DSM Weight Reduction [merged] diet weight loss strip light

[98TsiAWD]

I personally am looking to do some weight reduction while retaining the quiet/smooth ride, and still having a spare so I can go on the highway without getting flatbedded home.

heres some of my ideas, just normal of course.

CF hood
Ditch all of my stereo and just get upgraded 6x9, 5.25, and 3.5's hooked to the factory amp/deck.
CF Hatch<<<Anyone make one for us?
CF Spoiler<<Anyone make it?
Dimple Drilled/Slotted Rotors


What else is there? I dont wanna tear out all the sound deadening or the spare tire.

 

[Black_Bullet]

If you get all the sound deadner and plus the rubber mats on the inside and outside of fire wall i think its more close to 40-50lbs wt reduction. To be honest sound deadner removal isnt really all that bad on a dsm. I barely notice any difference after removing it unless a rock pings under my car or if its raining I can hear the water splashing in the rear but thats about it. Nothing serious, its just a pain to get all that stuff out of the car. And yea lasers are pretty cool, i didnt like them at first, i used to have a gst and i always hated the way the lasers looked but after owning one i learned to grow into it and i like mines and theres seriously not many awd dsms in my area and ive never seen a awd laser out here but mines... Hell, from the uncommoness of a 6/4 bolt; awd, eprom having 92 laser almost like im riding the fabled unicorn or something.

 

[silver bullit]

Also if i spend the money i could swap power windows and locks to manual ones, which i owned a dsm with those and i could tell the difference when i opened the door.

I think the power windows and locks doors both weigh 80-90. I could switch to manual and save 20-30 pounds.

Carbon hood would save me 25ish pounds.

Carbon hatch with plexi glass would save me 20-30 pounds.

Deleting the spoiler could net another 20-30 pounds. I know the stock parts weigh alot unless you take them apart and gut the excess crap inside them.

Carbon doors and plexi glass windows would be 50-60 pounds off the car.

But carbon hood ($460) carbon hatch and plexi glass rear window ($360+$360) and carbon doors and plexi side windows($1450+I know a place that sells for 150ish for sides and rear quarters for 110 ish)

That adds up to $3150 ish depending on thickness of windows not including the front window to drop 100-120 pounds. Which may not be street legal in your area, not to mention the price...

 

[silver bullit]

This place sells all the plexi glass windows for a 1g and 2g DSM even the front window.

They also sell them for a wide range of cars.
Percy's High Performance - Eagle

 

[SBstar]

Unfortunately this car is no longer as I have parted it out...but here is a small list of what I took out of the car. 1990 Eagle Talon TSI AWD for those who want to know

Gutted doors -40lbs.
All sound deadening- 25 lbs.
Front and rear bumpers - 70 lbs.
Air conditioning unit - 35 lbs.
All seats 120lbs - new Summit racing seat w/harness 20 lbs. = 100 lbs. saved
Spare tire/jack/tools - 37 lbs,.
Seat belts Front and rear assemblies replaced with harness - 45 lbs.
Lightweight battery saved - 26 lbs.
Air conditioner/heater core units from under dash - 25 lbs.
Carpeting - 15 lbs.
Power steering system including mounting bracket- 15 lbs.
non cruise cable - 6 lbs.
Speakers/head unit - 15 lbs.
Headlight units including brackets - 17 lbs.
Miscellaneous material including, removing the metal dash pieces, glove compartment, metal brackets, bolts, all plastic interior pieces, windshield wiper motors and parts, windshield wiper fluid reservoirs, etc - 50 lbs. (filled)
Spare tire cover/ privacy cover/rear carpeting etc- 20 lbs.
under hood charcoal canister - 3 lbs.

