[diabloadsit]

just to let you know from the post on the AC cutting off on WOT. Ok on almost all new model cars with in the last 3 years atleast. When you hit WOT the AC automaticly shuts off to give more power to the engine for "passing gear".

[JohnDoe1211]

I kinda speed read the passed few pages so forgive me if I say something you already have.

Cheap Things that i don't recall you listing:
Lightweight JDM bumper beam, TI exhaust, Lightweight axles, gutted interior ( specifically rear seats/trunk. Console n front will look bad and not luxurious at all but saves tons of weight) All the pulleys, clutch, lightweight durable motor/tranny mounts.

Expensive things that you prob wont do:
Forged lightweight internals, shortblock, and cylinder head/titanium valvetrain.

Things that prob can be done but will cost so damn much and have to be custom made:
A nice custom made lightweight tranny case, rear diff x-member, motor x-member, tranny x-member all made with a lighter metal such as Titanium or Aluminum ( dunno bout aluminum bein sturdy enough ). CF or Fiberglass body components such as fenders/doors/hood. Sti hood is already light enough.

Just think about virtually anything on the car that is heavy and if it can be redesigned in a lighter material... all weight savings right there if $$$$ is not a problem.

Thought i'd just let yah know even though you prob wont do half these things.

[EarlQHan]

Originally Posted by JohnDoe1211

I kinda speed read the passed few pages so forgive me if I say something you already have.

Cheap Things that i don't recall you listing:
Lightweight JDM bumper beam, TI exhaust, Lightweight axles, gutted interior ( specifically rear seats/trunk. Console n front will look bad and not luxurious at all but saves tons of weight) All the pulleys, clutch, lightweight durable motor/tranny mounts.

Expensive things that you prob wont do:
Forged lightweight internals, shortblock, and cylinder head/titanium valvetrain.

Things that prob can be done but will cost so damn much and have to be custom made:
A nice custom made lightweight tranny case, rear diff x-member, motor x-member, tranny x-member all made with a lighter metal such as Titanium or Aluminum ( dunno bout aluminum bein sturdy enough ). CF or Fiberglass body components such as fenders/doors/hood. Sti hood is already light enough.

Just think about virtually anything on the car that is heavy and if it can be redesigned in a lighter material... all weight savings right there if $$$$ is not a problem.

Thought i'd just let yah know even though you prob wont do half these things.

I believe he's still trying to make his car as daily driveable as possible (full interior is on the thread title and he's retained the AC). I think rather than something as expensive as titanium, chromoly may be a good compromise. I know the M1 chromoly subframe stiffens the chassis and manages to shave weight. Slightly off topic, but does anyone know the weights of the stock, Group N and Cusco aluminum motor mounts? I think even if a few lbs are gained in going with solid motor mounts, its benefits outweigh the weight gain.

I also think that lighter, stronger internals would net huge gains in freeing up power and increasing strength and reliability, but it really is not cost effective for an enthusiast level car.

Also look into cutting out unneccesary wiring.

[AnorexicSTI]

Finally some pics of the engine bay with washer fluid removal (T-lined into IC reservoir!)... also removed AC for 20 lbs weight reduction... car handles awesome!

[AnorexicSTI]

I've only got 1 more major bracket to remove from the engine bay... that 1 lb sucker underneat the ABS unit... I am going to replace it with stacked squares of double sided tape... to tape it to the body... I've already replaced the PS reservoir bracket (1/4 to 1/2 lb savings) with zip ties... look closely at pic296 .... but I will likely replace the zip ties with stacked double sided tape squares as well. In fact, down the road, I will work on a replacement reservoir and shorter hose system for the PS... I want to relocate it right above the PS pump... probably a tiny clutch MC reservoir would work. Less fluid, less hose, less fluid in the hose, lighter reservoir... should save 1.5-2 lbs and create more space in that area... I'm thinking for a custom CAI with direct induction from above with a hole in the hood.

