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.

 

[stephenz]

check with brake man they have some pretty light brake setups there.

stephen.

 

[2gGSX]

No, you can NOT gain true horsepower through weight reductions. the only power you get from weight reductions are the ones in the rotating mass of the motor itself. If you can show me a dyno chart where someone truly benifited from weight reduction, show me please, b/c i dont think it exists.

As they mentioned above i just realized, less unsprung weight will increase the dyno reading, although this is very much like reducing rotating mass of the motor itself.

Most aftermarket brake systems (rotors/calipers) will be lighter than the OEM ones. For strict drag racing, look into a smaller (consequently lighter) rim with a huge sidewall.

 

[BoredOutaMyMind]

you could go all hard core and remove power steering, power brakes, tho that probably wouldnt be a good idea ...

 

[drk mrk iv]

What about reducing parasitic loss? Then again that and AWD really don't belong in the same sentence.

 

[leet]

What about reducing parasitic loss? Then again that and AWD really don't belong in the same sentence.

There are 2 piece CF driveshafts out there. Don't even think about trying to go 1 piece though.

 

[leakyfaucet]

I've also heard that switching from a floating caliper set up to a fixed caliper set up is lighter as well.

Anyone who switches brake calipers because of their weight needs to have their head examined.

If this is to be a track-only car, you could always pull off the exhaust.

 

[TURBOSOK]

Pull off exhaust or make it smaller wiegh less or whatever its all going to add up to enhanced performance period. Its the little things that count and how numerous they are.
Removing the big things is easy. like bumper supports and such. As earlier concentrate your true efforts on the harder things like rotating mass., the rest will come like a cool breeze.
Light wieght wheels brakes engine components are worth alot more than thier value in wieght because they are spinning. With less inertial mass, spinning comes easier. removing only 8 lbs. on a flywheel is like removing 50+ lbs.or more off a vehicle. It also may free up a fraction of horsepower. Do any of you forget what hp is a measure of? TORQUE. torque is how much power the engine makes. HP is how fast it cycles that reading thus multiplying it. So does it cause dynos to read up falsley NO! The engine is able to cycle more torque at a greater rated speed thus horsepower INCREASES. HP is not a mystical being that releases energy when called upon! It is an equation.

 

[JDMFirstGen]

Last night I went to cosi in columbus and weighed my car on their car scale. With me out and a full tank of gas, it weighed 2950lbs. I have the back gutted, which was 115lbs when I weighed it. I think I can get another 300 lbs out...
plexiglass sunroof
no tarmat/sound deadening
remove all of the A/C system
17lb rims
carbonfiber hood(painted to match car)
Dry cell battery relocated to back
Roll cage with harnesses to eliminate electro seatbelts (cage will add 50-75lbs)
Stock tape deck + CD player + amplifyer replaced with single aftermarket deck
remove rear wiper + wiper squirters

I think this loss in weight plus the rigidity gained by the cage will make a substantial handleing improvement. So am I crazy or should I go through with it? It is a daily driver.
I will keep weighing it along the way and keep you guys posted.

 

[Turbo Shogun]

Sounds good. I was thinking of doing all that myself (save the A/C) sometime next spring. But yeah, keep us posted. I'm sure this thread will catch on, as most of us want to put our DSM's on a diet.

 

[JDMFirstGen]

Thanks, I also have an ACT flywheel that weighs 11.5lbs, not sure what stock is but it felt like 20+.
Can you guys think of any other lightweight mods OK for a daily driver?

 

[logic]

Cool. Our '92 Laser RS AWD weighs in at about 3000 lbs even with the rear tire, tools, driver, and carpeting/boards in the rear out of it (but otherwise full interior). We've also switched over to 17lbs 17" rims with lower-profile and lighter tires, Fidanza flywheel, and a Canadian manual seatbelt conversion. Don't underestimate the weight of those autostrangulators; the motors and control module all add up to quite a bit of weight, even after you add the manual retractors into the mix. The 2600 didn't feel any lighter than stock, but that's in there too, if it makes a difference.

Simple stuff, but it knocked a few pounds off. That said, I think Atkins has provided better gains, overall.

 

[HighPsi92GST]

i cant wait to get my tsi done and weigh it. iv done quite a bit of removing...but then again added quite a bit onto it. hoping that im a bit lighter then stock.

i have it good though, i work at a quarry so i can weigh my car any time i want

 

[evotuner]

Thanks, I also have an ACT flywheel that weighs 11.5lbs, not sure what stock is but it felt like 20+.
Can you guys think of any other lightweight mods OK for a daily driver?

