'08 Weight Reduction

[caseyse]

I'm doing a few performance mods this month on my '08, with a secondary goal of removing a few pounds from the car. The following weight reduction has been relatively easy as byproduct of my upgrades, but I see further weight reductions being much more difficult to realize unless I touch areas that would impact my comfort (e.g., radio, seats).

Here's what I'm doing, and my weight savings. Does anybody have ideas on further hidden reductions, and yes, I've shaved a few pounds off myself to help the equation. I would love to see the car under 3,300 Lbs.

2” Driver's Seat – Net 14;
Pilot Cups (295/345) 4;
Belanger Full Exhaust 18.5;
Sidewinder Wheels 34;
StopTech Rotors 28;
Penske Shocks/Springs – (est) 16;
1” Pass Seat – Net (est) 8;

Unsprung Weight Reduction 82;
Total Weight Reduction 122.5;
Curb Weight 3317.5;
P-W Ratio 1:5.1

 

[Boxer12]

Nanolithium battery will save about 45 lbs.

 

[Vipermann]

I've always wondered what an aluminum radiator saves in weight (in addition to better cooling).

 

[Grant]

Thanks for the info; I'm already planning out some weight reduction on the '08 I have a deposit on.

You could always get a lightweight battery, which is usually an easy way to save 20-30 lbs. Underhood insulation can go, and SRT reported an increase in front downforce with the hood vent screens removed (although the hood stuff is probably a ~2 lb savings).

Do '08s have an AIR or EGR system? Those can go.

The 2" driver seat drop saves 14 lbs? I take it the sliders are totally eliminated? Those are some heavy rails! Did you weigh everything yourself? I think I'd go for the full 2" drop on the passenger seat - what does the passenger need to adjust his seat for anyway?

 

[wallbanger]

anyone used one of those nanolithium gizmos

 

[caseyse]

The 2" driver seat drop saves 14 lbs? I take it the sliders are totally eliminated? Those are some heavy rails! Did you weigh everything yourself? I think I'd go for the full 2" drop on the passenger seat - what does the passenger need to adjust his seat for anyway?

The OEM seat rails weigh-in at 18 Lbs, but with the added hardware that came with my 2" kit, the net reduction was about 14 lbs. Since the amplifier sits under the passenger seat, the 2" lowering kit isn't going to work for me; however, Northwind Engineering's 1" kit has aluminum rails, so it would offer some weight reduction. I don't need the passenger seat to move fore/aft, so I'll find a 1" solution that removes the rails to give me 10+ pounds savings. The other weights in my list have been reported from the respective vendors, except for the triple adj. Penskes/rear brackets and aftermarket springs, which is just a WAG, until EMI completes and ships them, hopefully this week.

The battery and under hood insulation (hearing more motor is a plus) are great, getting me below 3,300 lbs.!!!!

 

[Viper X]

Hey Sean,

You can save some additional weight by going to 18's all around. SSR Comps and Hoosiers (VRL spec are the lightest) will save you quite a bit of weight over the PS Cups and Sidewinders. They will also allow you to lower your center of gravity and final gear ratio due to being shorter, which will help on some tracks (Buttonwillow comes to mind).

You can remove the hood pad and the trunk carpet too. The seats are also heavy / sturdy in our cars. A good kevlar seat will save you quite a bit. I went with Cobra seats. As stated above, I'd lower the passenger seat 2 inches too.

Stainless steel brake lines are a good add but won't likely save you much weight.

Don't forget to get a fire extenguisher, six points and a roll bar installed - these will add weight but may save your life.

I've been able to get my GTS down to about 3400 lbs for the track in street legal form, full exhaust, cats, interior, etc. The roll bar, Accusump and plumbing, fire extenguisher, larger radiator, additional cooling fans, bigger brakes & rotors and other performance / saftety equipment all add weight.

Good luck,

Dan

 

[caseyse]

Hi Dan,

Good to hear from you. Looking forward to the club's DC Performance Dyno day coming up.

