Unofficial weight reduction thread

What's the point in having ce28 in 15/16 when most of the tire weight comes from its sidewall?

I think you've answered your own question.

Short opinion. => I=mr^2 but that is linear, kmr^2 is for rotational. the r matters more.

Longer opinion.
there are good reasons why F1 is still using 13" for as long as i can remember and when Lotus tried 17/18? a yr ago to "improve" the show but the handling characteristic was laughable. AFAIK, F1 slicks has no steel belts, they use something much lighter. Granted, the steel belts in pass. car tires are very heavy and they are at the furtherest point. Given the same dia. of 15/16, 17/18 tires, I rather trade tire flex for my 17/18 CE28N but thats just me. Then there is the contact patch issue that have no solution unless its full slicks. I am stuck with 17/18:frown:.

This is also another reason there are many BBK 1.0 solutions but I can not find a BBK 2.0 solution as I really don't want to spend $$$$s and end up with a mod/system that is much heavier(kills handling) than oem and works better ONLY during heavy braking but not any other time. Its bunch of heavy mass to carry around when you are NOT braking. This ends up with only one solution(IMO), ceramic brakes.:frown:

liftnot said:

I think you've answered your own question.

Short opinion. => I=mr^2 but that is linear, kmr^2 is for rotational. the r matters more.

Longer opinion.
there are good reasons why F1 is still using 13" for as long as i can remember and when Lotus tried 17/18? a yr ago to "improve" the show but the handling characteristic was laughable. AFAIK, F1 slicks has no steel belts, they use something much lighter. Granted, the steel belts in pass. car tires are very heavy and they are at the furtherest point. Given the same dia. of 15/16, 17/18 tires, I rather trade tire flex for my 17/18 CE28N but thats just me. Then there is the contact patch issue that have no solution unless its full slicks. I am stuck with 17/18:frown:.

This is also another reason there are many BBK 1.0 solutions but I can not find a BBK 2.0 solution as I really don't want to spend $$$$s and end up with a mod/system that is much heavier(kills handling) than oem and works better ONLY during heavy braking but not any other time. Its bunch of heavy mass to carry around when you are NOT braking. This ends up with only one solution(IMO), ceramic brakes.:frown:

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Sure. But this is for arbitrarily shape. When you take say 16 inch 225/50 tire your mass distribution would be different than say 17 inch wheel with 255/40. Or when you take 18 inch ce18 with 265/35 even though it's 2 inches larger but sidewall is smaller (where majority of rotational mass of the tire is);

Either way my point was it's not a big deal that ce18 is not available in 15/16; given realistic requirements for whole package (ability to run BBK, more tire patch etc) it's not important to have oem 91 sizes.

With F1 it's not even comparable. Different tire tech. Different heat management requirements. Different longevity targets etc etc; but as far as I know they run some sort of enforced kevlar belts.

Ok:smile:. The physics is the same for all levels of design/racing. Its the reasons behind what they do, not that we can emulate any of it.

I just had my set of Tillett seats come in and they are super light and the wife loves sitting in them. They are not mounted in the car yet as the brackets are still in the mail so I have one in my garage and the other one in the living room so she can sit in it because she finds them that comfy. They are about 15 pounds but I will weigh them once I get the brackets in to see the actual weight difference. The stock seats are 41 lbs according to my bathroom scale.

Finally got my car weighed on a calibrated car scale.

Since we started building the car, we never weighed anything we took out or put in. So we could only guess. I was hoping for 1250kg/2755lbs with all fluids. The car weighed 1170kg/2579lbs with full tank.

My full spec list:

Exterior
Taitec JGTC 2000 Front Bumper
Seibon Carbon Louvered Hood
Taitec JGTC 2000 Rear Fenders
Taitec GT500 Carbon Wing
Yokota JGTC Front Fenders
Marga Hills Side Skirts
Gruppe M Carbon Side Vents
Downforce Carbon GT Diffuser
Downforce Carbon Decklid
Downforce Carbon Bezel
Plastics4Performance Rear Hatch
Plastics4Performance Side Windows
Plastics4Performance Partition Window
Purple Haze Undertray & Splitter
Purple Haze Radiator mount
Purple Haze front frame