And those were just the things I weighed/listed as I removed. add that up to 504 lbs. I then removed all brackets that were spot welded in the interior. Replaced the stock radiator with a Honda Civic radiator (radiator itself weighs less then half, not counting how much less fluid it uses) plus replaced two stock fans which weigh about 12 lbs. with one slimline weighing about 5 lbs. Removed all plastic fender wells, not much but when it comes to weight loss every couple lbs. adds up. Removed all heat shields, both for manifold/exhaust/drivetunnel. Open O2 replaced full exhaust. Removed the wing (20 lbs). I've also lightened the stock hood by removing the bracing underneath/makes it a little more flimsy but its lighter/helps the hood pins hold it down about 5 lbs. lost. The whole battery tray assembly, air can canister, the list goes on for little things that are gone but I have no way of adding all the little parts up for weight. And other stuff I can't remember. A few other little weight loss secrets that I'll keep to myself. The car was super light...Too bad I had to make the smart financial decision to move on. I'll end up with another lightweight car someday, but I'll probably be smarter about it and keep the car clean.

I suggest keeping the interior intact, at least from the surface. Also there are a lot of things you can remove for track days only (bumpers for example) there is no point in killing yourself on the street. My car never "looked" good so I didn't mind tearing it apart but for the most part dsms are lacking in the eye pleasing department so whatever weight loss you do I suggest keeping the car looking clean.

 

[Black_Bullet]

Yea I did everything you just mentioned, i thought about the honda civic radiator but heard that it wouldnt cool as good on hot days when driving in traffic/low speeds? Is this the case? If I were to do it id get the thickest aftermarket one they had. Also I still have my stock passenger and driver seats and i still have my speakers ( not the rear ones just the fronts, and I didnt remove carpet, just removed the thick material and wood panels under the carpet.) I didnt gut the doors or under the hood.. What exactly did you do to gut the doors that saved you 40lbs?, take out the metal railing inside?
Hell im thinking of cutting out the flimsy weak metal material behind all the interior panels next. I know it doesnt weigh nothing but like you said everything counts. I just dont want to mess with strutural ridgity when cutting metal. I once was considering cutting the floors out in the rear and welding light weight durable metal and cutting out the awd hump in the hatch as its annoying but ive been getting steered away from doing that.

 

[silver bullit]

The smaller honda radiator is not a bad idea, but if you have a thicker front mount, ac, oil cooler etc... plays a factor as well.

I was gonna do this but i am doing anything that does not cost money.

I am gonna cut the floor out of the rear and put a single sheet back there but i will do that when i get an racing fuel cell.

 

[SBstar]

The other plans for the car included
Full lexan- reportably about 75 lbs. weight loss
Fiberglass pin on hood- 13 lbs for hood versus 44lb. stocker= 31 lbs. saved
1 gallon fuel cell- should save about 40 lbs.
Weld ProStars- 40 lbs total


I should have been able to get the total weight down to 2300lbs. without going tube frame.
Getting crazy would have included
- 64 fiberglass doors
- 20 sway bars
- 18 fiberglass hatch
- 30 unused wiring
- 30 K member

Once you start down the path it's hard to stop, it's fun tearing stuff out haha. I suggest not cutting out the thin metal, the weightloss is not worth it IMO plus you're screwing with the structural integrity as you've said. The Honda radiator kept temps at about 216* during very short driving trips and the few pulls the car seen. I seen as high as 225* but I had a headgasket problem that was pushing coolant. I would not suggest doing this with a FMIC as I ran a supra smic. Between removing the gas tank, cutting out the floor, and replacing with sheetmetal a friend removed 40lbs. The more material you remove from the car the more I suggest having a cage welded in. The doors weight was from removing the metal plus the crash beams, weight was for both doors combined.

 

[silver bullit]

Unfortunately this car is no longer as I have parted it out...but here is a small list of what I took out of the car. 1990 Eagle Talon TSI AWD for those who want to know

Why are you getting rid of the 90?

 

[SBstar]

I recently graduated a police academy that not only cost several grand to get into, but I couldn't work during the course of the academy. Now I have to find employment and that debt is killing my wife and I. Until I find a job the bets course of action was to sell off the toys in order to pay off that debt. After I find a good job I'll have more money for projects like this anyways.

I received a lot of somewhat negative feedback from my car. Now what other people think isn't really that important but the farther down this path you go, even if you have decided it won't be a street car anyways, the least likely you'll be able to take your car for a spin whenever you want. Stuff like keeping all the interior plastic in place, keeping the dash looking somewhat complete and functional, keeping heat in the car w/defrosters, keeping the carpet in, will make your car much more enjoyable and pleasing to the eye. You can find plenty of stuff to remove underneath and around all that to lose enough weight and you shouldn't have to miss the other 100lbs you could've removed. If you really need another tenth slap another performance mod on.

