WEIGHT REDUCTION/SIMPLICITY DETAILS |
Weight Reduction Projects
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My Philosophy I am a firm believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). The less parts there are, the less there is to go wrong. I also love the feel of a lightweight car. If you've ever driven a Lotus Elise, you know how critical keeping the weight down is. Adding horsepower improves acceleration and top speed. Improving the brakes decreases stopping distance. Upgrading the suspension improves handling. Using stickier tires improves traction at the cost of tread life. Reducing weight improves everything! Acceleration, braking, cornering, parts life, tread life, all of them improve dramatically as weight is reduced, and the "feel" of the car improves greatly. Drive a 3500lb Camaro around some corners, then jump in a 2200lb Miata and do the same. The Miata has that "feeling" of control and precision which isn't captured by road test data alone. Part 1: Completed Projects
Power Steering I don't like power steering because of the "feel". In addition to increasing weight and complexity, power steering numbs the feeling you get through the front wheels. The beauty of a lightweight car, and especially a mid-engined version is that you don't need power steering, even in parking lots at slow speeds turning the wheel is not difficult. On a 4000lb land yacht, power steering is a necessity, unless you care to look like Popeye, from manhandling the steering wheel around in parking lots. Eliminating the power steering also freed up a considerable amount of space in the front trunk for storage. The decision to remove my MR2's power steering system was not a difficult one. Air Conditioning I hate air conditioning, even on the hottest of days I refuse to use it. A/C systems weigh a lot, often over 60lbs, and they parasitically rob horsepower. They are ridiculously complex from a wiring standpoint on the MR2, and its almost hard to believe how many parts of the car this system snakes through. It was an easy decision to make to dump the whole A/C system. Removing the entire air conditioning system was one of the most difficult things I've done to the car due to the massive amount of rusted bolts holding it on. Airbags The MR2 uses the first generation airbags which deploy with incredible force and have been known on many occasions to cause serious injury to the driver. They are really more of a safety hazard than a safety device. The airbag system is pretty heavy and adds complexity. I also hate the feeling of a heavy steering wheel, so I purchased an aftermarket steering wheel and hub, and completely removed the airbag system, from the sensors to the computer, to the steering wheel, even the wiring. Cruise Control The MR2 uses a complex system to control the cruise control system. I do actually like cruise control on long trips, but its an easy choice to delete it when you think about how many stupid wires and electronic components are employed to make it work. Not to mention mine didn't work in the first place. Removing it saved a decent amount of weight. Body Panels The hood and the trunk lid on the MR2 are especially heavy. The hood weighs 31.4lbs stock, and the trunk lid with the '91-'93 wing was 29.6lbs. I bought a Border-style vented carbon fiber hood, which weighs 7.0lbs. I also purchased a carbon fiber trunklid, weighing 5.0lbs, and I'm running the car wingless. The stock wing is virtually useless to aerodynamics because it is mounted rather low and the notchback design of the rear disrupts airflow over the back of the car. I'm not adding any kind of wing at this time, as I don't wish to spend money on one, don't like how ricey the effective ones look, and I kinda like the wingless look. One other thing I did was cut out the metal re-enforcement and rain guards on the inside of the NA-engine lid, saving several pounds. If I wasn't cheap I could have bought an aftermarket fiberglass one, but I have different plans for the engine lid on the car. Drivetrain-Related There are several parts here that saved me a lot of weight back when I had the 3sgte. The exhaust system is terribly heavy and restrictive. Because of stupid emissions laws, two catalytic converters were used in the turbo models, and the exhaust system is simply a behemoth of cast iron and steel riding under the whole trunk. Going to a downpipe and straight pipe out the back of the car with a couple small mufflers saved a ton of weight and freed up some nice horsepower. There are a ton of very heavy brackets in the engine bay, which if you are really anal about weight, you can replace with lightweight versions. I removed a few unnecessary ones and replaced a few more. Radiator I developed a leak in my radiator, so I decided if I was replacing it anyways, I might as well have an aluminum one made up which I could angle upward to allow my vented hood to be more effective and minimize air under the car. The stock radiator air is dumped right under the front of the car, increasing lift. The aluminum radiator saved a few pounds, but not many. Its more of an aero modification. Also, because I removed the air conditioning, it was then only necessary to have one radiator fan instead of two. The radiator fans are beastly objects with heavy steel shrouds. I decided to simply use an aftermarket plastic radiator fan, reducing a decent amount of weight. |