), Sound deadening (24lbs), Rear seat and belts (32lbs), Evap (9lbs), Intake bracket (5lbs), Radio/Speakers (11lbs), Washer Res (~5lbs), Relocated ACD (6lbs, 16lbs off nose), o2 housing (3lbs), Spal fan (6lbs), balance shafts (5lbs), light radiator (~5lbs), Lithium battery (13lbs over ETS Small batt), Race seats (10lbs/side), Light brakes rotors (10-15lbs per end), Motor Mounts (5lbs), Skin/pin front hood (~8lbs), Firewall mat (3lbs), Airbags (11lbs), Strip dash bar (6lbs), Ebrake (?)...
SSB Parts, Front Uprights 11.5lbs, Rear Uprights 12lbs, Front control arms 2lbs, Wilwood radial mount setups (8-9 lbs more from upright but the upright is different), Trailing Arms (1.4lbs)
Plastic windows is a BIG commitment. Considerably more wind noise and they rattle a lot. They're super cheap to make but making them work with a factory regulator might be a challenge. Mine are just held in with quarter turn fasteners so they're either in or out, no in between.
Changing out both subframes for tubular units will drop 60-70lbs.
If you're not already, consider moving to an aluminum catback exhaust for the lightest possible exhaust (although they're usually louder than stainless or Ti).
As mentioned a tube and fin intercooler will drop a couple pounds but most out there aren't going to be able to cool well enough for 500hp, though I think Plazmaman makes one or two that might be up to the task, just might have to wait for shipping from overseas.
There's a couple companies that make factory location fuel cells (allows you to retain the fuel gauge and fuel fill port and they hold 6-7 gallons. That would chop another 30ish lbs.
If you still have any interior bits in the rear of the car pull them out. The rear is useless with a rollbar or cage so there's no point in keeping an interior other than for vanity.
Chop out the spare tire well in the trunk and replace it with an aluminum floor.
Other than that you're going to be pulling more interior bits from the front of the car that will hinder its street friendliness.
Can an aluminum exhaust really survive for long on a turbo car that sees regular track time?
this. i've heard batt relocation doesnt save any weight, if anything adds, but could be a nice ballast if it fit in the trunk/spare tire location
Correct both aren't really to save any weight, it's to get them out of the engine area as they are "accessories" in the way. The first time I did a bat relo to the trunk I used heavy gauge and a heavy *** odyssey battery so I did gain weight but it was still a street car then so I didn't really care. The Fosgate fuse bus is I procured from bestbuy in a pinch to make it all work that night is STILL in use in the engine bay. Makes for interesting paddock conversation lol.
Austin- a few of those weights you listed are unrealistic unless you were going for ballpark numbers. Tubular subframes drop like 15# up front and something like 30ish in the rear. But in case of the rear you can get something like 2/3rds of that with tubular mustache bar and billet side mounts for like 1/3 the cost. But even then its all low and in the rear so I'll pass for now.
I just dropped my fuel tank to deal with some rust on my car and there is no way there is 30# weight savings there. I should have weighed mine but I doubt the entire unit even weights 30#. If you take into account fuel weight savings then sure but thats kinda not apples to apples.
I have the Plazmaman intercooler on my car. I went with the sweptback unit and it came in a 17#. Their specs on the site seem to change every month. Like I just looked and currently says 12kg which just isnt true. Previously had a Perrin 3.5" so the Plazmaman dropped 5# for me up front.
I moved my ACD to the trunk. The bracket was the easy part as I just hacked up the OEM unit, forget the weight savings but I cut most of it out so Id guess around 4ish pounds there. The tricky part with the relocation was building the line since I wanted to use hard tubing so I had a blast bending and flaring it. If someone were to make a "kit" chances are it would come with braided hose and at that point its a pretty simple project so not sure there is much value in a "kit" per se. Just my .02
Can an aluminum exhaust really survive for long on a turbo car that sees regular track time?
Not as a downpipe, it's too close to the turbo. But a catback, certainly.
Originally Posted by heel2toe
Austin- a few of those weights you listed are unrealistic unless you were going for ballpark numbers. Tubular subframes drop like 15# up front and something like 30ish in the rear. But in case of the rear you can get something like 2/3rds of that with tubular mustache bar and billet side mounts for like 1/3 the cost. But even then its all low and in the rear so I'll pass for now.
I just dropped my fuel tank to deal with some rust on my car and there is no way there is 30# weight savings there. I should have weighed mine but I doubt the entire unit even weights 30#. If you take into account fuel weight savings then sure but thats kinda not apples to apples.
I have the Plazmaman intercooler on my car. I went with the sweptback unit and it came in a 17#. Their specs on the site seem to change every month. Like I just looked and currently says 12kg which just isnt true. Previously had a Perrin 3.5" so the Plazmaman dropped 5# for me up front.
I moved my ACD to the trunk. The bracket was the easy part as I just hacked up the OEM unit, forget the weight savings but I cut most of it out so Id guess around 4ish pounds there. The tricky part with the relocation was building the line since I wanted to use hard tubing so I had a blast bending and flaring it. If someone were to make a "kit" chances are it would come with braided hose and at that point its a pretty simple project so not sure there is much value in a "kit" per se. Just my .02
The front is like 15lbs and I thought I remember reading the rear cuts 45 tho maybe I'm mistaken and both is 45. Either way, almost 50lbs is 50lbs. I don't have a minmum weight restriction so less is always better.
