Weight Reduction Guide

Removing weight on car is a great way to increase your performance without paying a lot of money. Simply removing stuff makes it faster, and thats free!  With every bit of weight removed your car will have a better horsepower/weight ratio and will not only accelerate faster but also corner and handle better while getting better gas mileage. Saving 22lbs of weight is like adding 1HP of power to your engine!

So that we can know what gains our changes have given, you need to be able to calculate the power to weight ratio.
 
1: Determine Vehicles OEM Weight - Eg. 2900lbs
2: Determine Vehicles OEM Horsepower - Eg. 164HP
3: Divide the weight by the horsepower - 2900/164 = 17.68

As you can see with our example car above, the horsepower to weight ratio is 17.68. So for every 1HP your engine has, it has to move 17.68lbs of weight. Obviously the less weight to move, the faster the vehicle can go.

Super Easy Weight Reduction.

Considering gas weighs about 8lbs/gal so 16 gallons in the tank weighs 128lbs.  If you have only 1 gallon in the tank, thats a 5HP equivalent gain ! 

Not taking a passenger can make a big difference, not to mention the driver losing some weight.

It is also a great idea to put on a good set of alloy wheels if you can afford them. Lightweight alloys weigh less than half factory steels with hubcaps ! The lower rotational mass also improves acceleration and cornering. Improved looks, acceleration, handling AND improved power to weight ratio all in one ? Upgraded rims are one of the best (and first) performance improvements on this list.

Super Easy Weight Reduction = 188lbs (rims & gas), equivalent to 8.5HP gain.

Basic Weight Reduction.

These reductions are simple to perform, and easy to reverse if needed.

Passenger Seat (37lbs) - Removing the passenger seat is a very easy and effective way to give your Probe a small boost in power.  The nice thing is that the seat is only held in place by 4 bolts. 

Rear Seat (29lbs) - The rear seat is a little more complicated to remove than the passenger seat. When removing just remember where everything goes and it should be easy to put back in place whenever needed.

Rear Seat Cushion (10lbs) - The rear cushion should be removed at the same time as the rear seat.

Floor Mats/Front and Rear (6lbs) - This has to be the easiest weight reductions available for any vehicle!

Tire Floor Cover (3lbs) - The tire floor cover is right underneath the rear hatch carpeting.

Spare Tire and Jack (32lbs) - Another easily removable item on most vehicles.

Total Easy Weight Removal = approx 117lbs, equivalent to 5HP increase.

Intermediate Weight Reduction.

The weight reductions below save even more weight.  However, once you start removing these items you are taking away from the cars appearance, luxury items and they are not easily replaced when you want to sell.

Air Conditioning (40lbs) - Removing the air conditioning will net you a reduction of about 40lbs.  Be sure to remove everything from the engine as well as behind the dash.  Should be completed by the experienced only.

Front Hood (50lbs) - Replacing the Front Hood with a lightweight fiberglass or carbon fiber hood is a great way to remove some weight around the front end of the car.  Total weight reduction will be close to 50lbs or greater depending on the aftermarket hood you choose..  If you dont intend on replacing the entire front hood you could also remove the sound dampener on the inside of the hood.  This should help in cooling your engine a little as well.

Front Drivers Seat (35lbs) - The front drivers seats can be replaced by lightweight aftermarket alternatives. Some vehicles, especially those with power seats will experience a dramatic decrease in weight.

Total Intermediate Weight Removal = up to 125lbs, equivalent to 5.7HP increase.
 

Advanced Weight Reductions

Some of the things listed below can also be removed or replaced with lighter alternatives than stock. Some of these items may effect the legality & insurance of your vehicle, so check FIRST before attempting removal of items such as airbags.

Stock Flywheel - Can be replaced with lightweight aluminum flywheels or machined to save upto 15lbs.

Stock Steering Wheel - Can be replaced with lighter performance steering wheel with no airbag, save upto 15lbs.

Passenger Airbag & Dash Removal - Removing the dash, controls, radio can save up to 40lbs

Interior Panels - Both the drivers side and passenger side front door panels as well as the rear panels can be removed to save in excess of over 40lbs on most cars.

Stock Speakers - With a normal weight of over 2 pounds a piece these can also be easily removed. Save 8lbs

Replace Stock Exhaust - Stock vehicle exhausts can weigh considerably more than lightweight aftermarket alternatives. Especially replacing cast iron manifolds with tubular headers. Varies.

Wiper Motors - Although they are generally needed under almost all driving conditions they CAN be removed if need be. Varies.

Carpet - Removing the carpet as well as the carpet lining underneath will reduce the cars overall weight by close to  40lbs.  Removing excess wiring and bolts and brackets will also net you a reduction of close to 10lbs. 
 
Battery - swapping the large OEM battery for a smaller, more efficient Odyssey battery can save upto 20lbs.

Total Advanced Weight Removal = Varies, but 138-250lbs is achievable. Based on 200lbs, equivalent to 9HP.

Even More ?

Beyond these you're looking at replacing the gauges and dash panels, removing factory sound deadener, all power options, etc and you're squarely into Track Only territory, so we wont be covering those here.

So Where Are We At ?

If you do everything above your total savings would be 568lbs, equivalent to 25.8HP gain! Which is a pretty solid gain for $0 outlay.

Working out the power to weight ratio:

1: Factory weight minus weight removed - 2900 - 505 = 2332lbs
2: New weight divided by factory HP - 2395 / 164 = 14.21

Thats like having 189.8HP in the stock vehicle !