weight savings

[Macs Stang]

ok, i am looking for all of the free ways to go faster. meaning the car has to loose some weight. what are somethings that i can get rid of to shed those lbs? i know sound deadner and the rear seats are one way to go, but what else is there to do?

[zeus]

Re: weight savings

Originally posted by Macs Stang
ok, i am looking for all of the free ways to go faster. meaning the car has to loose some weight. what are somethings that i can get rid of to shed those lbs? i know sound deadner and the rear seats are one way to go, but what else is there to do?

Go hoodless.

[Macs Stang]

lol, never thought of that. i have seen brandon's car numerous times without the hood. i might pick up a cowl hood this year if the funds permit, but that is a huge maybe.

[slo5ohh]

the vibration dampner on the rear end is good for about 20-25 lbs, if you havent already removed it.

[Macs Stang]

Originally posted by slo5ohh
the vibration dampner on the rear end is good for about 20-25 lbs, if you havent already removed it.

would that be a good idea to rid of that though?

[slo5ohh]

im assuming you have gears, if so then yes, because it now is worthless weight

[Macs Stang]

Originally posted by slo5ohh
im assuming you have gears, if so then yes, because it now is worthless weight

yes i have 3.73's sitting in the rear end. so basically just unbolt the two bolts from the rear housing then? that wouldn't give me any terrible vibrations would it?

[slo5ohh]

no you shouldent, i have no problems and havent heard of any one else having any problems, if your worried about it, throw it in the garage or basement. I kept mine for about a uear before I threw it out. Also i found out about it from reading an article in 5.0, so its a common thing

[Macs Stang]

Originally posted by slo5ohh
no you shouldent, i have no problems and havent heard of any one else having any problems, if your worried about it, throw it in the garage or basement. I kept mine for about a uear before I threw it out. Also i found out about it from reading an article in 5.0, so its a common thing

ah, i c. i should probably do that then.

-Tim

[Sleeper]

Re: weight savings

Originally posted by Macs Stang
ok, i am looking for all of the free ways to go faster. meaning the car has to loose some weight. what are somethings that i can get rid of to shed those lbs? i know sound deadner and the rear seats are one way to go, but what else is there to do?

You could stand to lose about 40lbs, tubbie

Actually, I ....do you just want to have a dragrace setup, or do you want a good handling car as well?

[Macs Stang]

yea right, if i lost 40lbs that would put me at 140lbs. thats way to damn skinny. anyways, i really don't care that much about how my car handles on the street, i kind of want a more drag strip style setup. i want to lighten the car up a little.

[Sleeper]

If you dont care then, I would ditch the front sway bar first. It really doesn't weigh much, but every little bit helps, plus the front is more free to expand...which turns the attention to the front shocks. Having an adjustable shock not only gives you the adjusability but they are usually lighter than standard street shocks. Also you mentioned your battery. If it doesnt cost you much and it isn't hard to do, you might a well move it to the trunk....I'd rather have the 30-35 lbs over the right rear than way out over the front wheel where it does no good.

Also, unsprung weigh shows better gains than sprung weight, so a set of lightweight rims (Drag Lites or Pro Stars) could save you as much as 30+ lbs. Lightweight components not only save you weight, but if they are things like a driveshaft or wheels, they are easier to spin up to speed...so you kind of win twice...


I have thought about ways to shed weight, but in reality there isn't much stuff you can ditch. Maybe if you have some bulky bumper brackets or something like that, they could be replaced with aluminum ones or lightened up. I think you would benefit more from a good suspension set-up than trying to drop weight. Things like a drag bag in the right rear are among the easiest things to do, and dont cost too much.

Aren't the Fox Bodies are under 3,000 pounds?

[Macs Stang]

Originally posted by 99SSleeper
If you dont care then, I would ditch the front sway bar first. It really doesn't weigh much, but every little bit helps, plus the front is more free to expand...which turns the attention to the front shocks. Having an adjustable shock not only gives you the adjusability but they are usually lighter than standard street shocks. Also you mentioned your battery. If it doesnt cost you much and it isn't hard to do, you might a well move it to the trunk....I'd rather have the 30-35 lbs over the right rear than way out over the front wheel where it does no good.

Also, unsprung weigh shows better gains than sprung weight, so a set of lightweight rims (Drag Lites or Pro Stars) could save you as much as 30+ lbs. Lightweight components not only save you weight, but if they are things like a driveshaft or wheels, they are easier to spin up to speed...so you kind of win twice...


I have thought about ways to shed weight, but in reality there isn't much stuff you can ditch. Maybe if you have some bulky bumper brackets or something like that, they could be replaced with aluminum ones or lightened up. I think you would benefit more from a good suspension set-up than trying to drop weight. Things like a drag bag in the right rear are among the easiest things to do, and dont cost too much.

Aren't the Fox Bodies are under 3,000 pounds?

mike, that is a lot of good info. if i had the money for the drag liites i would get them right away. a alum driveshaft should be making its way on the car hopefully this year as well. supposedly a fox body gt weighs in a 3191lbs stock. but who knows, i have never heard the exact number. i really have to go get my car weighed so i can tell.

-Tim

[Sleeper]

Well, if you ever have your car down here and want it weighed...lemme know. We have those pads in the auto lab, one for each wheel, and they are nice because you can see the corner weights, where the weight percentages are front to back and side to side, plus the overall weight...

Also, there is a trucking place around here that a buddy and I went to. They let him pull his Caprice onto the scale and there was a display with the weight right on the side of the building....didnt have to get out of the car or anything...

[applebit]

I love finding extra weight on my cars...

And then the more rewarding thing is getting rid of it.

Power steering goes manual
AC gets deleted
Light weight rims
coil-over suspension (lighter parts)
aluminum flywheel (soo many benefits)

heck, you only need half of your head bolts. just tighten the others double the torque specs... always helps to reduce weight.. (ohh yeah, stagger them out)