Fuel cell is taking into account fuel weight. Just going from 12 to 6 gallons is over 30lbs. I would never run my car under a half a tank on track unless I was using a properly baffled fuel cell. I definitely consider it weight lost period.
I stand by my comment that you can get down to 2700 without tubing the car or using carbon body panels. 2600 or below definitely requires them.
On another note, depending on what the ACD bracket looks like, I could easily design a sheet aluminum bracket for people looking for an easy button relocation kit.
I stand by my comment that you can get down to 2700 without tubing the car or using carbon body panels. 2600 or below definitely requires them.
You absolutely can. I have spread sheets showing 27xx was possible in SM AutoX trim and there is a ton of stuff we cant do. Adding safety does bump things back up but I bet low 27xx with safety and 285/295s is totally possible.
^ Care to link to said SS or is this top secret double probation type stuff? I've studied the weight threads here and have a few of my own spreadsheets broken down lb/$ but its starting to get to the point that I'm both out of ideas as well as at the point where things like actual lightweight hoods are next but come at a high cost.
My car is right at 3000# with a tank of fuel and I also have the back half cage. But to get there I'm already well past the point of basic weight reduction i.e battery no AC sound deadening etc etc. I see another 25# in your suspension goodies but man 27 n change is a long ways away from 3000, lol!
Some of its now just scattered info as I updated things overtime and got rid of things on the list I have already done. And some things are a bit more controversial in my direction Im taking for weight distribution so I'll probably just keep that all to myself
The absolute biggest thing to understand with weight reduction is how much vehicle occupant friendliness are you willing to give up? Getting an evo under 2900lbs and still having a vehicle as user friendly to drive around town as a stock evo would be exceptionally hard. Creating a ratty track car like mine, not anything extraordinary, you just have to be willing to give everything up.
I hardly ever even drive mine on the street (it still has lights and wipers to be legal) and when I do drive it, it's short distance. My car isn't weatherproof, it has no hvac, you can hear EVERY little noise it makes, the doors have no rigidity whatsoever (seriously, they get really floppy once you gut them and cut out the door bars), the only stuff underneath what's left of the dash is a fuse box, some wires, and the cage, the only wiring that goes aft of the dash is for the tail lights and fuel system stuff on the tank, Basically, if it doesn't help the car go around a racetrack faster, it's gone.
The absolute biggest thing to understand with weight reduction is how much vehicle occupant friendliness are you willing to give up? Getting an evo under 2900lbs and still having a vehicle as user friendly to drive around town as a stock evo would be exceptionally hard. Creating a ratty track car like mine, not anything extraordinary, you just have to be willing to give everything up.
I hardly ever even drive mine on the street (it still has lights and wipers to be legal) and when I do drive it, it's short distance. My car isn't weatherproof, it has no hvac, you can hear EVERY little noise it makes, the doors have no rigidity whatsoever (seriously, they get really floppy once you gut them and cut out the door bars), the only stuff underneath what's left of the dash is a fuse box, some wires, and the cage, the only wiring that goes aft of the dash is for the tail lights and fuel system stuff on the tank, Basically, if it doesn't help the car go around a racetrack faster, it's gone.
Do you still get to keep the rear door card/power windows with gutted door beam on rear door?
Wow! Every time I read the weight reduction tips you guys post, I get jealous and mad at the same time. Jealous because I love the ideas you all have done. Then mad b/c I forgot I too have done many of the ideas LOL!
I88apex: Thanks for plasmaman IC link. 👌
My 3400+ weight includes:
* full aluminum no cat exhaust (mid muffler)
* front/rear bumpers replaced by mustache and bar
* carbon 2pc drive axle
* light weight battery to trunk (odyssey)
* AC removal
* BBK AP Radical Pro 5000 brakes and 2pc rotors. (I think lighter calipers? Not sure on rotors)
* bad *** SSB lower control arms
* removal of full back seat (aluminum divider)
* removable steering wheel / no airbag
* light weight flywheel
* fluid damper
* balance shaft delete
* billet knife edge crank
* aluminum hard pipes
* removed radio & speakers
* race seats
* (added ABS, added 10qrt dry sump w/ remote primer & tons of braided -10-16AN lines, added external twin fuel pumps with gallon reservoir, added vacuum pump and reservoir, added external oil cooler, added Koyo larger radiator, added 4” IC, full front interior & dash & full glass, wipers and headlights, 18x10.5” rims, 295/30 rubber,)
I do like the weekend track car you put up with on the street. I have always done it this way.. Ayoustin has the dedicated track car which I love! For me, I need duel purpose setup....that favors track. 2700lbs sounds like a fun project.
Here is a group question. At this point in my 5 year build, Would $5000 towards ENGINE upgrades (manifold/bigger turbo) or $5000 towards weight reduction (sub frames) reward me better performance on track?
$5000 towards power mods would definitely give you better performance than cutting 100lbs. Just remember that with more power comes decreased reliability and more maintenance.
Originally Posted by EVOFans
Do you still get to keep the rear door card/power windows with gutted door beam on rear door?
It depends how far you gut them. The only thing that remains of my door is the door skin and the latch mechanism, so for me, no. Keep in mind, I also have a cage with door bars. I would never gut doors this far without side impact protection built into the cage.
