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Unofficial weight reduction thread

So I got bored the other day and decided to take out ALL of my interior carpeting. I'll give it a good shampoo as it was kind of dirty, then store it away in a closet with the other half of my interior just in case I ever get my sanity back. The carpets are surprisingly heavy! I'd estimate atleast 25lbs!

Basically i'm working on making some lightweight CF door and other interior panels, then i'll have somewhat of a finished interior. I'm going for that 360 Challenge (not Stradale) look. Stripped and lightweight, yet still beautiful.

My car "should" be safely under 2700lb's by now. Shooting for 2600 or less. My Type S-Zero suspension is going to add some weight however, but i'll give up a few pounds for the sake of better handling.......
 
So I got bored the other day and decided to take out ALL of my interior carpeting. I'll give it a good shampoo as it was kind of dirty, then store it away in a closet with the other half of my interior just in case I ever get my sanity back. The carpets are surprisingly heavy! I'd estimate atleast 25lbs!

Basically i'm working on making some lightweight CF door and other interior panels, then i'll have somewhat of a finished interior. I'm going for that 360 Challenge (not Stradale) look. Stripped and lightweight, yet still beautiful.

My car "should" be safely under 2700lb's by now. Shooting for 2600 or less. My Type S-Zero suspension is going to add some weight however, but i'll give up a few pounds for the sake of better handling.......

Can you provide pics?
 
Not my car, but someone used regular truck scale for the weight in. Look like we can look one up in the phone book and get it weighted with a print out.

Locations in Southern Cal.
http://catscale.findlocation.com/results.aspx

weigh.gif


25 miles
View Map SPEEDY FUEL
I-710 & EXIT 1
LONG BEACH, CA 90813


26 miles
View Map HARBOR TRUCKSTOP
I-710 & EXIT 1 HWY PCH WEST
LONG BEACH, CA 90810


27 miles
View Map Speedy Fuel
Alameda & Eubank Ave
Wilmington, CA 90744


29 miles
View Map MONTEBELLO SCALE
I-5, WASHINGTON BLVD( 4 MI )
MONTEBELLO, CA 90640


30 miles
View Map TA ONTARIO B
I-10, Exit 57 - Milliken Ave
ONTARIO, CA 91761


30 miles
View Map TA ONTARIO A
I-10, Exit 57 - Milliken Ave
ONTARIO, CA 91761


36 miles
View Map I-10 Truck Stop
I-10 & Riverside
Rialto, CA 92376


36 miles
View Map Rialto Shell Travel Center
I-10 Riverside Ave South
Rialto, CA 92376


36 miles
View Map TEXACO
I-10 & ALAMEDA STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90013
 
Jason, have you thought about switching out the stock side-view mirrors for something like the Craft Square CF mirrors. Relatively minor weight savings but every little thing counts.

This is being really anal, ahem perfectionist I mean, but if you cut the excess threads off of every bolt you see, the weight savings can really add up. Just make sure to thread lock everything and use a paint pen to draw a line across the bolt and nut. That'll give you a visual cue if the fasteners are getting loose.

In addition, IIRC, switching out the factory style shocks and springs to the Comptech Pros yielded quite a weight savings. For the life of me, I can't remember how much the difference b/t the two was.
 
Jason, have you thought about switching out the stock side-view mirrors for something like the Craft Square CF mirrors. Relatively minor weight savings but every little thing counts.

I don't know how about all the power shit for the mirrors + the controls?
 
I don't know how about all the power shit for the mirrors + the controls?
That's too much for me:redface: I still want to keep my car comfortable. I don't mind paying for the lightest items possible. I wish I have 2 NSXes so I can fully enjoy the process.

At my current stage I am at approximately 2830lbs. Goal is 2750lbs, hopefully I will reach the goal with PC545, lightweight seats with fixed rails, test pipe (-17lbs), lightweight flywheel/clutch combo, Project Mu 2-piece rotors (#1 on wish list). Having electronic scale would be nice, over estimating the weight is not good.
 
