Weight Reduction
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Um my sound deadening material weighs 60+ lbs, but I keep it in because I like a better sounding stereo and more bass. There are tradeoffs you have to make tho. I took out my tire, and went down to a single sub to balance it out. I have a lip kit, but also smaller wheels.
I've removed 35 lbs of deadening so far and still have a ways to go before its all out.
what people forget is that you cant compare a mustang cobra's 12 second 1/4 to a civic who is lucky to hit 16 seconds. if he wants to make his car the fastest it can be because he enjoys it then so be it. it's a very simple theory, if 2 identical cars race with equal drivers the gutted car will always win therefore justifying the effort it took to gut the car.
I have a 1.8L I4 that weighed stock 2500 lbs. it will weigh 2100 lbs with me in it by the time we finish
I will also still have the stock dash in the car and a/c and PS. you'd be amazed at how quickly things can add up when you start removing things
also remember rotating mass is more critical. lighter rims and lighter internal engine components are just as important to have.
what people forget is that you cant compare a mustang cobra's 12 second 1/4 to a civic who is lucky to hit 16 seconds. if he wants to make his car the fastest it can be because he enjoys it then so be it. it's a very simple theory, if 2 identical cars race with equal drivers the gutted car will always win therefore justifying the effort it took to gut the car.
I have a 1.8L I4 that weighed stock 2500 lbs. it will weigh 2100 lbs with me in it by the time we finish
I will also still have the stock dash in the car and a/c and PS. you'd be amazed at how quickly things can add up when you start removing things
also remember rotating mass is more critical. lighter rims and lighter internal engine components are just as important to have.
Originally Posted by gearbox
Um my sound deadening material weighs 60+ lbs, but I keep it in because I like a better sounding stereo and more bass. There are tradeoffs you have to make tho. I took out my tire, and went down to a single sub to balance it out. I have a lip kit, but also smaller wheels.
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Originally Posted by 00celicagts6spd
I've removed 35 lbs of deadening so far and still have a ways to go before its all out.
what people forget is that you cant compare a mustang cobra's 12 second 1/4 to a civic who is lucky to hit 16 seconds. if he wants to make his car the fastest it can be because he enjoys it then so be it. it's a very simple theory, if 2 identical cars race with equal drivers the gutted car will always win therefore justifying the effort it took to gut the car.
I have a 1.8L I4 that weighed stock 2500 lbs. it will weigh 2100 lbs with me in it by the time we finish
I will also still have the stock dash in the car and a/c and PS. you'd be amazed at how quickly things can add up when you start removing things
also remember rotating mass is more critical. lighter rims and lighter internal engine components are just as important to have.
what people forget is that you cant compare a mustang cobra's 12 second 1/4 to a civic who is lucky to hit 16 seconds. if he wants to make his car the fastest it can be because he enjoys it then so be it. it's a very simple theory, if 2 identical cars race with equal drivers the gutted car will always win therefore justifying the effort it took to gut the car.
I have a 1.8L I4 that weighed stock 2500 lbs. it will weigh 2100 lbs with me in it by the time we finish
I will also still have the stock dash in the car and a/c and PS. you'd be amazed at how quickly things can add up when you start removing things
also remember rotating mass is more critical. lighter rims and lighter internal engine components are just as important to have.
Are there special techniques you would use to get your tranny to last longer? Would you double-declutch like trucker driver who manually synchro their gears? I have some buddies who have gotten into the 1/4 miles stuff, and when they change a gear you feel the car catch the gear in (first and second) hard I was wondering if they are screwing up the transmission by doing that.
Lets say my rims over all we 24 pounds lighter (combined weight loss of all four rims) and had the same radius as my stock would that radically increase my 0-60 acceleration and 1/4 miles times?
Is my stock air conditioner heavy?
when your car will weigh 2100 pounds even with the stock GTS engine you would keep up with ferrari's and vipers. That would be sick indeed.
Last edited by nindoo; Aug 11, 2004 at 07:02 PM.
