How to shave weight on a 3S

[Falcon]

I had posted this on the "other" forum and figured I would share it here as well.

So, I started trimming some major fat on my 91 Stealth. This is a list of things that I have already done. Keep in mind though that some of the items will be replaced with lighter wieght aftermarket parts so of course you will be gaining some of the wieght back. Some of the things I have listed are pretty drastic.

Here it goes:

Airbag ~ 4 pounds

Diver Seat (57 pounds) swapped for Corbeau Forza Seat/bracket (29 pounds) ~ 28 pounds savings

Passenger Seat ~ 44 pounds

Rear seat with both back rests ~ 26 pounds

Complete AC system ~ 29 pounds

Rear wiper assem. and washer fluid reservoir(full) ~ 9 pounds

Complete Audio (double DIN head unit, speakers, power antenna) ~ 18 pounds

Complete interior minus the dash (headliner, all molding, door cards) ~ 38 pounds

Sound deadening material ~ 15 pounds (removed from bottom of trunk, directly under front seats and rear seats, rear wheel wells)

Empty Fuel Tank (33 pounds) swapped for 4 Gallon Fuel Cell (7 pounds) ~ 26 pounds savings

Entire Dash (minus the gauges) ~ 30 pounds

Blower (under the dash) ~ 6 pounds

AC Cooling Unit (under the dash) ~ 8 pounds

Heater Unit ~ 8 pounds

Rear Crash Bar ~ 38 pounds

Random Interior Junk (plastic, weather stripping, etc) ~ 28 pounds

Extra Floor Pans (at feet of front driver/passenger) ~ 11 pounds

Sail panels ~ 8 pounds

Sail panel windows (replaced with sheet metal) ~ 8 pounds

Weather stripping guides around doors ~ 4 pounds

Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel ~ 9 pounds (difference between this and stock flywheel)

Stripped Unused Wiring ~ 10 pounds (so far, still have two harnesses to go through)

Total Weight Savings ~ 405 pounds

Some of these items you may be asking if it is really worth it to remove...that my friend is up to you. For me, this will be a track only car and they are items that I will not need that together add up to a good amount of wieght.



One last good weight saving item....yourself! If you are 30 pounds over weight......which is the case for a lot of americans....do what it takes to lose that weight. Not only will you be helping with your car...but you will be healthier as well!!!

[Unknownvr4]

Austins car

/thread.

[Falcon]

Austins car

/thread.

Explain?

[Unknownvr4]

http://www.3sgto.org/showthread.php?528-It-s-been-done!-10.95-124.77-on-Stock-9b-s-Motor&highlight=austin%40stm

One of his multiple threads on his car

He has the first thread on stripping everything and weighing/replacing it around here somewheres. He also has a new thread of lightening the car even more right now

[Falcon]

My bad for the repost then. Figured I would share my leg work. On the "other" site I had originally posted this same thread in April of 09 since nobody had done it yet.

[skater334]

So far Matt Monet's Stealth is the lightest recorded weighing in at 2900 and some change.

[Caswell239]

subscribed for later veiwing

[Unknownvr4]

So far Matt Monet's Stealth is the lightest recorded weighing in at 2900 and some change.

No.

Apparently you havent been keeping up with the STM car and did not click the link i provided.
The STM stealth was @ "Weight- 2811 before the slicks which are about 60 pounds lighter" last season and will be going for 22XX this year.

[Falcon]

Well I looked for Austin's thread for shaving weight....couldn't find it. Unless it is burried in one of the replies to his build threads. Link? Thanks.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

Austins car

/thread.

This. If you've ever wondered if you could remove something to save weight, he's done it. :p

[Falcon]

Yeah.....I have been trying to find his thread listing what he has removed....but can't find it. Only thing I can find is his mulitple page build thread that has the occasional "part removed to shave weight". Does he have a list of what he has removed and how much it has shaved? Link? Thanks!

[DocHoliday]

What's the lowest weight you can bring a TT down to without making it an eyesore and giving up important things like A/C, etc?

[Austin@STM]

No.