[Ooie]

subscribing..

but at first glance... i dont think that the titanium exhausts contain any real Ti.

[STI5150]

Originally Posted by Ooie

subscribing..

but at first glance... i dont think that the titanium exhausts contain any real Ti.

uhh...glancing won't do you any good. You have to hold it in your hands then you'll be sure its really Titanium.

[Ooie]

I work with titanium every day. It just doesnt present like Ti.

What does Titanium feel like to you?

[bullittman68]

Umm I really don't wanna diss your project or anything, because I understand the goals behind all of this weight reduction. However, it just seems plain unsafe to me, and the gains in handling don't make up for the risks involved. i.e. bumper beams removed usually isnt a good thing if someone hits you. Also, the zip ties, double sided tape, and velcro are only going to last so long, and then what when they wear out? Like I said, I understand and respect what you are trying to accomplish, but IMHO I wouldn't be doing such drastic changes to my car for a 1-2lb savings.

[AnorexicSTI]

Originally Posted by bullittman68

Umm I really don't wanna diss your project or anything, because I understand the goals behind all of this weight reduction. However, it just seems plain unsafe to me, and the gains in handling don't make up for the risks involved. i.e. bumper beams removed usually isnt a good thing if someone hits you. Also, the zip ties, double sided tape, and velcro are only going to last so long, and then what when they wear out? Like I said, I understand and respect what you are trying to accomplish, but IMHO I wouldn't be doing such drastic changes to my car for a 1-2lb savings.

Thanks for your concern and no offense taken.

I do try to consider safety when making the mods. The zip ties holding up wires is not a safety issue. In fact, they are used all over the car by Subaru... the metal brackets just make them easier to stay in place and relocate by a mechanic when working on a car. Double sided tape holding up something like a PS reservoir isn't going to send me crashing if the reservoir comes loose. 4 zip ties holding the rad in place instead of 2 lbs of brackets IMO keeps the rad more stationery and even helps with cooling since no air can escape up the top. Bumper beams are not there for safety... more for reducing the cost in fixing low speed damage. If you go FMIC, u lose the front bumper anyways. A lot of people have removed bumper beams.

The battery velcro... I tested it over weeks... first versions came loose... but current version uses a stronger velcro and more of it... it's very stable.

yes, it's on the edge, but that's what makes the project challenging... I monitor everything to make sure it's safe... and if something needs "adjustment" I will do it. The zip ties are very strong and if they become brittle, they can be replaced for more critical things. Honestly though, 4 zipties holding in something like a rad is super strong. I ran like that for literally 5 years of racing in my 92 Civic... never once did I have a zip tie failure... even if 1 failed, there are still 3 more to hold it in. Ever try yanking on a zip tie to try to break it? They are pretty damn strong! Cops use them as handcuffs in a pinch! The Velcro and double sided tape... you need to get the ones with the super strong adhesive... If you clean the metal surface with alcohol before applying, that stuff sticks on like a motherf$cker... i had to use PLIERS to get some old ones off after "starting" it with a flat screwdriver as a chisel.. I use the thin super strong ones from Home Depot... Iwill have to get the official name, but it's stronger than the normal stuff. If the part it's holding is light enough, I don't see it ever coming off... the heaviest parts I am using the Velcro for are the battery and fusebox... everything else is like 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb... which a strong piece of velcro can EASILY hold in place... I've only got 5 1" pieces of velcro holding the battery and that is 9.5 lbs...

Double sided tape is a bit new for me... I'm still experimenting with it... i've been using the 3M... so far so good, but that is one item that if it got wet or dirty, could come loose... it is just a matter of monitoring everything while the hood is up... the only one that I'm really concerned about is the ABS unit on the passenger side... I suppose that COULD POTENTIALLY be a problem if it was loose...even though it has so many lines going into it that it probably holds it more or less in place without the bracket... so the double sided tape on the bottom wouldn't really have to do TOO MUCH... I'm pretty confident it will work...