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Originally Posted by aznboysrfr
I find it EXTREMELY difficult to believe that the sound deadening foam weighs 60+ pounds. Have you actually weighed it and have pics of all of it?
like 00celica said, weight reduction is gonna help in an evenly matched race. don't think that 100lbs=10hp though, thats crazy. if that were the case a 20hp tractor weighing 500lbs could hang with an rsx if you removed the governor
I dont think gutting your cars is a good idea unless your really serious about autocross, track events.
daily driver should be a certain amount of comfort/luxury. So you drop 100lbs it shaves .1 off your quarter mile.. big whoopty do. You'd be better off to buy parts that lower weight WHILE creating more hp. Like the stock muffler on a sentra weighs 15-20lbs. My Megan Axle back weighs 6lbs and is suppose to gain 3hp. I bought it for looks/sound but whatever.
A header weighs A LOT Less then my stock exhaust manifold. I think i saved 20-25lbs there. Cold air intake weighs less then my factory air box. Then i could save another 15-20lbs with carbon fiber hood. After market seats can weigh a lot less then the stockers too.
Reducing weight is good on a track, because you will brake better, handle better, and accelerate SLIGHTLY better.
daily driver should be a certain amount of comfort/luxury. So you drop 100lbs it shaves .1 off your quarter mile.. big whoopty do. You'd be better off to buy parts that lower weight WHILE creating more hp. Like the stock muffler on a sentra weighs 15-20lbs. My Megan Axle back weighs 6lbs and is suppose to gain 3hp. I bought it for looks/sound but whatever.
A header weighs A LOT Less then my stock exhaust manifold. I think i saved 20-25lbs there. Cold air intake weighs less then my factory air box. Then i could save another 15-20lbs with carbon fiber hood. After market seats can weigh a lot less then the stockers too.
Reducing weight is good on a track, because you will brake better, handle better, and accelerate SLIGHTLY better.
Originally Posted by NorthernNinja
I dont think gutting your cars is a good idea unless your really serious about autocross, track events.
daily driver should be a certain amount of comfort/luxury. So you drop 100lbs it shaves .1 off your quarter mile.. big whoopty do. You'd be better off to buy parts that lower weight WHILE creating more hp. Like the stock muffler on a sentra weighs 15-20lbs. My Megan Axle back weighs 6lbs and is suppose to gain 3hp. I bought it for looks/sound but whatever.
A header weighs A LOT Less then my stock exhaust manifold. I think i saved 20-25lbs there. Cold air intake weighs less then my factory air box. Then i could save another 15-20lbs with carbon fiber hood. After market seats can weigh a lot less then the stockers too.
Reducing weight is good on a track, because you will brake better, handle better, and accelerate SLIGHTLY better.
daily driver should be a certain amount of comfort/luxury. So you drop 100lbs it shaves .1 off your quarter mile.. big whoopty do. You'd be better off to buy parts that lower weight WHILE creating more hp. Like the stock muffler on a sentra weighs 15-20lbs. My Megan Axle back weighs 6lbs and is suppose to gain 3hp. I bought it for looks/sound but whatever.
A header weighs A LOT Less then my stock exhaust manifold. I think i saved 20-25lbs there. Cold air intake weighs less then my factory air box. Then i could save another 15-20lbs with carbon fiber hood. After market seats can weigh a lot less then the stockers too.
Reducing weight is good on a track, because you will brake better, handle better, and accelerate SLIGHTLY better.
you've got a good idea but you're a lil over exagerated as far as the savings go
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
now 0-60 has a great deal to do with traction.
saving 6 lbs per rim would be pretty good. 10 or more would be great
the rotating weight is the best kind of weight to lose. also drivetrain weight is good to lose as well. a few grams lighter on certain parts can prove to make quite a difference.
so yes, saving that weight will help more then say removing a 24 lbs muffler to save weight. but your 0-60 still depends a great deal on your driving.
my 0-60 on drag radials is well under 5 seconds
I think it was around 4.6 - 4.7 seconds. lots of practice will help get your 0-60 time down as well.
as was said the secret to great 0-60 times is great launches and great launches are just being able to grab good traction. I used to have an e36 m3 and i used to dump the clutch at my torque peak or a lil before it ....3500....and on michelin pilot sports i caught the ground, then all i did was shift at my power band because VANOS does not work like VTEC and after the HP net peak your horsepower drops HARD so i would just shift really when the gear ended so that when i went from 2-3 i would end up near my peak HP range or in it. WIth bolt ons and Mickey Thompsons i ran a 0-60 in 5.1 in my e36 considering the thing ran it stock in 6 sec....i guess that was ok...then again i was 17 when i had the car....i could probally do 4.9 if i had it now...hell with lift throttle shifting!
