pull out the a/c, smaller battery....

plexi windows

etc etc

 

Well, your starting with the worst possible version of the 1st gen. By worst, I mean its the heaviest. Stock dry weight was around 2500lb for a GSL-SE. A GS has a stock weight of around 2350lb. But being that the 7 is a unibody car, its tough to get it under 2000 lb without totally stripping every convienience out of the car, including essential parts. Unless your going for a full out racer, the best you'll get is probably 2100lb.

 

Still, consider its weight compared to newer cars that are supposed to be "sport. I knew I stuck in the wrong cars to compare ours to. Should've listed the Lotus Elise and Toyota MR2. New 2005 Elise weighs in at 1975, the MR2 at 2215. The 1st Gen's weight class I say is a really good package considering everything about it. And, providing you wanted to see how it scaled to real track-ready lightweight cars. (Altho I despise the MR2 but enjoy the Elise).

So, really, how light do you want to go?

 

+1. Mine is a '85 GS, and although these seem to be the less desireable models (at least compared to the SE's), you start out way ahead of the game. No power BS you have to tear out, for starters.

I swear I've removed a couple hundred pounds from under the hood of mine if you include the exhuast. No A/C, smog pump, hot start assist, cruise control, rat's nest, that stock exhaust manifold weighs a ton and a half, plus a bunch of other stuff. I've kept everything in a bunch of crates in the garage closet hoping to weigh it all out someday when I buy a scale. Maybe I'll just see if the neighbor has one I can borrow. I'll probably never buy one 'cause I'm naturally skinny.

But yeah, once you get into the mindset of "does it really need to be there?", then the weight really starts coming off. And that's just by removing the stuff you would never notice missing in the first place. If you're willing to make some sacrifices in creature comforts, then there are no limits.

 

Can some one explain this?? I have an 83 GS, the door sticker and registrations both say GVW 2800lbs. Now we all seem to know that its really 2350. Why do these say this? Im guessing that with the higher weight ratings, emmisions standards would be less strict?

Kind of like in the 60-70s car makers underrated the horsepower for cheaper insurance purposes.

On the topic however, I heard the insulation under the carpet weighs 20lbs itself. One night I needed to pull over with my friend on the highway, it just happen to be at a truck stop. When we were ready to go again I thought 'Hey why not?'

So I stopped on the scale. With both of us, and all the stuff in the back, the scale said 2650lbs. Not bad

Im 190 and my friend weighs about 150, Im not sure how much everything in back was (Gallon of water, backpack full of clothes, some food, ect...) say 20lbs. That means it weighs 2290, That was basically stock, minus muffler, air pump, a/c, exhaust sheilding. A little sure goes a long ways!

Ive noticed though, the lighter my car gets, the harder it is to stop going downhill in rain. The only side effect

 

GVWR is Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. You need to be looking at EW (Empty Weight) on your registration. What is interesting is that my GW and GVWR on my registration are both blank. Only my EW is listed. But, then again, my car is listed as a 2 door sedan (2D SDN). Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Maybe Virginia is a lot more dumb than I thought.

GVWR is the estimated total weight of a road vehicle that is loaded to capacity, including the weight of the vehicle itself plus fuel, passengers, cargo, and other miscellaneous items such as extra aftermarket parts.

EW is the weight of the car as it is, estimated. Basically the opposite of GVWR.

 

Things to remove:

Rats nest
Replace entire exhaust system (no thermal reactor)
Get rid of air pump (along with thermal reactor)
Get rid of entire a/c system
Get rid of spare tyre or replace with a space saver
Rip out rear seats (if you have them, otherwise get rid of those bucket thingos)
Take out all sound deadening
Replace electric windows for manual operated
Ditch power steering for non power (non power feels a hell of a lot better anyway)

Tidy up loom, a lot of it can be removed if you have no rats nest/aircon
Lexen/Plexyglass windows for the rear hatch and side windows.
13beef carbon fibre bonnet, headlight covers, door trims, washer jet panel.
Racing lightweight rims
Lightweight Bucket seats

There are other things you can remove (interiour trim, heating system, stereo) but that would be going a bit too far. I'd say even removing the sound deadening would be quite extreme considering it's only going to save a few pounds with increased interiour noise.

I'd say it's not impossible to get an FB to less than 1980 lbs

 

i heart carl and as much as i like carl i must agrea go and find everything that is not absolutly not nexxasary like stero spare wheel jack set tools and most important of all

go on a diet!

 

*laughs* my ex-g/f always did say I should lose a few pounds....


Here's some food for thought. With the way my local autocross rates cars and their modifications, I could modify pretty much anything I wanted about my car and as long as I don't do any weight reduciton, I can't gain enough points to be bumped up a class

So Cosmo 20bTT and fully adjustible custom suspension here I come! as long as I can add back enough weight to be over 2300 lbs! *laughs*

Jon

 

I have two RX-7's. Both SE's One is stock minus the AC (that was a stupid move saves 20lbs.), no heavy rear sound mat, and no spare tire (26lbs). It weighed, according to a rock quarry scale 2440 lbs with a full tank of gas. I weighed myself on the scale to see how accurate it was and it weighed high.

The second car weighs 2400 lbs with the rollcage. This was with no spare, no rear interior, no hood structure, fiberglass rear bumper (no aluminum) no radio, no speakers, has a/c but no a/c condensor, no airpump.

DO NOT REMOVE AC. The best lightweight mods IMO are
no spare,
no cats,
no tar stuff in the interior (25+ lbs. this can be replaced with dynamat where needed),
no big heavy rear mat,
no furry insulation (20+ years means musty smelling),
lighter hood if you can afford (stock is like 30+lbs)



I have wighed about everything on the car and I will post the list if I can find it.

If you have alot of money, time, and knowledge, research:

SPEED HOLES http://opera-performance.com/opera.htm these are holes drilled in key areas. They are camfered around the edges to help keep the rigidity.

 

dude why the scale didnt weigh you properly because it is ment for weights alot more than a couple hundred pounds. and btw didnt mean to take a attaack at you dudded just ment as joke glad you took it that way cus i look at it now and am like hmm that kinda came out rong.

 

You just gotta stop having Pepsi for breakfast every morning, Jon!

 

If it was manufactured today, it would be about twice that, what with the airbags and nav system and 14-way vibromassage power seats and 14 cubic feet of sound insulation.

New cars suck.

My Series 3 weighs 200lb more than my friend's Series 1 and his is fully stock with A/C while mine has been... altered. And his Series 1 weighs more than his 240Z, which weighs more than a Mk1 Escort, which was a FOUR SEATER.

A new Golf GTI weighs more than a '68 Olds Cutlass. And, you could get a kickass 442 with a cam so radical, from the factory, that that engine option had manual brakes mandatory since the engine didn't have enough idle vacuum for power brakes. The Golf just has some prissy little turbo four. How sick is that?

To make a long story short, the newer the car, the heavier it is. And good luck finding a cheap-to-free dogbone Escort, or even a Mk1 Capri.