All these little mods I think have added up to close to 50-60 lbs now... which is about 2% of the weight of the car. Very significant if you ask me.

[bullittman68]

Alright, I understand better now, and I can see that adding all of these little weight reductions together makes a difference. I guess I was overthinking, like with the rear door handles falling apart before you found the solution, that is something that would not be worth it IMO. But you seem to fix it all up pretty nicely. Although it looks like you are reaching the end of the easy stuff...now will be the fun part where you can really dig around and find more "useless" stuff to remove, lol. Have fun with it!

[AnorexicSTI]

Originally Posted by bullittman68

Alright, I understand better now, and I can see that adding all of these little weight reductions together makes a difference. I guess I was overthinking, like with the rear door handles falling apart before you found the solution, that is something that would not be worth it IMO. But you seem to fix it all up pretty nicely. Although it looks like you are reaching the end of the easy stuff...now will be the fun part where you can really dig around and find more "useless" stuff to remove, lol. Have fun with it!

it's actually quite fun... It all started when I removed the dash and carpet to see what I could take out one weekend.... I spent the WHOLE weekend finding little things to do... and then it just sort of took off from there... the sound deadener is 25 lbs in that car... and really does not make the car THAT much louder... but I LOVE hearing the sound of the engine under WOT... removing the sound deadener actually improved the driving experience for me... because if you leave in stuff like the carpet (only 6 lbs or so) and the seats (all acting as sound deadening), the car is not loud under cruise... which is more important... no droning or "radio static" or excessive roar... only that sweet sweet sound of the motor under WOT...

I'm gonna post up pics slowly... it's very time consuming... but I figure if I do a bit at a time, it will eventually get done.

PS with the rear door handles, u can remove a 1/2 lb anti theft bracket... it just makes it easier to "pry" the locks, but with an immobilizer, nothing in the car of value to steal, and a quick release steering wheel, I don't think too many thieves are gonna find my car attractive to steal... it would require towing to steal it.

[Ooie]

Just to support the double sided tape. We used 2 sided tape to mount aux lights onto our H1's in Bosnia. We NEVER had one come loose... infact when I had to bust off some of the lights it took the CARC paint with it. I also have used it to mount hella lights on my old pathfinder. I never had a failure due to the tape coming undone.

I hope that you dont sacrifice your safety and others safety for a few lbs of weight. I am suprised that your zip ties didnt chaff apart on your radiator. regardless of your experience, I still think you've been lucky with it.

Velcro and the battery... genius! It doesn't have any mobile weight. All you need to do provide and antislip friction surface.. and its stuck.

[mxpop]

velcro and battery dont belong in the same sentence... be careful.

btw, how does that batt work overall for you? weight?

[AnorexicSTI]

Originally Posted by mxpop

1. velcro and battery dont belong in the same sentence... be careful.

2. btw, how does that batt work overall for you? weight?

1. I know it sounds freaky eh? I guess I just like living on the edge... I have an idea for a lightweight Al bracket for the battery... the battery is the ONE thing that is quite heavy that I'm using Velcro for... but damn, every time I check it, it just doesn't move... worse case I can replace the velcro every year.. maybe even add more... it was fine on 4 velcro pieces... I added a 5th for added security... I COULD go all out and add another 2-3 pieces... maybe for a race for added safety, I could use a zip tie around the whole thing through some of the holes in the bracket underneath it. Zip ties rule!

2. It's been quite impressive... I killed it once working on my car with the door open... so the center light stayed on for about 8 hours and killed it... well not completely dead but just enough not to be able to start... but other than that, I've been able to listen to the stereo parked for 30 min. with no problem... I thought it may be a problem for the winter when it got cold... but it was -2 deg C here and it was fine... started right up. The fact I've lightened the pulley by 4 lbs and removed the AC may have helped with the starting... less mass to rotate when starting. It seems to start better than when I had the AC belt attached. It weighs 9.5 lbs, 2.5 lbs lighter than the standard Braille.