Weight Reduction

[BFPW]

I really would like to have a nice little turbo or supercharged setup, but unfortunately being a poor college student I do not have the money at the moment to give my car the kick that it needs.

So with that in mind I figured that, for the time being, I would go in the opposite direction by decreasing the weight. I'm sure there are people here who have done it, and I was wanting to develop (with some help) a plan of sorts to get started.

I never really cared about comfort...BUT I do not want to just rip things out at random. I want to be able to at least put the car back together if/when I decide to in the future.

Anyone have any experience? Tips?

[Electro]

Simple enough... just keep everything for when the time comes that you decide to go back to stock. Although, selling the parts that come off can make up for some of the budget. There are a lot of lightweights around... 2,061 lbs. here at last weigh in and have lost a few more since then. Comfort and noise go to the wayside... its a give and take relationship.
"If it falls to the ground, it is too heavy to be on the car" - That was my mindset for awhile. I've since added a few things back in, but merely for function.

[jrj512]

Plenty of ideas here.

Don't forget about the driver.

[BFPW]

Simple enough... just keep everything for when the time comes that you decide to go back to stock. Although, selling the parts that come off can make up for some of the budget. There are a lot of lightweights around... 2,061 lbs. here at last weigh in and have lost a few more since then. Comfort and noise go to the wayside... its a give and take relationship.
"If it falls to the ground, it is too heavy to be on the car" - That was my mindset for awhile. I've since added a few things back in, but merely for function.

2,061lbs...is that with you in it? I assume that it is. How much gas?

Plenty of ideas here.

Don't forget about the driver.

Thanks for the link. I'm about 170lbs.

[BFPW]

One thing is that I don't have much money to spend, so I'm not going to be able to get the aftermarket race seats or lightweight wheels, etc etc...

[OZMDD]

If you are very tight on the budget, going light is definitely the correct approach to increase performance. Also, the used market is your friend. I see really cheap race seats on CL all the time for $40-$50. They aren't comfy or pretty, but they are light and cheap. If your goal is anything more than street fun and an occasional autox, you probably can't afford the safety requirements anyway. (Roll bars/cages, harnesses, tires, wheels, race suit, helmet,etc.)

[onething]

There's a guy that can definitely tell you what to remove and what to NOT remove.

Paging Treibenschnell, Mr. Treibenschnell

[Titus]

There's a guy that can definitely tell you what to remove and what to NOT remove.

Paging Treibenschnell, Mr. Treibenschnell

I heard that he sold all of his worldly possessions and moved to Tibet to become a monk.

[onething]

I heard that he sold all of his worldly possessions and moved to Tibet to become a monk.

That is sooo 1990's

He's over that and studying to be a lawyer now.

[Jiggerachi]

I do know there's significant weight to be saved with the airbags(if you have a 94+). The passenger bag has a sturdy metal frame that extends pretty far under the dash and was surprisingly heavy. That plus all the wiring and sensors, can't comment on the difficulty of the latter since I haven't gotten to mine yet.

The carpet and plastic bits are probably the most obvious. But this will make your car louder than you think so if you have any love for road tunes be cautious here. I have only my rear deck carpet out at the moment, with the insulation still in place and i'm amazed at the road & drive train noise this has caused.

[Jiggerachi]

http://targamiata.com/tags.php?tag=weight%20loss

I stumbled across this on Miata.net looking for something unrelated. Didn't read through all of it, but probably would answer a ton weight loss questions.

[SirHustlerEsq]

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/

/thread

[modernbeat]

If this is your daily driver, and you eventually want to be able to put everything back to stock, I'd advise to leave things alone. Without spending some money for lightweight replacement components there really isn't much you can strip off a Miata and keep it appealing as a daily driver.

If this was a track car, or a weekend driver, I'd say start cutting.

[channelmaniac]

I heard that he sold all of his worldly possessions and moved to Tibet to become a monk.

???

[Treibenschnell]

Yes?!

My little BUR is now my daily driver... stripped out and all.

The only thing I've added has been a hard top. You're more than welcome to come by and see it.

[BFPW]

http://www.lightweightmiata.com/

/thread

Thanks!!!

[BFPW]

The only thing I've added has been a hard top. You're more than welcome to come by and see it.

That would be nice. :)

[BFPW]

I took out some random things today...

-center console/cup holder
-both sun visors
-window washer container w/ pump
-floor mats
-all the junk out of the glove box and trunk
-carpeting in the trunk
-shield for the gas tank tubes in trunk
-foot rest next to clutch pedal
-all the spare change

I also tried to take the passenger seat out, and I was able to get all but one bolt removed. The last one was stubborn. I even tried some seafoam on it that I had left over, but to no avail.

I am pondering if I should remove the spare tire and jack. It would save a significant amount of weight, but I don't want to be caught stuck on the side of the road and having to bug a friend.

[Matt V]

The seats are probably one of the heaviest items in the car. My Bride replica seat is easily half the weight of the factory seat if not more than half.

[Electro]

2,061lbs...is that with you in it? I assume that it is. How much gas?

No. Just the car with 1/8 tank of gas. Mainly for grins one day at the TXMC just to see where my efforts have gotten me.