Thinking about cheap factory parts were surprisingly light, cheap factory or aftermarket seats (maybe with adapters) etc.
Lightweight batteries and other secrets apart from a complete gutting.
Basically a GRM resource for saving weight for daily drivers.
I know others did it before us but we use a lawn mower battery for the Challenge car. $32 and 20lbs lighter.
Buying or converting to manual crank windows would save some weight I’m guessing.
weight savings? ;)
But really, one of the biggest weight savers is replacing factory seats with basically ANY aftermarket "race" seat.....even the cheap ones are way lighter than most OEM seats.
I'm told the Miata 15" "hollow spokes" are 11 lbs each, which puts them in high dollar wheel territory if its true
Seatbelts for window regulators a-la the stripper Dodge Darts offered in the 1960's
In reply to ShawnG :
Came here to mention this, but they were only used on the Super Stock Hemi Darts and Barracudas of '68.
Ahh... Not a Mopar guy so I only know it through my fellow car guys.
What about the Dodge A100 seats? I've heard those are really light.
Wax your windshield and antifog the inside and eliminate the heater & wipers.
In reply to irish44j :
I’ve used these in my Samurais and don’t remember ever being uncomfortable in them. I weighed 270 then and weigh about 245 now. They certainly are cheap! 13lbs each!
ebonyandivory said:Buying or converting to manual crank windows would save some weight I’m guessing.
Not always, power windows are sometimes lighter somehow, so measure before you leap.
Outside of RS and clubsport Porsches, the factory rarely does lighter options of things. Even when they do, they just leave things out.
Anything from an RF Miata is probably lighter than a 3rd Gen, but will it fit? The only other example I can think of is buying a CRX HF shell because it was the lightest available.
Cooter said:In reply to ShawnG :
Came here to mention this, but they were only used on the Super Stock Hemi Darts and Barracudas of '68.
That's a neat idea!
In reply to AWSX1686 :
It really is. Seems like a section of seat belt and some heavy duty snaps (or velcro?) could be used to make a GRM version of that.
Justjim75 said:I'm told the Miata 15" "hollow spokes" are 11 lbs each, which puts them in high dollar wheel territory if its true
Except they are 14x6. Thanks to miata aftermarket, you can easily get a 15x7, 8, or 9 that weighs similar for pretty cheap, and will provide a significant performance increase.
I paid $85 a piece for 15x8s that are 12lbs each.
irish44j said:
But really, one of the biggest weight savers is replacing factory seats with basically ANY aftermarket "race" seat.....even the cheap ones are way lighter than most OEM seats.
Not in many GRM (old, cheap) cars. Many 90s econoboxes have 25lb seats (with sliders), which is just about what an entry level Sparco or Corbeau weighs (and has to be ballasted to 25lbs in ST* anyway). Now Aluminum pan seats might be a different story.
dculberson said:In reply to AWSX1686 :
It really is. Seems like a section of seat belt and some heavy duty snaps (or velcro?) could be used to make a GRM version of that.
My only concern would be the the snaps be strong enough for spirited driving, but also easy to release in case of a wreck.
Trying to plan ahead for my e28 drift build.
ShawnG said:Ahh... Not a Mopar guy so I only know it through my fellow car guys.
What about the Dodge A100 seats? I've heard those are really light.
The A100 seats are light- this is a bonus pair that came with my Jeep CJ6 when a friend gave it back after 10 years. They will probably go into my 1964 Dodge Polara eventually.
Which brings up the point that most any fixed back, lowback early seat without sliders from a Jeep, van or motorhome will fill the bill if all you are looking for is lightweight. I had a pair of lowbacks out of our family's 1977 GMC Vandura that weighed about 10 lbs each. However, none of these will give you any support, nor will they be your friend in any spirited cornering maneuver. They do look period correct for a stoplight brawler, however.
Especially with Super Stock style aluminum seat brackets.
Justjim75 said:I'm told the Miata 15" "hollow spokes" are 11 lbs each, which puts them in high dollar wheel territory if its true
Mine actually weighed a hair under 11lbs each. Unfortunately the true hollow spokes were only found on the R package miatas, so they're fairly rare. A lot of folks try and pass the "semi hollow" spokes off as true hollow spokes.
Porsche also used to replace the inner doorhandles with straps to save weight.
On older cars with the glass held in with rubber moldings, I would consider plexi or lexan and maybe use these Snapvents in the lexan or plexi for a little more airflow.
In reply to AWSX1686 :
The RS America’s did something similar for weight.
Lightweight aftermarket fans were 30lbs lighter than the steel shroud and cast iron fan housing on El Rabbitto. They move more than twice the air at lower amps and much lower weight. Side note, stupid cheap despite sounding like a small aircraft,
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