Apparently you havent been keeping up with the STM car and did not click the link i provided.
The STM stealth was @ "Weight- 2811 before the slicks which are about 60 pounds lighter" last season and will be going for 22XX this year.

Last i weighed it, it was at 2760, but was lighter then that the last time at the track by a little bit. This year im only going for 25xx pounds, 22xx will be the year after when i no longer DD the car.

Falcon- This is a great post, i do not have one like this listing everything pulled and the weights, i just ripped a bunch of stuff out and weighed the car afterwards.

I didnt look through the hole list, but one thing to note is that there is nothing lighter than the stock steering wheel that i know of. All the aftermarket wheels are lighter but when you add in the hub adaptor they end up weighing more in the end.

-Austin@STM

[Kristopher]

What all have you done to lighten the unibodies frame?

[Falcon]

Last i weighed it, it was at 2760, but was lighter then that the last time at the track by a little bit. This year im only going for 25xx pounds, 22xx will be the year after when i no longer DD the car.

Falcon- This is a great post, i do not have one like this listing everything pulled and the weights, i just ripped a bunch of stuff out and weighed the car afterwards.

I didnt look through the hole list, but one thing to note is that there is nothing lighter than the stock steering wheel that i know of. All the aftermarket wheels are lighter but when you add in the hub adaptor they end up weighing more in the end.

-Austin@STM

Thanks Austin.....yeah I ended up stripping the airbag and controls off the stock steering wheel and will be keeping it. I would like to strip another 200 pounds off of her. Gonna be getting fg hood/hatch and lexan all the way around. That should shed significant weight. She won't be the lightest 3S, but with the combination of the shaved weight and fully supported 16gs on E85....she should be pretty quick.

[Falcon]

What's the lowest weight you can bring a TT down to without making it an eyesore and giving up important things like A/C, etc?

Well, really you can't do much then. FG hood and hatch will give you some savings. Aluminum or CF driveshaft. Light weight wheels maybe. Unfortunately most of the weight that you can shave is in things like the AC and the interior.

[11secondFWD]

If you look at his pics and see that absolutely nothing is left in the car you dont need a list. When mine was 2800lbs I used to tell everyone there is no list, just remove EVERYTHING not required for car to run. But austin has taken it to a new level. I never had CF parts or light rims, he does. He also has some lexan, has removed sheetmetal parts of unibody, ect. ALso, you need to remove abs, and all the other factory stuff that is a comfort and not necessary. Removing all the wiring and following all wiring back from the stuff you removed helps alot too.

I keep only a couple things. Heat, wipers, working windows, and a decent size fuel tank. That is all you need other than engine and drivetrain stuff.

[Falcon]

If you're concerned about weight then you've bought the wrong car. Better off to get an AWD Mirage and drop the V6 into it.

Steve

Isn't that like saying "if you wanted faster ETs then you should have gotten a sport bike"? I am betting there is almost nobody on this forum who wishes to leave their car as is. I have a lot of respect for the 3S platform but in no means is it perfect. There is no such thing as enough power, fast enough or light enough in my opinion.

[stealthee]

For once I agree with Steve. If you want a light car you bought the wrong car. A 3s was never meant to be a lightweight car. It was meant to be a cruiser.

[Falcon]

Then why ever modify it at all? It was never meant to have more horsepower either or to look any other way. It's a "tuner car" which means that almost nobody just leaves them alone. Shaving weight is just like adding an exhaust or deleting the EGR or going with an aftermarket intake. The 3S was never meant to have any of those things done to it. But, we do what we can to make it faster and to give it the look we want.

[SilverJester]

Well, really you can't do much then. FG hood and hatch will give you some savings. Aluminum or CF driveshaft. Light weight wheels maybe. Unfortunately most of the weight that you can shave is in things like the AC and the interior.

