Weight reduction
 

I tried a search but couldnt find anything. How much weight can one expect to shave by gutting a 1990 240sx of everything except front seats and dash? rear seats, carpet, sound deadening stuff, and any other unecessary stuff... Any ballpark numbers would be great. Thanks

I downloaded this sometime ago, don't know how accurate it is though.

S13:
headunit, speakers, and rear speaker brackets - 15.4lbs
driver and passenger door panels - 11.8lbs

plastic backseat panels - 5.0lbs

plastic B-pillar panels to back - 3.0lbs

back seats - 20.8lbs

hatch wall carpeting, plastic rear speaker panels, and rear floor mats - 20.6lbs

rear wiper, motor, grommet, and blade - 3.0lbs

jack tools, jack cover cardboard, random gray foam pads - 6.4lbs

rear strut covers, miscellaneous brackets & stuff - 2.8lbs

shift boot & panel - 0.6lbs

hatch area carpeting - 3.2lbs

A/C compressor, condenser, reservoir, & some piping - 29.2lbs

windshield wiper reservoir (full of fluid), bracket, & associated tubing - 9.0lbs

PAIR valve, actuator, bracket, and fasteners - 3.0lbs

sound deadening (Round 1) *box was 1 pound* - 10.8lbs

main carpet (from floorboard to rear seats) - 11.8lbs

glovebox - 3.2lbs

gauge cluster bezel - 1.6lbs

automatic seatbelts & lapbelt assemblies - 20.0lbs

power antenna - 2.0lbs

headliner, reading lamps, and shades - 4.0lbs

miscellaneous plastic pieces - 3.6lbs

plastic passenger floorboard panel (under glovebox) - 1.6lbs

center console - 3.0lbs

ABS unit mounting bracket - 3.2lbs

ABS unit - 15.8lbs

PS resevoir - 2.0lbs

PS line - 1.4lbs

fuel catch can & bracket - 1.8lbs

HICAS solenoid - 6.4lbs

rear HICAS rack - 10.8lbs

rear HICAS distribution block - 5.2lbs

clutch loop - 1.41bs

battery tray - 1.2lbs

SE exhaust & cat - 41.0lbs

sound deadening - 29lbs

spare tire & wheel - 28.0lbs

Cool thanks thats just what i was looking for.

wow i never realized the 240's had HICAS! I had a 300zxTT with it 6 years back and never really liked it all that much, oh well good way to save weight!!

I think you only really start to feel weight savings when you upgrade the body panels, bonnet, etc to CF or FRP.

Every little bit helps and eventually they add up. In terms of the power to weight ratio im looking for i think its something like -680lbs=+108hp. So with most of the above mentioned items removed you can drop ~250lbs that would be like 40hp with no engine mods.

And with the cost of carbon fiber panels, ill take that for free. lol

Whats FRP? Fiberglass roof panel?

How many panels on a 240sx are metal? fiberglass is much cheaper than carbon fiber.

Thanks Again.

ohh and are there kits to replace heavy glass with a lighter plastic or something? And when you do a full aftermarket suspension you gain strength and save weight usually correct? How much weight can one expect to drop in this manner?


Im new to upgrading sports cars, i sold my 300zx for my Jeep before i got a chance to really get into modding it so excuse my ignorance.

When reducing weight. Focus on the edges of the car. The front the rear and by the wheels.

Someone has already posted some weight loss figures.
I'm sure someone makes lexan windows the 240sx, but you may as well try to make your own by purchasing sheets of lexan. DO NOT REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD WITH LEXAN ON YOUR STREET CAR. It's light and a rock and easily penetrate it.

Beginners weight loss tips for 240sx.

Ditch the interior to the level you can stand the most. I have everything behind the front seats gutted.

Ditch the stereo and the speakers.

Replace rear upright with 300zx aluminum units. That's 8 lbs of savings per side by the wheels! HUGE! Not only is it easier for the suspension to work but you save weight.

Ditch the AC.

Get light weight rims

I'm not sure what the weight savings are with aftermarket arms, but I'm guessing they are lighter since they're aluminum usually vs the factory steel.


Ditch the stock hood for a fiberglass piece. Most CF hoods are wet carbon and that's pointless unless you get Dry carbon. Plus unpainted CF parts is silly.

Aluminum or CF driveshaft. I'd go aluminum $400 for aluminum and you shave off 7-8 lbs. $800 for CF, and you shave off 10 lbs. Go running. Save $400.


Ditch the EGR is you don't have emissions. Start taking off heat shields. So many things.....

PS. FRP = Fiber Reinforced Plastic.

More solid info^^ Thanks!

Some of the numbers are close, but most of it is over inflated on the weight... Just wanted to point that out, not trying to bash, but always good to see figures.

Back on subject, are you doing this for a track car, or is this a street driven car? Reason why I ask is because of the fact that some of the stuff you normally take out of a track car, is needed in a street car. So be careful of what you take out. And yes, it is true about dry carbon, might as well save the money and buy fiber glass parts. Wet carbon and FRP weigh pretty much the same... almost.

The sound deadening tar is the easiest thing to get rid of in a car and doesn't make it any less livable except for noise I guess. My car is obviously a little different, but I got at least 50lbs out of the trunk, though under the back seat there was like 1-2lbs so it really does fluctuate and they put different amounts on each individual car. My brother mentioned that you might not want to get rid of the floor stuff because his old girlfriends E30's floor would get extremely hot sometimes.
So the first place I recommend going is the trunk, with a hair-dryer and a chisel or flat screwdriver or something to get under the tar and pull it up. Works good, is relatively easy, and free.

so this is a track only car right?

No, im going for a high performance street car. Obviously im not going to remove things necessarry for road function such as windshield washer fluid stuff or power steering stuff, but the interior does not need to look nice or have any creature comforts.

Again thanks for all the help and info.

Someone should make this into an article in our wiki