weight loss is the easiest way to a faster car,, just carry a passenger, you can feel the lost performance ,A man my size is like an anvil/anchor,,especially at the speeds you attain around town,just moving the battery to the front helps with balance of car .never think that "just 100 pounds" will not make a difference .. the first pocket rockets were the honda civic,s,the 80,s honda civic CRX ,si will outrun a Fiero V6,deliver ,28 mpg around town ,, handle,s great,fun ,,fun to drive( extra fun) the performance comes from only weighing 2100 pounds ..I do not care for jap cars but this thing is phenominal ,a great car to have in a $5 a gallon world
I am cheap so I look for used parts in good condition lite weight seats,wheels,, I wait till I need tires then install lite weight tires & wheels the most important weight loss is in the drive train flywheel ,clutch pressure plate, the axles, the brake rotors,, inertia and rotating weight is the most important,,next weight that is high on the car..A/c is the biggest offender a real drag on performance,but so important for comfort in the south,, up north you can install a small fan for summer.. you remove 200 pounds then remove another 50 by smaller lighter parts, shift knob ,,lighter battery box, a lighter radio, one speaker lite weight sun visor roll up windows lug nut bolts are shortened,holes drilled in axle mate surface..if the starter goes, a mini starter (more expensive) if the flywheel needa resurface . drop 3 pounds from the outer edges ..if you are buying new shocks take bath room scale to parts house ..if you want to keep water flaps,use lite material ,lighter roofing paper,.ect... lite weight muffler (cherry bomb,shorter pipe) ask about lite parts,, Blacktree recently clued me to lite weight Stock fiero wheel..2 equal cars install 8 pound lighter wheels,the lite weigh wheel car will pull away from the other car,,the original mag wheels were so the mag wheel car could pull other cars out of the corner,, INERTIA,,,,in rotating mass as in women lighter & trimmer is better ,you need a spare and jack see a porsche at the salvage yard check for aluminum jack & liteweight spare(not likely) the mazda 626 and some other mazdas have a lite weight steel jack you can use ,,or carry tire repair kit & inflate a tire cans in Canada you can eliminate headliner paint with insulation paint,, heaters are for girls and wimps eliminates problem area..keep mirrors only as required by law..spare cash ?? aluminum wheel lug nuts,, the 13 pound batteries are only for the engine that starts quickly..the dyna(14pounds) batt is expensive! this battery it is derived from is a much cheaper one,,can,t remember the name,, you can install a battery from a very small car this will save 8 pounds,easier to mount up front,, you can mount small battery in cab behind pass seat,(not recommended) but you need to vent it..G. M. has a smaller lighter compressor (R4??) but it needs to be rebuilt carefully !!does not have good reliability record ..each time you work on car and have part off see if an oz can be removed
[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 07-27-2008).]