I've kept all my amenities so far and got the car down to 3380 (without fuel). Although I plan on getting rid of ABS and AWS soon because I don't really see the need for them, as well as some lighter seats. My car still has a full interior, stereo (with small sub even), and AC. I've got a thread with my mods if you're interested here. (http://www.3sgto.org/f2/weighed-my-car-today-797.html)


Isn't that like saying "if you wanted faster ETs then you should have gotten a sport bike"? I am betting there is almost nobody on this forum who wishes to leave their car as is. I have a lot of respect for the 3S platform but in no means is it perfect. There is no such thing as enough power, fast enough or light enough in my opinion.

Agreed!

[stealthee]

Then why ever modify it at all? It was never meant to have more horsepower either or to look any other way. It's a "tuner car" which means that almost nobody just leaves them alone. Shaving weight is just like adding an exhaust or deleting the EGR or going with an aftermarket intake. The 3S was never meant to have any of those things done to it. But, we do what we can to make it faster and to give it the look we want.

Theres a huge difference between adding power, and completely gutting a car.

[Falcon]

Theres a huge difference between adding power, and completely gutting a car.

How do you think so? It is just a matter of what YOUR priority is. The reason a person adds power is to make it faster, right? Well, shaving weight does the EXACT same thing. Sure, shaving weight doesn't decrease your ET as much as some power adders, but ripping out the interior is free. Also, gutting a car doesn't have ANY affect on reliability or longevity of the motor. To each his own on what their reason for having a 3S. But, to say that a 3S was never meant to be a light car.....tell that to Austin or Matt. People who have sacraficed look or comfort for their goal of speed.

[Sparty]

How do you think so? It is just a matter of what YOUR priority is. The reason a person adds power is to make it faster, right? Well, shaving weight does the EXACT same thing. Sure, shaving weight doesn't decrease your ET as much as some power adders, but ripping out the interior is free. Also, gutting a car doesn't have ANY affect on reliability or longevity of the motor. To each his own on what their reason for having a 3S. But, to say that a 3S was never meant to be a light car.....tell that to Austin or Matt. People who have sacraficed look or comfort for their goal of speed.

Yeah, but if that is your goal then I think you have picked the wrong platform. By taking off all of the high tech stuff that these cars (especially the VR4/TT models) came with is really changing the entire style of the car. It is one thing to add horse power to a car by increasing the boost or new turbos but to me, gutting the interior, removing the all whell steering... is a shame. I, for one, will neve understand the desire to make a 3S into a drag or track car. Not something I would do to a vehicle with a $40K original price tag in the early '90s.

[Austin@STM]

Well then you guys should keep your comments out of this thread, this is how to shave weight, not tell people they are stupid for doing it.

[IPD]

i wouldn't remove the crash bars on a DD. with a delete for ABS/AWS, FG hood, gt-7 wheels, coilovers, etc...you can probably shave a couple hundred off the car without even breaking a sweat. i'd be perfectly content with a car that weighed ~3600.

p.s.

austin has shaved so much from his engine bay that he could probably put the fuel cell up there....

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

Well then you guys should keep your comments out of this thread, this is how to shave weight, not tell people they are stupid for doing it.

yes please, let's fill the thread with useful information, instead of arguing. you can shave a ton of weight and it doesn't have to be noticeable if you don't want it to.

My best weight mod so far was switching to a 2G rear crashbar, it is amazing how much the 1G one weighs. With that and the spare tire, the rear wiper pump and tank, and a sub still in the back the rear end of the car lifted enough that I can't get my jack under the front anymore.

[Caswell239]

yes please, let's fill the thread with useful information, instead of arguing. you can shave a ton of weight and it doesn't have to be noticeable if you don't want it to.

My best weight mod so far was switching to a 2G rear crashbar, it is amazing how much the 1G one weighs. With that and the spare tire, the rear wiper pump and tank, and a sub still in the back the rear end of the car lifted enough that I can't get my jack under the front anymore.


... really? what would you guess is the weight difference?

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

... really? what would you guess is the weight difference?

It is over 20 lbs. Almost FREE weight savings, I got a 2G rear crashbar for $50 shipped. You will have a hard time beating $2.5 a pound for parts being replaced with something lighter.

I also have no AWS, the rear of the car should be getting pretty light.