Carbon fiber hood (if you think it's ricey, get it painted!) rear bumper support from Dejontool.com. On wheels and tires, I went to 16x7 Rota Slipstreams (13.5 lbs/wheel) and 225/50/16 tires, and lost 6 1/2 lbs per wheel/tire. I could definately tell a difference with acceleration and traction!

 

[RadioactiveAWD]

Corbeau makes some very light seats. 14.5 lbs for the Pro Sport, but it's fixed back. I think the lightest reclining seat weighs 25 lbs.

and he already mentioned a CF hood

 

[jtmcinder]

I think the lightest reclining seat weighs 25 lbs.

A lot of people on this list say "I know" when they are actually wrong. You, on the other hand, say "I think" when you are exactly correct: the lightest reclining racing seats by Corbeau (A4s and GT7s) do weigh 25#.

Thanks.

- Jtoby

 

[n0va91TSI]

actaully for the guy who says john shepard has full interior is wrong. ive seen his car a few times up close and it has the whole back interior ripped out and it has one 12lbs racing seat. although he has the full dash and full glass (no lexan) and all the body is stock except for the CF hood. i think he also gutted the headlights and bumpers out if i remember right.

 

[saw wave analog]

removing the back seats on a 2g street car seems pretty pointless to me considering the whole assembly cant weigh more than 15 pounds or so. its just peices of foam with a couple mounting brackets. it takes about 5 minutes to take them out and put them back in so i take it all out for the track, but id rather be able to carry extra people around then pretend i am faster for not having them back there all the trim in the hatch is a different story though, i saved 40-50 lbs taking all that crap out. the car is much noiser because of it but it doesnt bother me too much.

 

[ECLIPSE90DSM]

Ok just a FYI...If you plan on taking the tar out from under your carpet. Better do it on a semi warm day and have plenty of time on your hands. Because this is a job.. Ive done it on two DSMs and each took all day. Ie: as you scrap throw it in a plastic bag. That way when you are done you can weigh all your hard work. Also the balance shaft removal correct me if Im worng will remove like 5 lbs of rotating weight there.

Dry Ice works wonders for the tar under the carpet... Ive tried with and without and dry ice is the way to go, but is a pain so plan on quite a few hours.....

 

[x camaro owner]

i got another one besides aluminum door panels,


get a bowflex and a treadmill

 

[flyinhawaiin]

i got another one besides aluminum door panels,


get a bowflex and a treadmill

bowflexes add muscle which weighs mor than fat get the tradmill and become anarexic. that should do the trick . no but besides that it sounds good man im lookin forward to reading more keep us posted

 

[JDMFirstGen]

I pulled the carpet and the sound-deadening underneath it. I cut the rubber sound-deadening off the firewall. and I took a heat gun and stripped all the tar mat.
The tar mat was 15lbs, dissapointing since it took like 3 hours to get off.
The rubber was 5lbs
The insulation stuck to the carpet was 8lbs
And the carpet was like 5 but I'm puting it back in after I clean it real good.
When I put the carpet back in I will weigh one of the seats to see if buckets are worth-while.

I will keep you guys informed,
Sean

 

[GSXpress]

Piss and take a crap. Might be able to lose another pound. :laugh:

 

[Blizz92tsi]

These aren't going to be easy, but get rid of your balance shafts, and power steering. I had my balance shafts taken out with my last timing belt change, and those things are heavy! I haven't weighed them, but its noticeable when reving the car. Replace your power steering with manual steering. These will get rid of weight inside your motor, and get rid of how many belts the engine is turning. Another added benefit of getting rid of your a/c (which you've done) and your power steering is the engine bay looks a little less cluttered.

Replacing your brakes with upgraded units can sometimes yield a weight loss. The stock brakes are really heavy. The aftermarket brakes will work much better and weigh the same if not less than your stockers.

Getting rid of all emissions related stuff is another way to loose a couple of pounds (if you aren't tested in your area). This will also clean up the look of your engine bay.

 

[1fast97gsx]

um yea ... even removing 200 lbs won't give you a noticeable gain in power. Just leave all your stuff alone and buy a performance part.

 

[evotuner]

um yea ... even removing 200 lbs won't give you a noticeable gain in power. Just leave all your stuff alone and buy a performance part.

I guarantee if you remove 200 lbs. from a vehicle, you WILL notice. Should gain you 2 tenths in the 1/4.