You're right, I do need to think about all of those other modifications, but since my "other car" has been seriously porked-out with performance/safety upgrades, I wanted to focus on the lighter side of things, at least for a while. I'm just cleaning-up the car now with some initial mods

I am adding the StopTech SS lines, and was a little confused this weekend when I almost gathered the motivation to sweat-it-out in my garage (was 97-degrees here) to install the rotors and SS lines. The directions on the StopTech kit indicate 14lbs torque for the banjos, which it says is the same as the manual, but my '08 manual states 23 lbs of torque? This was enough for me to pass on the job and head for a cold beer

 

[Paul Hawker]

Drop a few pounds with a light weight flywheel. Revs a bit quicker too.
(Oops. Forgot about 08's smaller diameter clutch).

Take out visors. Makes interior feel much bigger.

Put in lighter weight oil. (Just kidding).

 

[Grant]

...the amplifier sits under the passenger seat...

Aha! More potential weight reduction. I don't suppose it weighs very much? I had planned to get an aftermarket head unit, some of which I think can bypass the factory amp.

If you have harnesses, you could remove the factory airbag system too.

Anyone know how much the stock seats weigh? How about the Sidewinders? My concern over going with a shorter 18" rear tire is a loss of tire height and longitudinal traction and the amount of height adjustment needed to get rake and ride height back where it should be.

 

[rcl4668]

Aha! More potential weight reduction. I don't suppose it weighs very much? I had planned to get an aftermarket head unit, some of which I think can bypass the factory amp.

If you have harnesses, you could remove the factory airbag system too.

Anyone know how much the stock seats weigh? How about the Sidewinders? My concern over going with a shorter 18" rear tire is a loss of tire height and longitudinal traction and the amount of height adjustment needed to get rake and ride height back where it should be.

Grant --

I weighed the Sidewinder rims only without caps, TPMS sensors or related hardware at 17.5 front and 25 lb rear.

Unless the car is being used solely at the track, I would consult a professional before tampering with the airbag system.

/Rich

 

[Westxsrt10]

Remove windshield wiper fluid,container,pump....6-8 lbs.

 

[johnk]

1/2 tank of fuel will save you 60lbs over a full tank.

 

[Nader]

Harnesses are no way as safe as an airbag.

Grant --

I weighed the Sidewinder rims only without caps, TPMS sensors or related hardware at 17.5 front and 25 lb rear.

Unless the car is being used solely at the track, I would consult a professional before tampering with the airbag system.

/Rich

 

[jessewallace]

i can't believe swapping out the battery drops so much weight. that's cool!

 

[Viper X]

Hey Sean,

It was hot this last weekend. I didn't get any work done in my garage either.

Hey Grant,

"My concern over going with a shorter 18" rear tire is a loss of tire height and longitudinal traction and the amount of height adjustment needed to get rake and ride height back where it should be."

Comp coupes come with 18's all around. The do go with wider tires in the front and don't have any rake, among other things. They handle pretty well.....

Dan

 

[SylvanSRT]

remove stereo head unit, amp and speakers and sub-box along with trunk carpets and interior carpets(or at least the insulation underneath)

 

[Boxer12]

Wanna get radical? Speedglass windshield and windows. Reduce glass weight by 50-75%.

 

[Vipermann]

I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a large universal titanium muffler and put on a custom cat-back system. Much lighter than stainless steel.

 

[Grant]

Wanna get radical? Speedglass windshield and windows. Reduce glass weight by 50-75%.

Have you seen that stuff in person? I've always wondered about the quality of it.

 

[300656]

Metal Interior door handles and gear shift bezel

 

[sween]

some aftermarket compainies make carbon fiber hoods, I heard that saves you 18 pounds

 

[Kenneth Krieger]

When I took off the underhood insulation to paint the Viper logo, it weighs less than a lb......is it worth taking off????

 

[caseyse]

i can't believe swapping out the battery drops so much weight. that's cool!

I've looked into this, and while expensive (so is everything on our cars), it seems to be the hot ticket for weight reduction. Our batteries weigh about 43 lbs., and the nano-phosphate lithium's weight 4-6 lbs., depending on their capacity. They can be deep-cycled and have a longer life than lead acid batteries. There is some good product info on the Web, and checkout Voltphreaks for pricing.

 

[pteam]

After reading about those voltphreak nanophosphate batteries I don't know if they'd be good for everyday use, probably only for race cars. And you'd probably need at least the $700 one which is the most expensive battery I've ever seen...