Interior
AIM MXL
Custom aluminium dashboard
Safety Devices 6-point FIA Roll Cage (reinforcedby Purple Haze)
Sparco EVO FIA Bucket Seats
Takata Race 6 FIA Harnesses
Autometer AFR Gauge
Personal Steering Wheel with R Developments 'H' horn button
Zanardi Shift Knob
Redtop 30 battery

Wheels & Brakes
Varrstoen 18×9.5 Front
Varrstoen 18×10.5 Rear
JBT 6pot 355mm Front
JBT 4pot 330mm Rear
JBT Steel Brake Lines
Carbon Lorraine Pads
Custom Brake Ducts
ABS Delete

Suspension & Handling
KW V3 Clubsport Coilovers
Dali Racing Competition Swaybars
Cedar Ridge Fabrication Heavy Duty Toe Links
Cedar Ridge Fabrication Heavy Duty Beam Bearings
Cedar Ridge Fabrication Compliance Clamps
Cedar Ridge Fabrication Adjustable Sway Bar Links
CT Engineering Competition Front Camber Bushings

Engine & Performance
CT Engineering Supercharger
CT Engineering Oil Pump (billet gears)
HEL Oil Cooler
VEMS ECU
885cc Siemens Injectors
Walbro 255 LPH Fuel Pump
Science of Speed Fuel Pump Power Distribution Kit
CT Engineering Fuel Pressure Regulator
Custom High Boost Pulley (9psi)
Cedar Ridge Fabrication Pulley Tensioner
Science of Speed / Wiseco 9:5:1 Pistons
Science of Speed Forged Valves
Science of Speed Dual Valve Spring Kit
Science of Speed Titanium Valve Spring Retainers
Science of Speed Dual Valve Spring Base Set
Science of Speed Lost Motion Assembly Kit
MLS Head Gaskets
ARP Head Stud Kit
CT Engineering Adjustable Cam Gears
CT Engineering Locking Timing Belt Tensioner
Power Enterprises Timing Belt
Science of Speed Damper Pulley Shield
Dali Racing Coolant Tank
SFS Silicone Coolant Hoses
Gruppe M Kevlar Intake
Downforce Intake Scoop
Super Taitec C3 Model 2 Exhaust (titanium heat wrapped)
CT Engineering Headers (titanium heat wrapped)
CT Engineering Test Pipes
Science of Speed Oil Pan Baffle
Mishimoto Aluminium Radiator

Transmission
OEM 5 speed transmission (refurbished)
Exedy Ceramic Twin Plate Clutch


We removed just about everything: radio, A/C, ABS, heater, sound deadening stuff, carpet etc etc

I think we can get her down to 1100kg.

Ok the Tillett B5 seats with all the brackets attached weigh in at 26.9 lbs and are more comfortable than the OEM seats. I am also sitting about an inch or two lower.

Rope said:

Ok the Tillett B5 seats with all the brackets attached weigh in at 26.9 lbs and are more comfortable than the OEM seats. I am also sitting about an inch or two lower.

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can you post pics?
also where did you buy and how much .... thanks

also (off-topic sorry) where did you get your 4.55 diff? and how do you find it to drive?

sparky said:

can you post pics?
also where did you buy and how much .... thanks

also (off-topic sorry) where did you get your 4.55 diff? and how do you find it to drive?

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They are the B5 made by Tillett in the UK. There web address is https://www.tillett.co.uk/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?id=9&cat=Car+Racing+Seats and I used this dealer http://www.levelxms.com/tillett/

I opted for the B5 over the B6F because I wanted to make it still relatively easy to get in and out of as well as retain the use of the OEM seat belts. The seats are 16 lbs so with the side mount brackets and floor brackets it came out to just shy of 27 lbs. I find them very comfortable to ride in and I am 6'2 and 195ish lbs with a 33 waist. I even have about 2-3 inches of head room.

I picked up the 4.55 diff when I blew my tranny (not in snap ring range but the snap ring still broke taking it out) and was looking for a trans. I contacted SOS about getting a replacement 5 speed and placed my order and they contacted me back a couple of days later and told me about a 5 speed with JDM gears and a 4.55 that they have and asked if I would like to buy that one instead of a USDM 5 speed. I said yes but was a little nervous about the aggressive gearing for freeway driving. Once it was installed and I took it out for a test run I was blown away by the new personality of the car. It went from relaxed even when you want to push it to always wanting to go. It would accelerate so much harder and effortlessly compared to the previous tranny. The RPM's are a bit higher at freeway speeds like 3800-3900 around 80 versus the 3400-3500 that it used to be. Outside of the higher RPM's at freeway speeds and the top speed being reduced to the 165-170 range (which I am never at anyways) I think it is the best mod my car has seen. Getting the headers, RDX injectors and GTLW combined made much less of a difference than this. Oh one more thing my MPG went down to 21-22 combined city and highway instead of the previous 25-26. If I could do it over I would.