[Caswell239]

nice... wonder what the difference between the 2g and the tubular crash bar would be...

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

nice... wonder what the difference between the 2g and the tubular crash bar would be...

I think they said about 5 lbs.

[IPD]

It is over 20 lbs. Almost FREE weight savings, I got a 2G rear crashbar for $50 shipped. You will have a hard time beating $2.5 a pound for parts being replaced with something lighter.

I also have no AWS, the rear of the car should be getting pretty light.

future project of mine. my 95 strangely came with the iron crashbar. it's rusted to high heaven.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

future project of mine. my 95 strangely came with the iron crashbar. it's rusted to high heaven.

might have been wrecked in the past and that was all they could find. Does it have chalk markings on it?

They would make an excellent boat anchor.

[IPD]

dunno, but there was nothing on the carfax when i bought it.

[stealthee]

Carfax is extremely ineffecient. The previous owner told me about a prior accident, well it was deer damage but insurance was involved and the airbags deployed, and it was not on my carfax. I also had a run in with a deer, insurance involved and a few weeks later ran off the road with insurance involved and not one of those instances show on my carfax.

[Falcon]

Shaved another 39 pounds....getting close to my goal of 500....without using fiberglass or lexan yet!

[Austin@STM]

Shaved another 39 pounds....getting close to my goal of 500....without using fiberglass or lexan yet!

What did you pull?

Have you takin anything out of the interior yet under the dash or center counsole, theres some good stuff hidden in there, under the carpet also.

[Falcon]

To shave the 39 pounds I got rid of all of the weather stripping, random plastic in the interior and the "extra" floor pans in front of the driver/passenger. I have already stripped the entire dash and everything underneath it. Shaved 407 so far. I am going to start getting rid of all of the now useless brackets inside. (behind the dash, speaker mounts, etc.) The first post has a complete list of what I have done.

[Falcon]

This may be a dumb question, but I have searched everywhere! I have been looking for the curb weight for a 91 Stealth RT/TT but all I can find is a range of 3100-3800. I know that the models (3000gt vs Stealth) and trim packages (ES, RT, Etc) and the years are all different in weight, so how do I know what the stock curb weight should have been? The reason I ask is so when I get the Stealth all put back together with the roll cage, I would like to know how much (if any) lighter I am. Thanks!

[Austin@STM]

Not positive on a 91, the only number i have seen first hand is a customers 97 3000gt VR4 we are doing some weight reduction, and bolt ons with. I weighed it first thing with under half tank of gas, and 100% stock air box and all and it was 3739lbs.

1st gens are different for sure but i dont know how much exactly, i never got a full weight on my 92 as it already had a cat-back, intake, and all emissions solenoids and hoses pulled out, as well as a lightweight flywheel.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1120.snc4/148200_1712889870363_1481643354_31805607_7251653_n .jpg

[Falcon]

Yeah....I wonder why the curb weight for the different years/models is such a secret? I have heard the 1st gen stealth rt/tt with all upgrades (leather, ECS, etc) minus the sunroof is about 3300. That is a huge difference compared to the VR4. Oh well, I will just shave as much weight as I can (within my ability of doing so in my one car garage) and see what she ends up at. Once the car is complete, including roll cage, I will be happy with 3300 with full tank of E85 and me in it, race ready. Right now I am pulling the rear/side windows. (between the b and c pillars) and sail panel around them. Got one side out so far, good for 8 pounds for that one side. Once I get them out, I am going to just sheetmetal or fiberglass (whichever ends up lighter) the whole area so it looks like it was never there and smooths out the body lines a little.

[lawdogg]

Not positive on a 91, the only number i have seen first hand is a customers 97 3000gt VR4 we are doing some weight reduction, and bolt ons with. I weighed it first thing with under half tank of gas, and 100% stock air box and all and it was 3739lbs.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1120.snc4/148200_1712889870363_1481643354_31805607_7251653_n .jpg

Here's my 94 VR-4 with some weight reduction (coilovers, rims, gutted rear interior) but nothing serious for comparison:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/lawdoggvr4/3000GT/VR-4Weight.jpg

Goes to show how easy it is to lighten the back, but things like relocating the battery and running a light hood are important to get the weight off the front. I'd almost even hesitate to run a lexan rear window for that reason ...