 

[Black_Bullet]

The other plans for the car included
Full lexan- reportably about 75 lbs. weight loss
Fiberglass pin on hood- 13 lbs for hood versus 44lb. stocker= 31 lbs. saved
1 gallon fuel cell- should save about 40 lbs.
Weld ProStars- 40 lbs total


I should have been able to get the total weight down to 2300lbs. without going tube frame.
Getting crazy would have included
- 64 fiberglass doors
- 20 sway bars
- 18 fiberglass hatch
- 30 unused wiring
- 30 K member

Once you start down the path it's hard to stop, it's fun tearing stuff out haha. I suggest not cutting out the thin metal, the weightloss is not worth it IMO plus you're screwing with the structural integrity as you've said. The Honda radiator kept temps at about 216* during very short driving trips and the few pulls the car seen. I seen as high as 225* but I had a headgasket problem that was pushing coolant. I would not suggest doing this with a FMIC as I ran a supra smic. Between removing the gas tank, cutting out the floor, and replacing with sheetmetal a friend removed 40lbs. The more material you remove from the car the more I suggest having a cage welded in. The doors weight was from removing the metal plus the crash beams, weight was for both doors combined.

Yea I suppose the Honda radiator wont be efficient enough on a daily driver.. Especially not if i get into autox. Wasnt a bad thought though. As far as cutting out the floor in the hatch area, your saying I have to remove the gas tank to do that? And that metal back there is worth 40lbs? Also i plan on getting a roll cage as soon as the track kicks me out and says i need one

I recently graduated a police academy that not only cost several grand to get into, but I couldn't work during the course of the academy. Now I have to find employment and that debt is killing my wife and I. Until I find a job the bets course of action was to sell off the toys in order to pay off that debt. After I find a good job I'll have more money for projects like this anyways.

I received a lot of somewhat negative feedback from my car. Now what other people think isn't really that important but the farther down this path you go, even if you have decided it won't be a street car anyways, the least likely you'll be able to take your car for a spin whenever you want. Stuff like keeping all the interior plastic in place, keeping the dash looking somewhat complete and functional, keeping heat in the car w/defrosters, keeping the carpet in, will make your car much more enjoyable and pleasing to the eye. You can find plenty of stuff to remove underneath and around all that to lose enough weight and you shouldn't have to miss the other 100lbs you could've removed. If you really need another tenth slap another performance mod on.

Yea since my car is an everyday driver and since it does still occasionally tote the female human species around ; therefore i havent gone to the point of no return yet. My car is still very smooth and comfortable, most of my weight reduction doesnt meet the eye besides the obvious stuff like rear seats removed etc. The only things thats a bother about my car to some ppl are the low rpm vibrations due to the prothanes, the horrid exhaust smell filling up in the cabin when im stopped at a light for any duration of time due to my E.cutout dumping under my car (ihate that too maybe when i get E85 it wont smell so bad) and also some people dont like the first and 2nd gear neck snapping when i floor it ...

 

[SBstar]

Between the shield that surrounds the gas tank, the tank itself, and all the metal you can cut out it's supposedly 40lbs. or so. I can't vouch for it personally it's just what I was told from another dsmer who did it in his 92. The gas tank on the 1g awd's humps up in that spot in the rear so you would have to remove the gas tank to cut out that floor, or at least you'll have to build another hump around the gas tank if you do it with the stock tank. The heaviest piece about doing all that is removing the tank though and replacing it with a cell. The flooring really isn't as thick as you'd think and doesn't weigh the most. (again just what I was told, anyone else who has done this can chime in).

