Editing Reducing vehicle weight

{{youcanedit}} Lighter vehicles run faster, accelerate more quickly, and [[Improving fuel economy|consume less fuel]]. Think twice before removing anything that can't be easily put back. Also, keep in mind that any weight reductions might prevent your vehicle from being a viable daily driver or family car. ==Replacing steel body parts with lighter materials== *Aluminum, [[Fiberglassing|fiberglass]] or carbon fiber hoods, bumpers, and body panels. *Hood springs and pivots can be removed when a lift-off fiberglass hood is used. ==Engine parts== Cast iron engine parts can be replaced with lighter weight (typically aluminum) parts, including: *Heads. *Intake manifold. *Flywheel. *Crank, rods, and pistons. *Aluminum water pump. *Lightweight mini-starter. *Cylinder Block ==Removing creature comforts and unnecessary parts== The following can all be removed. *Cargo stored in the vehicle and trunk (spare parts, tools, etc.). *Air conditioner compressor, ducting, belts, and brackets. *Radio, antenna, and cables. *Carpets and floor mats. *Spare tire and [[Hydraulic jacks|jack]]. *Chrome trim. *Power windows and locks, and all associated parts. *Power seats. *[[Sound deadening|Sound deadener]]. *Insulation. *Dashboard (can be replaced by a barebones aluminum dash panel). *Windshield washer bottle, and windshield wiper motor. *Remove the power steering in favor of a manual steering box. *Rear and passenger seats can be removed and left at home and re-installed after racing ==Replacing larger parts with smaller ones== The following parts can be replaced with smaller equivalents. *Radiator. *Battery. *Starter. ==Nose weight vs. tail weight== For a drag car, nose weight is undesirable, while you want as much tail weight as possible. Nose weight is the amount of weight located over the front tires. Tail weight is the amount of weight located over the rear tires. Most cars have a balance of 47% to 53% ratio, with the front being heavier. A lot of cars have the battery, radiator overflow and some other essential items located under the hood. Moving the battery back to the truck area can help the weight precentages favor the rear. Your typical drag car would want 53% rear weight with a 50/50 split on the left and right weights. Here are some items that you can replace with its lighter counterpart. ==Sprung weight vs. Unsprung weight== Sprung weight is anything supported by the suspension, Unsprung is anything that is not. Removing one pound of unsprung weight is approximately equal to removing ten pounds of sprung weight.''(this statement needs verification)'' *Control Arms (upper and lower) *Springs *Shocks *Driveshaft *Engine and transmission components *Wheels ==Miscellaneous== *Lighter wheels. *Titanium fasteners. *Removing any unnecessary glass. *Lightweight aluminum calipers. *Tubular upper control arms. *Sway bar can be removed if cornering isn't a concern. *Removing crash bars from doors. ==References== *http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/i-want-put-my-car-diet-who-has-done-starting-146187.html [[Category:General hotrodding]]

| Editing help (opens in new window)