[QUOTE=aznboysrfr]it'll definitely feel peppier. A hypothetical rule of thumb that seems to be floating around is that 100 pounds = 10 hp. So if you somehow manage to lose 100 pounds, you'll gain 10 hp[/QUOTE
i agree
i think 10 hp reduce ur 1/10th of ur quarter mile
i agree
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^^ its a misconseption.... reducing weight does not magically make your engine have more HP... it simply makes it so that the HP you do have has to accelerate Less mass = faster acceleration.
Also, you have to look at where the weight you are removing comes from.... for acceleration, reducing Rotational weight (any thing the engine has to get to rotate) will have a 70% more positive effect then just removing weight from the chassis....
Meaning, if you reduce your wheels weight by 10 LBS (Total weight removed from the drive wheels, not per wheel), it will have the same effect as if you had removed 33 LBS from the chassis...
so, the stock 15" steel wheels weigh 19lbs... if you reduce that to 10LBS each.....
(19+19 = 38LBS on the drive wheels stock. Vs 10+10 = 20 LBS on the drive wheels... = 18LB reduction in rotating weight, so it will feel as if you removed 60 LBS from the chassis. :P (18 is 30% of 60)
Also, you have to look at where the weight you are removing comes from.... for acceleration, reducing Rotational weight (any thing the engine has to get to rotate) will have a 70% more positive effect then just removing weight from the chassis....
Meaning, if you reduce your wheels weight by 10 LBS (Total weight removed from the drive wheels, not per wheel), it will have the same effect as if you had removed 33 LBS from the chassis...
so, the stock 15" steel wheels weigh 19lbs... if you reduce that to 10LBS each.....
(19+19 = 38LBS on the drive wheels stock. Vs 10+10 = 20 LBS on the drive wheels... = 18LB reduction in rotating weight, so it will feel as if you removed 60 LBS from the chassis. :P (18 is 30% of 60)
Originally Posted by Zzyzx
^^ its a misconseption.... reducing weight does not magically make your engine have more HP... it simply makes it so that the HP you do have has to accelerate Less mass = faster acceleration.
Also, you have to look at where the weight you are removing comes from.... for acceleration, reducing Rotational weight (any thing the engine has to get to rotate) will have a 70% more positive effect then just removing weight from the chassis....
Meaning, if you reduce your wheels weight by 10 LBS (Total weight removed from the drive wheels, not per wheel), it will have the same effect as if you had removed 33 LBS from the chassis...
so, the stock 15" steel wheels weigh 19lbs... if you reduce that to 10LBS each.....
(19+19 = 38LBS on the drive wheels stock. Vs 10+10 = 20 LBS on the drive wheels... = 18LB reduction in rotating weight, so it will feel as if you removed 60 LBS from the chassis. :P (18 is 30% of 60)
Also, you have to look at where the weight you are removing comes from.... for acceleration, reducing Rotational weight (any thing the engine has to get to rotate) will have a 70% more positive effect then just removing weight from the chassis....
Meaning, if you reduce your wheels weight by 10 LBS (Total weight removed from the drive wheels, not per wheel), it will have the same effect as if you had removed 33 LBS from the chassis...
so, the stock 15" steel wheels weigh 19lbs... if you reduce that to 10LBS each.....
(19+19 = 38LBS on the drive wheels stock. Vs 10+10 = 20 LBS on the drive wheels... = 18LB reduction in rotating weight, so it will feel as if you removed 60 LBS from the chassis. :P (18 is 30% of 60)
the only time you can gain actualy HP that will show on a dyno by removing weight is by reducing the weight of things in your drivetrain. light weight rims can show a gain on the dyno. same as lighter internals like valves and stuff. it's also why people buy lighter crank pulleys.
other then that it's just like zzyzx said. the gained HP is butt dyno hp only. 100 lbs off = 10 hp means you will basically feel like you gained 10 HP. you did not actually gain power though.
luckily I have no torque so I'm gtg lol
other then that it's just like zzyzx said. the gained HP is butt dyno hp only. 100 lbs off = 10 hp means you will basically feel like you gained 10 HP. you did not actually gain power though.
Originally Posted by Zzyzx
Its been said many times before... when you have a lot of torque to get to the ground, FWD is not the platform you want.