I'm the one that has Tim setup an NSX specific link for the Tilletts at his site. Glad you like them. They look great and I am glad one other person beside me is testifying to their comfort. Which brackets and rails did you use?

Rope said:

They are the B5 made by Tillett in the UK.

Click to expand...

thanks

Rope said:

I picked up the 4.55 diff when I blew my tranny
.....
.....
If I could do it over I would.

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great write up. I've still got this on my bucket list , but it's a long list!

TURBO2GO said:

I'm the one that has Tim setup an NSX specific link for the Tilletts at his site. Glad you like them. They look great and I am glad one other person beside me is testifying to their comfort. Which brackets and rails did you use?

Click to expand...

I'm curious about the brackets, long term confort (particularly for long drives), and if we can have that special NSX deal for the B5's since B6F is also too much of a compromise for me - i wouldnt be able to get in my car since my garage is narrow enough that i barely fit in already. I like the idea of having stock-ish NSX logos on the headrests

Zoom said:

I'm curious about the brackets, long term confort (particularly for long drives), and if we can have that special NSX deal for the B5's since B6F is also too much of a compromise for me - i wouldnt be able to get in my car since my garage is narrow enough that i barely fit in already. I like the idea of having stock-ish NSX logos on the headrests

Click to expand...

They are much more comfortable than the OEM seats and I spent 2 hours driving in them and felt great. I actually felt better after the drive then before due to the support that it offers to my lower back.

- - - Updated - - -

TURBO2GO said:

I'm the one that has Tim setup an NSX specific link for the Tilletts at his site. Glad you like them. They look great and I am glad one other person beside me is testifying to their comfort. Which brackets and rails did you use?

Click to expand...

I used the Sparco ones and had to file them slightly to fit because the Tillett seat mounting holes were slightly narrower than the holes in the brackets.

austrian type-R said:

justweighted mine: 1280kg (2819lbs) with full gasoline.

PULLED OUT:
AC with lines, vents, etc...
Fog lights
Radio with soundsystem
bracket and metall shield for Subwoofer
CD & Antenna cable
Antenna
engine cover
tools
tow hook 2x rear
tow hook 1x front
sound deadening stuff behind the seats
controll unit for whipper arm pressure
van for engine bay
cruise control motor
cruise control controll unit
Airbag with sensors, ECU & wire harness

ADDED or CHANGED to something "better":
Momo Tuner whhel
SoS steering hub
Dali CF Stereo delete plate
KW V. 3 coilovers
NSX-R stabilizer
NSX-R Chassie Bars
Oem NA2 (1997+) Brakes
Stahlflex Bremsleitungen
OZ Ultraleggera 8x17 48mm front
OZ Ultraleggera 9x18 55mm rear
hub distance 20mm rear
Taitec headers
Taitec light weight exhaust
Race cats
Procar Carbon Airbox
Procar Carbon intake scoope
JUN flywheel
SoS coolant tank
VDO keyless entry
Rubber for antenna hole
LMAs
Alu thingys for window cable
Oem Honda NSX 2002+ rear valance

NEXT STEPS:
rear & front bumper metall beam changing into alu beam
switching to lighter JDM rims 17/17 combo
getting rid of the 20mm hub spacer

target: 1260kg (2775lbs)

Click to expand...

did the next step last year:
Volk ce28n in 7.5x17 & 9x17 215/40/17 / 255/40/17
Procar cf front bumper beam
02+ front end conversion, using all oem parts - no water tank for ws washing and no metal bumper beam
removed last part from AC (AC compressor bracket)
removed 2 horns
ON THE SCALE WITH FULL TANK: 1220kg / 2687lbs

next steps for this year/next year
lithium iron battery
downforce NSX-R hood + scoope, sidevents and NSX-R wing
NSX-R undertray
Procar cf rear bumper beam
Spoon calipers (maybe)