 

[Black_Bullet]

Between the shield that surrounds the gas tank, the tank itself, and all the metal you can cut out it's supposedly 40lbs. or so. I can't vouch for it personally it's just what I was told from another dsmer who did it in his 92. The gas tank on the 1g awd's humps up in that spot in the rear so you would have to remove the gas tank to cut out that floor, or at least you'll have to build another hump around the gas tank if you do it with the stock tank. The heaviest piece about doing all that is removing the tank though and replacing it with a cell. The flooring really isn't as thick as you'd think and doesn't weigh the most. (again just what I was told, anyone else who has done this can chime in).

Thanks for the information. I dont think a fuel cell is that practical on an every day driver though?

 

[SBstar]

Thanks for the information. I dont think a fuel cell is that practical on an every day driver though?

Depends on how you set it up. But overall if you plan on driving it any distance you're going to want a fairly good size fuel cell, and then your weight savings is going to be minimal anyways. Plus you'll have to put it in the trunk and make yourself a firewall adding even more weight. The trick is finding ways to remove more weight off the front end since most reduction comes out of the rear anyways.

 

[Black_Bullet]

Depends on how you set it up. But overall if you plan on driving it any distance you're going to want a fairly good size fuel cell, and then your weight savings is going to be minimal anyways. Plus you'll have to put it in the trunk and make yourself a firewall adding even more weight. The trick is finding ways to remove more weight off the front end since most reduction comes out of the rear anyways.

Yea I know what you mean, front end weight reduction is better due to the front being the heaviest part of the car anyways, it gives better wt. distrubution.

 

[silver bullit]

+1 for a lighter flywheel, i weighed it...
The weight is holy shit 8.4 lbs for the fidanza and 19.4 lbs for the stock pos both new never used. Thats 11 pounds off the front not to mention the power it will free up.

Aluminum FTW!!!

Most sell the lighter ones for 200 or so and a new stocker goes for 150 ish?
Still need to get my car to 28/2900... with me in it

Who makes a lighter k-member, pics?

 

[SBstar]

Polk used to make a lighter k-member, unfortunately they no longer do. There are a couple guys/fabricators making them now, but they don't look nearly as strong as the one polk made. Just search the word "Member" in thread titles on here and you'll find two different ones you can probably have made for you now. I don't know if I would trust them as of yet, I'd like to see more feedback first on high hp applications. It would obviously be drag only anyways in my mind too.

 

[silver bullit]

Back from the dead:
1990 manual awd talon.
Car link
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/278397-my-350-dollar-awd-90-talon-project-being-put-back-together-after-overhaul.html
I weighed everything and i am getting the same weight as everyone else.

So far this is the weight removed:


-Fidanza flywheel 8.5 i think Stock is 19.5 i think
10 lbs
-Both fans replaced by 1 2300 cfm slim fan
10 lbs for stock slim one weighs 2.5
-AC and power steering complete everything includes fluids
50 lbs
-Front and rear window washer bottles, brackets, hoses, with full fluid
20 lbs
-Cloth and glue to roof under head liner
1.5-/+? lbs (About)
-Emissions, charcoal can, egr, hoses, brackets, electrical crap all of it
8 lbs
-Rubber mat (Firewall) on the inside behind the dash and inside the engine bay
15 lbs
-Cloth on the bottom of carpet
10 lbs
-Trim front crash beam for intercooler
20 lbs
-Spare tire, jack, and carpet, brackets that hold this up, all panels in truck minus hatch cover.
45-60 lbs ish (this was damp/wet but it also had alot of trash)
(all of this was covered in about 40 pounds of dead animals, animal crap, 3 mice, 1 or 2 snakes, thanks for this pos state and people leaving cars under a tree for 6 years SEE my car thread, some of the inside stuff was wet)
About 15-25 lbs for brackets from the dash, bolts, anything bracket or electrical not needed throughout the whole car!

So far 190-220 pounds i did not believed it so i weighed it our cars have alot of crap in them.
About 3-5 55 gallon lawn bags of removed parts and about 4 55 gallon lawn bags of dead crap.


Best thing is if you look into the inside it looks like a stock car with 103k miles on it!!! Trunk cover hides the trunk, interior panels, headliner are complete throughout car and i still have 100% inside of the car.

Car looks stock inside and out.