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Check out the specs of this honda civic
The weight is 1150kg with the driver and it has 270-290bhp. The car weighs as much as the EX without a driver!
http://www.honda-racing.co.uk/fourwh...car/team-2.asp
The weight is 1150kg with the driver and it has 270-290bhp. The car weighs as much as the EX without a driver!
http://www.honda-racing.co.uk/fourwh...car/team-2.asp
If u want to put weight off of ur car...add lots of carbon fiber parts. You should know that they already made carbon fiber internal door panels and fenders already. I know this may suck but carbon fiber seats would help to, although its not as comfortable as stock and if u like to have some spinal injuries...thats the way to go. I don't know how much weight that'll take off. Other than that, if u can't do it, try practicing ur offensive driving...you'll be surprised how much faster you'll go when u come as close as 2 inches from walls and other crazy stuff.
I never flinch whenever I head straight on....always end up tucking part of my wheel in one of those...its not a gutter but u see them on curbs and stuff.
Remember...ur mirrors are just about...I'd say 4 1/4 inches long but pretend that mirror is not there and add another 2 inches to make 6 so then u can get a clear idea how far u should be away from walls and crap.
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Dudes lets put together a list of stuff we could do to our car that would reduce the weight but only include stuff that will not harm the car (If its a lightweight pulley we shouldn't consider it). All together how much can we take of our car? (Are there lightweight radiators, lightweight lowering springs, lightweight sway bars...anything possible). Then we can tabulate the weight. Its a good way for us and other to come see how much weight you can actually take of the car if your really wanted to.
Lets loose some weight!
Lets loose some weight!
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Here is what redline has done
Spare tire 24lbs
Tire Iron and wheel cap 2lbs
Jack 3lbs
Trunk mat 1lbs
Trunk cardboard 7lbs
Drver's side back seat 12lbs
Passenger side back seat 7lbs
Backt seat 8lbs
Front Passenger seat 35 lbs
ESt. Total 100lbs
What else can we do?
Spare tire 24lbs
Tire Iron and wheel cap 2lbs
Jack 3lbs
Trunk mat 1lbs
Trunk cardboard 7lbs
Drver's side back seat 12lbs
Passenger side back seat 7lbs
Backt seat 8lbs
Front Passenger seat 35 lbs
ESt. Total 100lbs
What else can we do?
AKA Mr. 60ft. Not to be confused with Civic_Redline
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Some more stuff off an old thread....
Ok est free weight reduction so far:
(bathroom scale so not 100% acurate)
Sp Tire 24lbs
Tire iron and wheel bolt 2lbs
Jack 3lbs
Center trunk carpet 1lbs
Cardboard? over Sp Tire 7lbs
Driver Side Back Seat 12lbs
Pass. Back seat 7lbs
Back seat bench 8lbs
Passenger Seat 35lbs
Center hinge trunk plastic 1lbs
Driver side trunk carpet 1lbs
Passenger side trunk carpet 1lbs
4 mud flaps 2lbs
Driver rear panel 5lbs
Driver rear pillar 1lbs
Passenger rear panel 5bs
Passenger rear pillar 1lbs
Side sills 2lbs
kick panels 1lbs
Front carpet 13lbs
Rear seat belts 7lbs
Entire rear deck inc. speakers 10lbs
That's about 149lbs so far.
Now 1 gallon of gas weighs 6.2 lbs. I try to keep a 1/4 tank when racing and never more than a half daily. So lets do worst case scenario. A civic has a 13 gallon tank.
13 x 6.2lbs =80.6lbs
Worst case 1/2 of 80lbs= 40lbs
So up to 189lbs.
My exhaust, header and intake should add up to 11 lbs less then the stock components for an even 200lbs.
Wheels. 12.5lbs 17" forged Velox Pg5-s.
2.5lbs less per corner of unsprung weight.
Kyokugen lug nuts 1/4lb less per corner.
So 2.75 x 4= 11lbs of unsprung weight, which actually has a greater effect than sprung weight.
Get the 15" Spoons (8.5lbs) and thats 4 more lbs per corner
Oh and for EX owners your wheels are 5lbs heavier than my dx 14's so that would be another 20lbs of unsprung weight reduced.
More things to reduce weight, that I myself have yet to do.
Door panels and anything else not needed behind them 5-10lbs per side?
Stereo 5-10lbs?
Roof liner 5lbs?
Sound insulation 15-35lbs?
AC and components 50lbs?
Center console 5lbs?
