Jakartaboost

Pretty much all that I have learned from the multiple weight reduction posts & threads. Some people say you either go all the way or dont do any weight removal at all, well I guess I kinda disagree...

Guide to weight removal, for the average joe or the not so mechanically inclined

The goal is pretty much to lose as much weight as possible without interfering too much with the car's comfort and utilities. I dont have access to heavy equipments, so pretty much these are the things I do during my spare time which take less than 30 minutes in most cases.

This is from a 2008 JDM Evo X.
Our cars comes with:
1. Lighter crash bars (still there, considering to remove them)
2. No spare tire (tire filler fluid & tire inflator - removed)
3. No subs, all tools and trunk parts removed (except the carpeting & sound deadener).
I believe th USDM Evo X trunk junks are in total in the excess of 25kg (around 50lbs). JDM Evo X is about 15kg

List of removables
- Rear seat drop down: 2kg (Need to remove rear seats)
- Rear seat belts (with bolts & hooks): 3kg (Need to remove rear seats)
- Rear head rests - 600gr x 3 = 1.8kg
- Rear left tow hook: 2.25kg
- Rear right tow hook: 1.75kg
- updated 29/09/13 - Trunk lining/plastics: 2.5kg (5.5lbs)
- Tow hook bolts: 500gr
- Rear seat cross bars w/ bolts: 1.5kg (Remove rear seats & you will find these 2 X thin plates)
- Engine cover: 850gr
- Hood vent metals: 300gr (I think these block the air flow but Mitsu puts them in to prevent overflow of water into the hood. But I live in a tropical country & never had any issues)
- Exhaust heat shield - TBA (Dont see the purpose of it since I changed it from dual to single, and it often makes those bee buzzing kind of noise)

Replaceable parts
- Stock exhaust (20.1kg) to Tomei Extreme TI (4.4kg) - lose 15.7kg
- Stock test pipe (6.75kg) to Speed Circuit (3.65kg) - lose 3.1kg
- Stock intake to ETS intake (I forgot to measure them...)

Total weight removed (not counting trunk stuff) - 35kg (77lbs).
With trunk stuff give or take I lose around 50kg (110lbs)

USDM Evo X i believe should you follow the same path i took will lose around 140lbs

Homework on weights that need to be removed:

- Weight around the driveshaft (Courtesy of Robevo)


- Weight under the intercooler (courtesy of ddawg1130)

- Fog lights (maybe... I kinda like the way they look)
- Some other small parts that I am currently still making sure safe to be removed.

Helpful links:

1. I learned a lot from Chetrickerman, good starts to read about weight removal My weight reduction thread

2. Simple video guide to remove the back seat
3. Detail guide on pretty much everything Evo X Service Manuals I recommend to check only on body, interior, exterior, body construiction and welded panel replacement articles if you want to focus only on reducing weight

4. What can be removed based on Ralliart Homologation: Lancer Evo X FIA Homologations

I take no responsibilities for any actions that you may do to your cars. I dont post often but I have received a lot of great information and tips from this forum, just thought I should try to provide something back

Any questions or if you have inputs on what else to remove, I will be more than happy to hear

ddawg1130

iTrader: (1)

Nice post!!!

Very good, simple, and easy to follow guide for people looking to do a bit of weight reduction without going crazy.

thanks!

robert316

interesting thread..good work

Jakartaboost

Updated: removed the lining/plastics from the trunk, surprisingly heavy at 2.5kg (5.5lbs).

Will drive in a bit to see if whether cabin noise is affected or not

Snagtooth

carbon fiber everything!

RevLimiter

iTrader: (6)

Replace OEM wheels with lighter wheels (Volk, Enkei,BBS)

Replace OEM rotors with 2 piece rotors.(MR version, Girodisc)

Replace OEM Suspension with a good set of Coilovers.

Dont have exact weight savings but seem simple enough that everyone can do or pay someone to do without compromising the car or breaking the bank.

spam2012

iTrader: (1)

1 gal of gas, remove airbags,you could drive naked or loose some weight yourself

MD@

iTrader: (7)

Watching driver weight might be a good idea as well vs the relatively small weight of engine covers and tow hooks.

Jakartaboost

Replacing oem rotors, wheels and suspension will not break the bank? In comparison to what, carbin fiber panels? Haha

Im 70kg, which is around... 155lbs? I has JDM weight

RevLimiter

iTrader: (6)

most people end up replacing or modifying these parts. So instead of wasting money on cheaper heavy wheels, you can shave off weight by making conscious decesions when buying these parts.
Enkei RPF1 is the best bang for the buck as far as wheel weight savings, Coilovers are not that pricey considering the benefit of them when you select the right ones, and rotors are another one with multiple benefits. And most of these parts you can find used and save even more money. but if your looking to spend No money, then i guess your stuck on removing headrest and other misc stuff until you can afford aftermarket parts.

Snagtooth

Its not my intention to high-jack this thread, but has anyone else considered body-molding their own body parts with carbon fiber infusion? My wheels have been turning and I can't stop. This UK-based company had some tutorials on YouTube (reccomend the 2 Part Hood they did for a fiat 500) search for easycompositestv. They even sell a kit on their site but I think I can aquire almost all the materials and equipent for much less.

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

The chassis of an Evo X is one of the strongest ever made (for a production car). Cutting into or replacing anything other than the hood, front fenders, roof, doors, and/or trunk would weaken the car to a large extent. It makes little sense to do this ... at least, not unless the car is caged properly - as in strut-tower to strut-tower with complete triangulation - and that isn't going to help reduce weight. Of the non-structural parts that I listed above, the parts to replace are the doors. The hood, front fenders, and roof are already pretty light and the trunk is in a location where weight-reduction is not very useful. Doors would be worth it, as long as you don't drive the car under conditions where weak doors and no cage might end up causing your death.

Snagtooth

@ Iowa999

I couldn't agree more with everything you've stated. One would need to properly engineer a proper cage with careful planning and consideration after a decision on which areas would be replaced with carbon. I'd imagine that if someone were to go-through with such a transformation they would have already removed much of stock interior: back seats, pillar covers, headliner, carpet, door panels etc. After such extremes why not just install a custom titanium cage? how much roughly would that cost? Lets see...

Depending on the grade: Gr1 Gr2 Gr3 Gr4 Gr5 Gr7 Gr9
The standard needed: ASTM B337,ASTM B338,ASTM B861,ASTM B862
You could get a diameter ranging from : 3mm-100mm
A wall thickness of 0.5mm-5.5mm

Minimum order of 5 Kilograms. You'd be spending: FOB Price: US $5-100 / Kilogram

I have no clue how to weld it, but it would be simple to bend and cut. Prob. mandrel bent.

~ More wheels turning...

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

For those interested in this, search and read up on what the Kerns did to their rally car (which is an Evo 8 or 9). The car is fully caged, of course, which gave them some options. They ended up eliminating the rear doors and creating a two-door with fiberglass panels from the B-pillar to the tail. It's absolutely brilliant.