[Falcon]

Another 20 pounds gone.

[Certifried]

Thanks for this, it's very interesting. What are some things that can be removed for people who would like to keep the car mostly stock? e.g. I'd like to keep a radio, heater, A/C, the "comforts" (oh, and my 30lbs of overweight on my body LOL).

[Falcon]

Thanks for this, it's very interesting. What are some things that can be removed for people who would like to keep the car mostly stock? e.g. I'd like to keep a radio, heater, A/C, the "comforts" (oh, and my 30lbs of overweight on my body LOL).

Well, there are a lot of options for you but unfortunately most of them cost a lot of money. You can shave a ton of weight with:

Fiberglass/carbon fiber hood and hatch
Lexan in place of windows (wouldn't do the front)
Carbon fiber/aluminum driveshaft
Lightweight wheels
Single exit exhaust
Lightweight front and year crash bars

Free weight savings:
You could remove your passenger seat (about 40 pounds)
Scrape out the sound deadening material under the carpet
Take out spare tire and jack

Generally with shaving weight there are two things that will happen.....you will spend a lot of money and you will sacrafice some of your comforts.

[GTOJOE]

Yeah....I wonder why the curb weight for the different years/models is such a secret? I have heard the 1st gen stealth rt/tt with all upgrades (leather, ECS, etc) minus the sunroof is about 3300. That is a huge difference compared to the VR4. Oh well, I will just shave as much weight as I can (within my ability of doing so in my one car garage) and see what she ends up at. Once the car is complete, including roll cage, I will be happy with 3300 with full tank of E85 and me in it, race ready. Right now I am pulling the rear/side windows. (between the b and c pillars) and sail panel around them. Got one side out so far, good for 8 pounds for that one side. Once I get them out, I am going to just sheetmetal or fiberglass (whichever ends up lighter) the whole area so it looks like it was never there and smooths out the body lines a little.

Weights in KG for JDM cars. Keep in mind all JDM are AWD even the autos.

Translation result for http://z1516club.fc2web.com/GTO-GOODS.html (http://au.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fz1516club.fc2web.com%2FGTO-GOODS.html&lp=ja_en&btnTrUrl=Translate)

click on catalog

[Falcon]

Weights in KG for JDM cars. Keep in mind all JDM are AWD even the autos.

Translation result for http://z1516club.fc2web.com/GTO-GOODS.html (http://au.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fz1516club.fc2web.com%2FGTO-GOODS.html&lp=ja_en&btnTrUrl=Translate)

click on catalog

Thanks! I am assuming that is curb weight? (with full tank of gas)

[GTOJOE]

I assume so but can't confirm. I emailed this site to try to get high res copies of some of the pics but have not got a reply yet.

[Caswell239]

i weighed my car this past summer out at the scales and it was stock except for rims exhaust and suspension and vac reduction and she rang in at 1740 kg so X 2.2 3828 pounds - my skinny ass at 150 and the shit in the back it was about = 3650

[Unknownvr4]

Ive been thinking

If you want to save weight but want to keep a/c you can swap out your auto/digital system and wires for the knob style system.. may not be much though

[FluffyCow]

Ive been thinking

If you want to save weight but want to keep a/c you can swap out your auto/digital system and wires for the knob style system.. may not be much though

I'd figure most of the weight in the AC system is the compressor and associated lines and components(To the condenser coil, to the blower coil, etc)...Switching to the analog controls won't net much of a reduction, if at all...

[Unknownvr4]

I'd figure most of the weight in the AC system is the compressor and associated lines and components(To the condenser coil, to the blower coil, etc)...Switching to the analog controls won't net much of a reduction, if at all...

Doesnt it have a small control unit?

[Falcon]

Doesnt it have a small control unit?