Front Beam : 10.5kg/23.2lbs
Tein Monoflex Rear : 5.7kg/12.6lbs
Stock suspension Rear : 6.4kg/14.1lbs
Stock suspension Front : 5.8kg/12.8lbs
Front bumper : 12.4kg/27.3lbs
SOS Hub wheel + Momo F1 Wheel : 2.3kg/5lbs

Thanks for the list :smile:

Does the weight of the front beam including those odd items like the horn etc. ??
And your listed weight for the front bumper, is that for the upper and lower bumper combined ??
 
Don't the Type-R seats have seat rails? 20 lbs versus 80?

I'm pretty sure the 10lbs is only for each type-R seat is without rails. The oem type-r motorized rails will weight at least 10lbs .... so I think the oem type-R seats with rails are 20lbs+ each.

ICBW

Henry.
 
Jason, have you thought about switching out the stock side-view mirrors for something like the Craft Square CF mirrors. Relatively minor weight savings but every little thing counts.

I didn't care for the craft's at all. I took those off after a week. Apparently I'm not alone, one of the Z guys I track with also retained the OE power for the occasional street jaunt. I've noted that the wider the rear the larger the blind spot, so in certain driving situations such as on-ramps the power is really nice- I'll fiddle it to a wider angle then back again once I hit the #3 lane. Restraints make it rather difficult to lean around, and from a performance point one could argue the OE's are a wind tunnel tested part of the platform.


This is being really anal, ahem perfectionist I mean, but if you cut the excess threads off of every bolt you see, the weight savings can really add up. Just make sure to thread lock everything and use a paint pen to draw a line across the bolt and nut. That'll give you a visual cue if the fasteners are getting loose.

I have a variety of surplus titanium fasteners- as a strictly intellectual curiosity, I wonder the total savings if everything was swapped. I must have at least 50lbs in my tackle box here of OE discarded fasteners alone. Hardware definitely adds up.


In addition, IIRC, switching out the factory style shocks and springs to the Comptech Pros yielded quite a weight savings. For the life of me, I can't remember how much the difference b/t the two was.

From stock to the CT Koni's assuming a normal spring should be notable. If you figure in the external canisters, my dual's with race springs and CNC spherical upper mounts still came in 14 ounces heavier per corner than the off-the-shelf Teins. I was like #@!. :smile:
 
That's too much for me:redface: I still want to keep my car comfortable. I don't mind paying for the lightest items possible. I wish I have 2 NSXes so I can fully enjoy the process.

At my current stage I am at approximately 2830lbs. Goal is 2750lbs, hopefully I will reach the goal with PC545, lightweight seats with fixed rails, test pipe (-17lbs), lightweight flywheel/clutch combo, Project Mu 2-piece rotors (#1 on wish list). Having electronic scale would be nice, over estimating the weight is not good.

Jason, i'm pretty sure you can get down to 2750 with the stuff you listed above. The test pipes are a must for you..... Try going to a muffler shop an seeing if they can make a stainless set (or titanium) for you using a little thinner metal. The Dali ones are like a quarter inch thick! I have a free day today so after I go and get my new tire i'm going to remove the front bumper and finally take out that windshield wiper reservoir. After I add the upper R chassis bar I guess the weight savings will even out :mad:

John, I feel you on the suspension. My R suspension was heavier than oem by a few pounds per corner..... and then the chassis bars as well......Oh well, now my car handles 10X better, so I guess it's worth it. If I get bored today I might go investigate the titanium fastener thing. Some of the metal bolts on our cars are surprisingly heavy.
 
Jason, i'm pretty sure you can get down to 2750 with the stuff you listed above. The test pipes are a must for you..... Try going to a muffler shop an seeing if they can make a stainless set (or titanium) for you using a little thinner metal. The Dali ones are like a quarter inch thick!

I still have my CT test pipes in the for sale sec. They have never been out of the box but if somebody wants them I could weight them.

It would take a sophisticated "muffler shop" to mandrel bend test pipes especially in SS. Most shops use mild steel tubing.
 
I have a variety of surplus titanium fasteners- as a strictly intellectual curiosity.

