YACT: So how much weight do casual car modders really shave?

[SnipeMasterJ13]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
I saw these awesome hood pins in HI last summer.

Lol.....sad.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: CraigRT
20 lbs at the most... only if they buy quality rims like Rota's.

Uh, Rotas aren't exactly "quality" wheels. Not that they're unsafe (I run Tarmacs myself), but there's obivously better wheels out there. They're cheap knockoffs that look good. and are relatively light.

Oddly enough OZ wheels are heavy as hell. I think a 17" OZ wheel (I forget the exact one) weighs in about 25 pounds or so. My Rota 17" is about 17 lbs. Big difference for a wheel.

EDIT: Besides, 100lbs = .1 in the 1/4 mile😉 Everyone knows this🙂😛

Rotas are great wheels for lightweight, something like a Slipstream 15" is like 11lbs or something silly... that is freaking light.
my friend has 18" Superallegra's (OZ) and they are absolute pigs.

I like Rotas myself. My Grids weigh about the same as the Volk TE-37's they are knock-offs of for about 1/4 the price. And they appear to be very strong too, as they are holding up very well. I'm impressed.

But yeah, most modders just go for bling, not actual performance. When I look at most ricer's cars and talk with them about their mods, I usually end up just shaking my head and walk away. I mean, it's just not wise to run an MBC (manual boost controller) at 19psi without some kind of upgraded engine management...

my 4x4 has wheels that weigh 12.5 lbs each...yum forged goodness

I'm waiting for these:

Autovelocity Carbon Fiber Wheels. 8lbs for 18 x 10.5"

The titanium ones will be 5.5lbs or so in this size. 🙂

 

[NutBucket]

Man, there's no way I'd have those on a daily driver. One pothole and you're done!

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: CraigRT
20 lbs at the most... only if they buy quality rims like Rota's.

Uh, Rotas aren't exactly "quality" wheels. Not that they're unsafe (I run Tarmacs myself), but there's obivously better wheels out there. They're cheap knockoffs that look good. and are relatively light.

Oddly enough OZ wheels are heavy as hell. I think a 17" OZ wheel (I forget the exact one) weighs in about 25 pounds or so. My Rota 17" is about 17 lbs. Big difference for a wheel.

EDIT: Besides, 100lbs = .1 in the 1/4 mile😉 Everyone knows this🙂😛

Rotas are great wheels for lightweight, something like a Slipstream 15" is like 11lbs or something silly... that is freaking light.
my friend has 18" Superallegra's (OZ) and they are absolute pigs.

I like Rotas myself. My Grids weigh about the same as the Volk TE-37's they are knock-offs of for about 1/4 the price. And they appear to be very strong too, as they are holding up very well. I'm impressed.

But yeah, most modders just go for bling, not actual performance. When I look at most ricer's cars and talk with them about their mods, I usually end up just shaking my head and walk away. I mean, it's just not wise to run an MBC (manual boost controller) at 19psi without some kind of upgraded engine management...

my 4x4 has wheels that weigh 12.5 lbs each...yum forged goodness

I'm waiting for these:

Autovelocity Carbon Fiber Wheels. 8lbs for 18 x 10.5"

The titanium ones will be 5.5lbs or so in this size. 🙂

Uh...you're really gonna pay $12,000 for a set of wheels?

 

[cavemanmoron]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Zero, when you consider they have to add the 6 12" subwoofers and about 81 layers of neon green paint to the inside trim.

HAhahaha
yeah stereo equipment increases horespower;and fuel economy!

 

[Schadenfreude]

Ask anyone who has ever drag raced Mom's Accord and you'll learn our next trick. A stripped interior not only saves 273 lbs, it also lets everyone know you're serious. Many amateur drag racers stop at simply removing the passenger's seat and spare tire, but we remove everything: headliner, sunroof, carpet, dashboard, six-disc in-dash CD changer. For expediency, we leave the tar paper stuck to the floorboards, but Mr. To Race will find another 15 lbs of weight savings if he takes the time to chisel it off. As an added bonus, we also remove the antenna to reduce aerodynamic drag. The mods are good for another 0.5-second improvement.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Jehovah

Ask anyone who has ever drag raced Mom's Accord and you'll learn our next trick. A stripped interior not only saves 273 lbs, it also lets everyone know you're serious. Many amateur drag racers stop at simply removing the passenger's seat and spare tire, but we remove everything: headliner, sunroof, carpet, dashboard, six-disc in-dash CD changer. For expediency, we leave the tar paper stuck to the floorboards, but Mr. To Race will find another 15 lbs of weight savings if he takes the time to chisel it off. As an added bonus, we also remove the antenna to reduce aerodynamic drag. The mods are good for another 0.5-second improvement.

Heh heh...no passenger's seat, and no carpet anywhere is hardly casual 🙂

 

[Stumps]

I reckon that I didn't change the wieght of my 1400kg falcon when I change from an Alloy Head 4.1 Litre six to a Cast iron 5.8litre V8.
I ditched the whole air conditioning system and Powersteering, as well as lightened up the drivetrain by ditching the heavy BW auto for a lighter Toploader 4speed.
Since I used alloy inlet manifold,waterpump and lighter extractors over the standard cast iron manifold, I probably save a bit of wieght there too.
All up the adition of the V8 and a full roll cage probably didn't affect anything, the cars handling hasn't changed a great deal, except when under heavy throttle while cornering can get a bit trick(read DRIFTY), but all in all the package is a much better on than before..the power to wieght ratio is over double what it was from 230hp/1400kg to 480hp/1400kg..pretty good I reckon

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Adding HP is always cheaper than shaving weight. Of course doing both is preferred.

I dropped 130lbs from my last car but that was just to get it to stock weight after an engine swap. Not a casual mod I guess.

 

[notfred]

My modified mustang probably weighed withtin 20lbs of its original weight when I was done with it.

 

[V00DOO]

Originally posted by: AMDZen
Carbon Fiber hoods aren't there simply to cut weight. You know, some people like the way they look too.

I think CF Hood looks fugly. I don't understand why people put them on. I know one guy who painted his hood black with his blue car.

 

[essasin]

Most people with carbon fiber parts, and lighter alloy wheels are doing it for looks. People who are really looking for weight reduction gut the interior and panels, rip out the ac, and add weight ro where it needed in the car.

 

[amcdonald]

Wouldn't gutting the rear weight of a FW drive car mess up the handling substantially?

And am I wrong to think that dropping 50lbs off the trunk of an STI would hurt it's handling?

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman

Originally posted by: Apex
I'm waiting for these:

Autovelocity Carbon Fiber Wheels. 8lbs for 18 x 10.5"

The titanium ones will be 5.5lbs or so in this size. 🙂

Uh...you're really gonna pay $12,000 for a set of wheels?

Well, the magnesium/CF ones (8 lbs) are $1300-1500 each right now, and the prices are falling. Still costly though.

So far I've only been able to drop this weight:

Sprung:

Stock Optima Group 34 RedTop Battery (38 lbs) to Hawker Odyssey PC680MJT Battery (16 lbs) = 22 lbs savings

Rotating:

Stock flywheel (18.2 lbs) to Fidanza aluminum flywheel (9 lbs) = 9.2 lbs savings

Changing to those Titanium/CF wheels would save 94 lbs worth of rotating unsprung weight. Changing from GRP composite front & rear clamshells to carbon fiber would probably save another 100 lbs.