Stuff that's gonna cost
CF hood 5-10lbs?
CF trunk 5lbs?
CF Fenders 10lbs?
Racing seat 10-15lbs
Lexan rear windows 15-30lbs?
Lighter battery 10lbs?
Hope this gives you what your looking for. Just an estimate though not 100% accurate.
I may get my car weighed here soon so I can have an exact weight as soon as I feel like pissing $10 dollars away.
Later
Ok est free weight reduction so far:
(bathroom scale so not 100% acurate)
Sp Tire 24lbs
Tire iron and wheel bolt 2lbs
Jack 3lbs
Center trunk carpet 1lbs
Cardboard? over Sp Tire 7lbs
Driver Side Back Seat 12lbs
Pass. Back seat 7lbs
Back seat bench 8lbs
Passenger Seat 35lbs
Center hinge trunk plastic 1lbs
Driver side trunk carpet 1lbs
Passenger side trunk carpet 1lbs
4 mud flaps 2lbs
Driver rear panel 5lbs
Driver rear pillar 1lbs
Passenger rear panel 5bs
Passenger rear pillar 1lbs
Side sills 2lbs
kick panels 1lbs
Front carpet 13lbs
Rear seat belts 7lbs
Entire rear deck inc. speakers 10lbs
That's about 149lbs so far.
Now 1 gallon of gas weighs 6.2 lbs. I try to keep a 1/4 tank when racing and never more than a half daily. So lets do worst case scenario. A civic has a 13 gallon tank.
13 x 6.2lbs =80.6lbs
Worst case 1/2 of 80lbs= 40lbs
So up to 189lbs.
My exhaust, header and intake should add up to 11 lbs less then the stock components for an even 200lbs.
Wheels. 12.5lbs 17" forged Velox Pg5-s.
2.5lbs less per corner of unsprung weight.
Kyokugen lug nuts 1/4lb less per corner.
So 2.75 x 4= 11lbs of unsprung weight, which actually has a greater effect than sprung weight.
Get the 15" Spoons (8.5lbs) and thats 4 more lbs per corner
Oh and for EX owners your wheels are 5lbs heavier than my dx 14's so that would be another 20lbs of unsprung weight reduced.
More things to reduce weight, that I myself have yet to do.
Door panels and anything else not needed behind them 5-10lbs per side?
Stereo 5-10lbs?
Roof liner 5lbs?
Sound insulation 15-35lbs?
AC and components 50lbs?
Center console 5lbs?
Stuff that's gonna cost
CF hood 5-10lbs?
CF trunk 5lbs?
CF Fenders 10lbs?
Racing seat 10-15lbs
Lexan rear windows 15-30lbs?
Lighter battery 10lbs?
Hope this gives you what your looking for. Just an estimate though not 100% accurate.
I may get my car weighed here soon so I can have an exact weight as soon as I feel like pissing $10 dollars away.
Later
Last edited by Redline04; Oct 28, 2004 at 08:49 PM.
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power steering, air conditioning, washer fluid resevoir (and the fluid it holds
), your dash, glovebox, vents
and rip all that plastic out from under your car. the stuff in the wheel wells and under the engine bay.
take off spoiler (if you have one)
thats some more stuff (some more desperate than other...)
), your dash, glovebox, ventsand rip all that plastic out from under your car. the stuff in the wheel wells and under the engine bay.
take off spoiler (if you have one)
thats some more stuff (some more desperate than other...)
oh, the carbon fiber stuff is ****, okay pure s.h.i.t. aerodynamics won't mean **** on autocross and mostly on slow tracks. run ur car no hood, no trunk,no doors, no fenders no rear window or windsheild, all none essential sheet metal. hell take off the bumpers, both front and rear. they weigh alot!!!.they headlight and stoplight wiegh something too, take them off. also, run with only like 2-3 gallons in the tank.
with all that, it will be like driving an open air roadster and mad fun.
with all that, it will be like driving an open air roadster and mad fun.
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Good stuff guys.
Redline your pretty lean.
I wonder if its possible to inflate your tires with something other than air? What about lighter rubber. Are there lighter radiators? Maybe aluminum lower control arms?
Redline your pretty lean.
I wonder if its possible to inflate your tires with something other than air? What about lighter rubber. Are there lighter radiators? Maybe aluminum lower control arms?
Last edited by nindoo; Oct 29, 2004 at 01:53 PM.