TARGET: 1180 kg / 2599lbs

austrian type-R said:

View attachment 122185View attachment 122184View attachment 122184

did the next step last year:
Volk ce28n in 7.5x17 & 9x17 215/40/17 / 255/40/17
Procar cf front bumper beam
02+ front end conversion, using all oem parts - no water tank for ws washing and no metal bumper beam
removed last part from AC (AC compressor bracket)
removed 2 horns
ON THE SCALE WITH FULL TANK: 1220kg / 2687lbs

next steps for this year/next year
lithium iron battery
downforce NSX-R hood + scoope, sidevents and NSX-R wing
NSX-R undertray
Procar cf rear bumper beam
Spoon calipers (maybe)

TARGET: 1180 kg / 2599lbs

Click to expand...

Very Nice, Car looks great!

Spoon Calipers and a set of aluminum Coil would be really nice. You still have the NA1 ABS?

No I have upgradet to NA2-R ABS.

austrian type-R said:

No I have upgradet to NA2-R ABS.

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Very nice, Whats the difference from NA2 ABS? Didn't know NSX R has a different ABS

The pump is a bit "better" I think, its faster. At least it has a different part number? Somebody should correct me if I am wrong.

From what i understand it's tuned to sticky R compound tires which give a higher rate of deceleration..

Zoom said:

From what i understand it's tuned to sticky R compound tires which give a higher rate of deceleration..

Click to expand...

Learn something new, but sucks now that I know the NA2 ABS is not the best.

MrHugo said:

Learn something new, but sucks now that I know the NA2 ABS is not the best.

Click to expand...

Kaz, one of the engineers who designed the original NSX, wrote this about the 2002 NSX-R ABS system on the NSXCB.co.uk website:

"If you are professional driver and own the NSX-R (02-R), you will be able to extract the characteristic of NSX-R ABS combined with NSX-R chassis setup on track." "You can use NSX-R ABS on the standard NSX but it won't be the same result because the software is based on the 02R chassis setup/components to start with. So many different factors such as chassis setup, corner load, brake booster, etc, etc, etc."

When he upgraded the ABS of his own NA1 NSX, he upgraded to the system used in regular 1999-05 NSXs, not to the 2002 NSX-R specification. If you search for his comments and explanations on the NSX Club of Britain's website, you can learn a lot. Reading this and this may be helpful.

Last weekend I replace my OEM steering wheel with a Works Bell hub and Momo Millenium 320mm steering wheel. Savings is 2.7 kg or 6.0 lbs.

OEM Steering wheel: 4.6 kg = 10.1 lbs
Works Bell hub: 0.53 kg = 1.2 lbs
Momo Millenium 320mm steering wheel: 1.37 kg = 3.0 lbs.

For "fun" I compiled this spreadsheet that documents most of the weight saving measures in this thread and other places. It is not complete and some information is a bit spotty. If there is anything that is inaccurate or needs updating, let me know. If some one can point me to the source for some info that would also be great. For example, the weight of the side windows are unkown as is the weight of the replacement lexan part. I would also like to compile more info on each mod including its effect on handling, NVH, time and cost to install/remove, etc.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZlpwUx1K1g09YwPOcgZhZZxz78e5NzsaeVGxcenLSQg/edit#gid=0

Thanks.

that's a smart spreadhset JMChristopher .... love the PowerToWeight column. A true addict

Alright now the gauntlett's hit the ground: I've been weighing every part I remove, and replacement parts, on the same scales since I purchased my NSX 8 years ago. I haven't removed basic luxuries like sound deadening, stereo, air-con etc but I am close to 1,200kg, especially when I remove the OEM passenger seat and fit my lightweight 17" Rays wheels. My goal is 1,199kg (2,643lbs

Attached is my (rather detailed) 2 page PDF snapshot of my spreadsheet that tracks this. There's a few items that may not have been covered in this thread before. For example we completely stripped a wreck and so got the bare body shell weight when we sold it for the aluminium - 267kg. (we use kgs down here, but I've even added lbs conversions column for those living in luddite countries still using imperial 267kg ~ 589 lbs.

That's awesome! Mind if I roll some of that into my spreadsheet? The weight of some parts is not well documented online. It would be nice if some of this info could be added to the Wiki or something.