Getting carried away with weight loss

[NightSpirit]

Doubt anyone will find this interesting...lol

Got the car corner weighed last week at a rather slim 811kg fully wet. But that's not good enough for me...so I'm looking at more lightness.

What do your EP82s weigh? and what have you done?

And what else can I remove from the FRONT of the car, so anywhere infront of the rear wheels (the further forward the better). Trying to improve the dynamic index of 0.56 which is a little bit too direct on the edge.

My immediate thoughts are:

glovebox and support rail,

clock,

under dash cover drivers side,

sillplate plastic covers (in the footwell) both sides,

firewall,

carbon mirrors,

sound deadening.

Without spending money on polycarbonate glass, or buying frp wings/doors..I think that's about it??

[Guest Enzo]

this is interesting, that pretty light man

you could save shitloads of weight by fabricating a custom loom but it would be a total nightmare to impliment man

[Guest Enzo]

also you could do alot with the doors,

OK heres a few updated pics of what Ive been doing with weight saving. I was going to write a DIY but if you need more info then just pm me.

A full door

Inner metal, side intrusion bar, glass, winding mechanisms/motor all removed

Quick coat of paint

Both doors cut out smooted and badly painted. Mirrors removed and plastic covers made for the holes.

[NightSpirit]

Now that's a great idea on the doors...

how would I keep the glass/polycarb up without any insides? also I'd need the drivers side mechanism for the window at the moment (passenger side is bolted shut) as ultimately I'd have polycarb with a slider vent.

That's a very good idea though ideally I'd want the car down to the low 700s or 600s (a seemingly impossible task). But for now, cracking the 7s would be a good start. If I lose say 10kg from the front, I could lose 2kg from the rear (guess) which would still improve that dynamic index but also save weight. The boot lid weighs a tonne

Might ditch the bootlid pistons aswell, already ditched the rear wiper.

[gaz]

Surely some tyres a lighter than others, and really light alloys will make a difference., you could trim out some of the bumper from behind which people cant see, a bit like those doors. I assume the carpets gone mate?

[NightSpirit]

Basically...what I've done to date:

all carpet,

rear seats,

all plastic,

roof lining,

ac,

full heater and all vents,

clock,

carbon bonnet,

enkei race ep-01s,

single carbon seat and 5 point,

pic does better I think lol.

bumper is modified too!!

[Ryno]

really don't like that door idea without any sort of side impact bar, your better off taking off the doors and using a roll or tin foil to protect you!

you not thought of fabricating some sort of bar to give it some strength while saving on weight?

[Guest Enzo]

its taken from harrys thred have a look

gutting doors and boot

[NightSpirit]

I'm with Ryno on the safety front...side impact like that on the drivers side and it's game over...

[Ryno]

aahhhh 'Race Doors'

maybe if your using a full cage, but in genral for everyday use on our roads it's a very bad idea!

[SiCaln]

hmm bit dodgy on the doors, but the others are good ideas

[NightSpirit]

I sadly, only have a 7 point cage

now a 10 point cage would allow the door stripping, but would add weight anyway and negate the mod.

[Simon]

Rip the dash out cable tie the speedo cluster to the bar that runs behind the dash i wouldn't remove that as you will prob remove some strength from the shell.

[Idrees]

You nutter! How can you cope with the car like that?!

[NightSpirit]

sounds like fun that does...only thing is I need the centre panel/stereo area so I can mount the switches for the lights/fans/ign starter button and boost control etc...

I did remove all the fire guard/sound matting from the front bulkhead the other day, saved 2.3kg on its own, then the glovebox, clock, under dash and side pieces shaved another 2kg off there so it all helps!

[Fogdoggydog]

Get a weather balloon, put it in the car, and fill it with helium.

Your car will be floaty light, but handling may suffer!

You could get rid of the power steering? Which would also give you more 'feel' when you get it on the track.

[gaz]

You could change the glass to that lighter stuff.

[Nick_p]

Glad to see im not the only person who likes weight saving as well.

Good job on the weight saving Nightspirit and Enzo, cars always look better stripped. love the Rally slag look

Heres a couple pics of mine, will prob take the carpet out and door cards off next.

And a big pile of trims from my starlet and my mates gt4

One of the best mods and best of all its Free!!

[NightSpirit]

Well apart from polycarbonate glass, carbon doors, frp wings...boot lid etc...there's not much else to do I think?

I have a lighter clutch and flywheel to go in (2 in fact, will sell one at some point) an OSGilken twin plate monster...also I will remove the sound deadening, fit carbon mirrors, remove the binacle surround...and when I ever get round to polycarb glass on the front (with f40 vents) I'll ditch the arm rest etc too. So that's all going to help.

I think ditching the PAS would be a good idea, anyone done this? Also has anyone else removed the dash and made an ally replacement? like urigella I love bending metal.

[SiCaln]

first dibs on your armrest please

[NightSpirit]

LOL!

You're like a cleptomaniac vulture Si...

[SiCaln]

true true - so can i have it?!

[NightSpirit]

Yes mate...

Now back on topic, what's involved in removing the PAS then? just a pump and lines is it?

by the way removing sound deadening is a PAIN IN THE ARSE

[SiCaln]

thats it Si keep pushing lol

when and how much?!

[riko666]

Finally a person with the right priorities - just a disclaimer on the Polycarbonate windows, they're are listed as "Race use" for a reason, being that their heat expansion rate is vastly different to that of glass, and it will actually expand to the point of leaving huge gaps between panels when the weather is hot. Granted, it's not so much of an issue here in the UK, but if you consider the difference in temperature from January to June/July, you can envision some problems cropping up.

Now, you having a GT will be denied from the Fiberglass Doors/wings/hatch and Polycarbonate windows that Cruise makes. If you haven't removed them already, A/C and Powersteering (remove the pump and lines, block off the holes), convert your electric windows & mirrors to manual, drill holes in both bumper crash structures, remove door bars, remove all interior trim, remove passenger airbag & airbag ecu, remove center console. Ultimately, if you have lots of money, the best weight to lose is unsprung weight, so try get alloy control arms and suspension components made up, multi-piece brake discs with alloy mounting hats and monobloc alloy calipers, get a lighter racing battery and if you're loaded you can get a carbon fibre roof made up (though note that it will decrease structural rigidity of the car as you can only bond & rivet it to the car's structure), lightweight seats, remove redundant engine accessories like the evaporative charcoal canister etc...

That's just off the top of my head