I weigh 200 so my car with me, 1/2 tank of gas should be 3080 or less
About 235 totaled above ill under estimate a pound or 2 or subtract so i know its atleast 235 maybe closer to 260.

 

[SBstar]

Best thing is if you look into the inside it looks like a stock car with 103k miles on it!!! Trunk cover hides the trunk, interior panels, headliner are complete throughout car and i still have 100% inside of the car.

Car looks stock inside and out.

Clean, with dramatic weight loss!

 

[silver bullit]

Clean, with dramatic weight loss!

Yep going for the sleeper look, wish i could get another 200 that easy... I can take 100 more out but then it will be noticeable with no back seats, panels, etc

Like you said its additive to rip stuff out for weight reduction, now i am addicted i want to rip more crap out till i get to 2700, but i am gonna rock the sleeper look.

What is the difference in weight between the power window, locks and mirrors V.S. manual doors, locks, mirrors?

 

[ihatedsms]

Heres some pics of some of my weight reduction.

Gutted manual doors.

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Aluminum sheet rear floor. 5 gallon Fuel cell will be mounted on top.

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And finally rivited in.

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Im down to about 2450lbs without me in it, Plus the weignt of the roll bar when i get it welded in.

 

[TURBOKIDD90GST]

Thanks ihatedsm. Thats what i was looking for. As far as the gutted doors, I have power windows and remember seeing a thread about gutting doors with power but am unable to find it. Any ideas on what would be safe to cut. Dont have the money right now to convert to manual.

 

[SBstar]

As far as I can tell the weight difference between power/manual doors should be very minimal. The door structure appears to be the same and the motor/wiring for the power windows only weighs a couple lbs. at most. Perhaps 2-3lbs. per side is all I'm going to say for a difference. Gutting your doors will save you about 20lbs. per side if you do them similar to above. I however, would not suggest it without a cage as those beams were there for a reason if a side impact was to occur.

Do you daily drive the car silver bullit?

 

[turbosax2]

For those of you that removed the heat shield under the car near the cat, do you notice any extreme heat coming from the floor? Any problems with it?

 

[silver bullit]

As far as I can tell the weight difference between power/manual doors should be very minimal. The door structure appears to be the same and the motor/wiring for the power windows only weighs a couple lbs. at most. Perhaps 2-3lbs. per side is all I'm going to say for a difference. Gutting your doors will save you about 20lbs. per side if you do them similar to above. I however, would not suggest it without a cage as those beams were there for a reason if a side impact was to occur.

Do you daily drive the car silver bullit?

Yap till i can get the money to get a beater.

For those of you that removed the heat shield under the car near the cat, do you notice any extreme heat coming from the floor? Any problems with it?

it gets a little warm, but it should not burn your legs, that means you got exhaust leaks or you car is running way to rich or lean.

 

[SBstar]

Quick painless weight loss for you that want to daily drive still.

A/C 35lbs.
All seats 120lbs. Replace with some sort of lighter seat! Save yourself a large amount of weight.
Spare tire/jack/tools 37lbs.
Spare tire cover/ privacy cover/rear carpeting etc- 20 lbs.
Seat belts Front and rear assemblies replaced with harness - 45 lbs.
(again you will probably need a harness bar or rollbar but lets work with it for now)
Lightweight battery saved - 26 lbs. (use the smallest Oddysey battery, I now use it in my dd and it starts everytime even in the cold of winter)
Sound deadening 25lbs.
Fiberglass Or Carbon Fiber hood 11-13 lbs for hood versus 44lb. stocker (expect about the same for carbon fiber)
Lightweight rims, hard to say but the stockers are heavy! anywhere from 19-25lbs. depending on the style, I guarantee you can save 20lbs. on rims
Fog Lights 5lbs. Useless
Rear wiper assembly 5lbs. Also useless
1g exhaust ESTIMATED 40lbs. Almost any aftermarket exhaust is lighter.
1ga cruise control assembly 7lbs. I find myself never using cruise anyways
charcoal canister 3lbs.
Firewall brackets, Intake, air can, heat shields etc. 10lbs.
Remove the front and rear bumpers on track days 70lbs. (may also keep those bolts from rusting and breaking off next time you want to take the covers off)