How light can you get an FC (what more can I remove?)
 

Hi. My FC Turbo currently weighs 2535lb (1150kg) with fluids, and would like to get it lighter still, as light as possible, and wondered what weight others have managed to get theirs down to (ideally cars with cages and lights still)?

Mine is totally stripped out, manual windows, no a/c, bucket seats, rollcage, FRP bonnet, bumpers, skirts, F+R overfenders with original metal removed, etc.

The obvious things left to save weight would be gutting the doors leaving just the skin, plastic side and rear screens (cant change front, despite it being a big weight saving), removing the headunit and 2 speakers (currently installed due to previous class rules), removing front seatbelts (have harnesses, but stock seatbelts there for occassional conveniance).

To be fair, that lot I mention I doubt would remove more than about 80lb, if that. What else is worth doing to an FC (apart from running a fuel cell or plastic front screen) to remove more weight than that?

Ideally I would like to get it down to 2300lb or so, but im not sure if thats even possible? Its a small car though :dunno::scratch:

Any info welcomed :) :icon_tup:

Remove your turbo and that should save you a good 80lbs. :hah:

you can remove alot weight by going 100% aftermarket on your exhaust. Run a single pipe, that saves some weight, get a lite weight hood, that helps.

Remove all the heater core and a/c parts under the dash.

I have mine down to 2100lbs.

enjoy!

aluminum hood?

Yes, very few Rx7's has this, but they do exist. I do not exactly what models have them, all I know is they are very different in feel ,when you lift them open. I would guess 30lbs difference.

Where did you weigh it? that seems like a push (not saying it has not been done).

I didn't know aluminum hoods were rare. I have a TII aluminum hood, and once upon a time had an NA aluminum hood.

The OP already has the hood covered; in England, an "FRP bonnet" = a "Fiber Reinforced Plastic" or fiberglass hood.

If you have not already done so, you could remove the sunroof mechanism, tracks, drip tray, and motor, then weld the opening closed with metal. This will supposedly save quite a bit of weight.

Aluminum hoods aren't really "rare," they're just only usually found on certain models. All TIIs were supposed to come with them from the factory (except a few stray cars that "accidentally" got steel hoods, allegedly due to supply shortages at Mazda), all convertibles were supposed to have them, all GTUs cars (though no GTU), and quite a few early NA cars had aluminum hoods. They are sought after because they are lighter, so people with steel hoods often swap them.

I weighed my car at the drag strip.

Fiberglass hatch with Lexan instead of glass.

yeah, the rear piece of glass is huge, a plastic (or lexan) replacement would save a lot of weight.

other than that you can take out your bumper supports (I'd only advise this if your not driving it on the street)

have you removed as much as you can from the engine bay? removing power steering, air pump, most of emissions can save you a lot of weight too.

Already got- Full aftermarket system (ERC stainless), no emmissions crap, no bumper supports, fibreglass everything (inc bonnet and front and rear fenders), the shell is a no sunroof model so has none of that at all, it has no heaters, or A/C, or blower mechanism left at all, literally nothing behind the dash- the car was built from a bare shell.

Car has a T04E with a tubular manifold, so cant even save weight by not running a cast one, lol.

Still has power steering but I want to keep that.

Lexan rear hatch is high on my priorities (I take it speedglass is the only place outside expensive jap ones to get them?).

Im amazed that car above is down to 2100 and mine is over 400lb more?! Maybe I should weigh mine again?!

he has an non-turbo. a good portion of that is probably just the differences in the drive train (beefier transmission and rear end) and the lack of turbo stuff (turbo, intercooler, piping)


you could also get a light weight flywheel and save like 15-20 lbs :)

do you have any pictures of your car? maybe we can just point to stuff that you can take out lol

Your weight does seem kinda high.
My 91 NA is fully dressed (power windows/sunroof/full RB stainless exhaust/full interior, etc) and with a full tank of gas weighs 2740 (on certified truck scales).
I'd think you should easily be more than 200lbs. lighter than my porker.

RMagic time attack FC - 2149lbs



https://i26.tinypic.com/2pu07qa.jpg

977kg! Man I would DREAM of being sub-1000kg! That be ridiculously quick, anyone got any ideas how they did that?

I guess you could remove the wheel well, but its not even full size on a FC so I cant see that saving much by replacing it with carbon or ali sheet.

This is my car, these pics are from when it was in Japan before I bought it, its the same now barring lighter seats and ive removed the stock seatbelts too...

http://www.powervehicles.com/dwpics/...nightsfc/4.jpg
http://www.powervehicles.com/dwpics/...nightsfc/8.jpg
http://www.powervehicles.com/dwpics/...ightsfc/11.jpg
http://www.powervehicles.com/dwpics/...ightsfc/12.jpg
http://www.powervehicles.com/dwpics/...ightsfc/13.jpg

As mentioned, I could gut the doors, and removed the 2 speakers and stereo headunit, but thats only a small amount of weight.

Any suggestions welcome, now ive seen the R-Magic cars weight im REALLY interested in removing more! :D

Don't know if you have an ABS system but I removed mine from my TII S5 as well as switched out the hubs to non-ABS hubs and saved some decent weight.

there is a company that makes fiberglass doors. and if you removed the door glass and window crank stuff, it could net you 30-40 pounds. replace with lexan but doesnt really look like that car needs side windows

Another thing is plastic headlight units, they are so much lighter than stock headlight units.

I have no ABS now, but the hubs have been modified so im reluctant to change them now!

Headlights is a good idea, I hate popups anyhow.

There are carbon and fibreglass doors ive seen available from Japan, but the price is crazy, over $2000USD delviered for fibreglass and a lot more for carbon!

carbon doors: http://www.rhdjapan.com/jdm-low/Supe...C3S-RX-7-51441
acrylic windows: http://www.rhdjapan.com/jdm-low/Rast...CT9A-GC8-60495

Exactly where I was looking, and look at the prices :eek:

Where can I get plastic headlight units? The RE-Amimiya lights are part of the front bumper setup arent they? Id like to keep my BN Sports bumper.

titanium exhaust? it seems that the most significant reductions are from going to alternative materials. FRP, carbon, kevlar, lexan. As long as the car isn't on the street, anything goes as long as you can afford it.

cuurently i got mine down to around 2400 and change after fully gutting it and removing the A/C system and shit, all i have interior wise is the dash, door panels, and a couple floor mats lol, i think doing mods like the clutch and flywheel will lose weight, and like everone else says, go with a aftermarket or custom single exhaust

As others have mentioned getting rid of the steel and glass will net you the most weight savings. Supernow makes some fiberglass and carbon doors. Speedglass makes lexan for the windows.

The fully stitch welded chassis on your car and 10 point cage add a bunch of weight... You've also got an lsd that is much heavier than stock. I know this is OT, but how much did it cost to get a the Sexy Nights D1 car?

For those who didn't know, this is the 2006 Sexy Nights D1 FC.
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