Yes, it has an auto air control unit but that weighs less than a pound. With the associated wiring, control unit and consol control, my guess would be less than 5 pounds difference. Even the under dash components related to AC doesn't weigh that much. Most the weight in AC is the components in the engine bay. The real advantage is the resistance you free up from the compressor. I personally wouldn't ditch the AC or even change it to the knob style if you plan to daily drive your car. Only reason I did it is because my car is a track only car. Not even street legal, going to be trailered to and from the track.

[Falcon]

This is off topic.....but I looked all over for the answer. What does the stars mean next to the post title? Thanks!

[Falcon]

Updated today with a few new items and with ACTUAL weight savings. (updated weight of replaced items.) I am guessing there is another 10-15 pounds of wiring in there. Plus still have some brackets to remove and haven't weighed the brackets I already have removed. I also haven't yet weighed all the nuts/bolts/screws that I have removed. Probably another 15 pounds in brackets and about 10 pounds in screws and such. One thing to note, I didn't weigh the stock exhaust from the DP back before I got rid of it. If someone has that weight, that would be great! I will be going DP only on the car. I am guessing I should be able to see a good 500 pounds of actual weight savings. Not to mention I will be getting a fiberglass hood/hatch and lexan for the rear and two side windows. Only downside to my build will be the added weight of the cage and the extra weight from aftermarket parts. (FMIC, larger turbos, etc.)

[Austin@STM]

If its going to be a track only car then you should easily pull out at least 50 pounds of wiring/loom/tape/ and electronics. When i was stripping my harness last year i still had power seat, all lights, wipers, heater and fan (digital unit), all stock guages, and still pulled out just over 40 pounds. This year i pulled out door sensors, fuel pump/fuel level wiring, power seat, and a bunch of other various wires and already have another 6 pounds.

This thing is packed full of wires just from my harness. If you are getting rid of the power windows to, i would suggest pulling out the entire door harness, and tracing those wires all the way back.

http://l29.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-ash1/hs441.ash1/24329_1407772442618_1481643354_31069178_6763468_n. jpg

Also be sure to post the weight of the rear lexan and side lexan when you get it, when i bought the rear one i was so excited to have it i just started cutting it and mounting it and forgot to weigh it, so i have no idea what it did for me.

[Falcon]

If its going to be a track only car then you should easily pull out at least 50 pounds of wiring/loom/tape/ and electronics. When i was stripping my harness last year i still had power seat, all lights, wipers, heater and fan (digital unit), all stock guages, and still pulled out just over 40 pounds. This year i pulled out door sensors, fuel pump/fuel level wiring, power seat, and a bunch of other various wires and already have another 6 pounds.

This thing is packed full of wires just from my harness. If you are getting rid of the power windows to, i would suggest pulling out the entire door harness, and tracing those wires all the way back.

http://l29.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-ash1/hs441.ash1/24329_1407772442618_1481643354_31069178_6763468_n. jpg

Also be sure to post the weight of the rear lexan and side lexan when you get it, when i bought the rear one i was so excited to have it i just started cutting it and mounting it and forgot to weigh it, so i have no idea what it did for me.

Thanks Austin. Yeah, I have been going through my wiring. Even with the FSM, it has gotten kind of confusing on which plug is which. I just can't believe how much wiring runs throughout the car. I had taken a break from the wiring yesterday to work on the motor....but think I will get back to it tonight. I will make sure to get a weight for the lexan.

[Marsmik]

how much weight save the ac delete? compressor+bracket+all unnecessary parts?

[Falcon]

I haven't added them all together but everything that I have weighed so far is in the first post.

[Austin@STM]

If you dont already have a small battery, check this out.

http://www.3sgto.org/f2/new-stm-small-battery-kit-save-some-weight-clear-some-space-look-good-doing-3147.html#post56548

-Austin@STM

[Falcon]

If you dont already have a small battery, check this out.

http://www.3sgto.org/f2/new-stm-small-battery-kit-save-some-weight-clear-some-space-look-good-doing-3147.html#post56548

-Austin@STM

I assume it comes with the tray? Any word on pricing yet? Thanks Austin!