You know that didn't even occur to me. Duh. I'm fixing up my F201 (it's an RC car) and the first mod I bought for it was a titanium nut and bolt set. I wonder which are the heavier fasteners on the NSX...hmmm, you've got me thinking. ;)

From stock to the CT Koni's assuming a normal spring should be notable. If you figure in the external canisters, my dual's with race springs and CNC spherical upper mounts still came in 14 ounces heavier per corner than the off-the-shelf Teins. I was like #@!. :smile:

I'll have to call Comptech. IIRC, to my shame, a weight comparision is something that I neglected to cover in my product reveiw for NSXDriver.
 
FYI, each headlight assembly (cover, frame, light, motor) weighs only 15 pounds, although it feels a lot heavier. Not sure what a 2002+ fixed light weighs though.

Regards,

Danny
 
I finally pulled off my front bumper. Damn was that a lot of work..... I still have the rest of it that I need to install tommorrow. While I was in there I installed the upper R chassis bar. I removed the following:

Tow hooks, Jason you're right, these suckers are pretty heavy..... And the elusive never before seen windshield wiper fluid reservoir tank. I'm glad I pulled the bumper off for the R bar because this tank weighed next to NOTHING and I would've been pissed if I pulled off the bumper just for this.

Net net, I think I shaved off next to nothing after I installed the R bar. Damn :frown:
 
Thanks Simo for the update, I guess I will not be removing the front bumper for the reservoir.

Here is another item that trim weight and might actually free up additional hp.

GT-One lightweight crank pulley:
used005.jpg
 
For those who are serious about weight reduction and suspension set up, this is the ticket. This is probably a lot more accurate than truck scales. Information from Shawn.

Getting accurate weight read out is very important, otherwise, we are just guessing the weight.

http://www.rjracecars.com/cgi-bin/sqlstore/index.cgi?pid=1240


Usually a workable set of scales retails for about a thousand dollars from Longacre or the like. That is for the entry level ones anyway without shot peened pads or C/G features usually.

Unless you are heavily involved in DIY car setup; or own a shop with a lift, quality alignment setup, and toe plates to go along with it... and have the setup know-how... it is more practical for the vast majority of enthusiasts to just get a good corner weight, balance, and alignment at there local race shop as needed; or you can do like I do and just borrow a set or pop-in for vehicle setup whenever you need to.

IMO, the vast majority of car enthusiasts on forums would find it difficult to justify spending a grand or two for a nice set of scales. Simply to find out how much a street car weighs it is not compelling enough. Race scales are more relevant to corner setup and race prep for track which most car enthusiasts are not frankly involved in actively enough to outlay for it. Of course, if you are entirely un-hampered my budget contraints then most definitely buy me a set too, I've yet to snag a good second hand deal on a set. :)
 
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Additional weight information. I also did another really micro weight reduction item today, too small to feel, only 2oz.

Info from Procar:
NSX-R OEM suspension: 28.4 kg (62.7 lbs)
TEIN RE standard suspension: 15.6 kg (34.4 lbs)
TEIN RE with Procar spring conversion kit: 11.4 kg (25.1 lbs)

Info from Dali:
TEIN RA JDM Coilover: 46.60lbs
ZEAL JDM coilover: 43.5lbs
Racing Gear coilover: 42.2lbs

OEM Suspension (Coupe): 69lbs

HiFlo Catalytic Converter 9.95 lbs (12lbs lighter than stock while street legal, a lot cheaper than oem replacemetn)
 
Jasons car is on the Jenny Crank diet........:biggrin:
 
Hi Jason and Simo and everyone else! I'm thinking about renting my friends intercomp scales for a "wiegh off" meet. If i can get enough people interested (for a minimal fee) i will be able to weigh each car with and without driver and if you have coilovers i will be able to tweak the suspension and get it to balance as close as possible. At least your car won't be like a crooked table! I used this scale on my 1600 lbs integra race car to get the most out of my contact patch. It should do wonders for you guys!

let me know what you think guys!
 
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