Protege Weight Reduction

Bump for an old thread.
Should there not be a list of things in the trunk (spare wheel, jack, carpeting, that wooden floor panel, etc.?

Great info btw!
 
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Bump for an old thread.
Should there not be a list of things in the trunk (spare wheel, jack, carpeting, that wooden floor panel, etc.?
Out of curiosity; does the "P5 exhaust manifold" include the precat and jpipe?

Great info btw!

~25 lbs
 
Just did some quick calculations and my car weighs roughly 2500lbs in "AutoX trim" (not including me of course :P).
Considering most of the weight loss is nearer to the rear of the car, no wonder my car is so tail happy (especially when considering the mods I've done) as the weight distribution is ~65/35...

Edit: add me to the mix and it becomes 68/32, and a passenger means 70/30!!
 
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Just did some quick calculations and my car weighs roughly 2500lbs in "AutoX trim" (not including me of course :P).
Considering most of the weight loss is nearer to the rear of the car, no wonder my car is so tail happy (especially when considering the mods I've done) as the weight distribution is ~65/35...

Edit: add me to the mix and it becomes 68/32, and a passenger means 70/30!!

Get you a couple fat girls for the back seat. (lol2)

On the real tho, battery relocation could help a little bit... make it more like 62/38 vs. the 65/35... Depends how heavy your battery is, tho; my Optima redtop is a ******* anchor... lol It's gotta weigh ~40lbs or so...
 
Bump for an old thread.
Should there not be a list of things in the trunk (spare wheel, jack, carpeting, that wooden floor panel, etc.?

Great info btw!

If you have the weight for these components, I'll add them. I didn't have them in my car when I started weighing stuff.
 
Get you a couple fat girls for the back seat. (lol2)

On the real tho, battery relocation could help a little bit... make it more like 62/38 vs. the 65/35... Depends how heavy your battery is, tho; my Optima redtop is a ******* anchor... lol It's gotta weigh ~40lbs or so...
My scale is analog and not super reliable, but it would be better then nothing. I'll see what I can do in the near future
If you have the weight for these components, I'll add them. I didn't have them in my car when I started weighing stuff.
Been thinking about it for a year but still haven't done it. It's on my "future project list", but yes it would definitely help with weight distribution, which is more important then the added weight of the cables that go to the rear of the car. And yes the redtop is quite heavy... but I'm not buying a Braille until they make an affordable one that is good for DD...
 
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My scale is analog and not super reliable, but it would be better then nothing. I'll see what I can do in the near future

Been thinking about it for a year but still haven't done it. It's on my "future project list", but yes it would definitely help with weight distribution, which is more important then the added weight of the cables that go to the rear of the car. And yes the redtop is quite heavy... but I'm not buying a Braille until they make an affordable one that is good for DD...

Ya, I've thought about that too, but the CCA's are just too low for going through a winter, here. Also, just FYI, those Braille batteries are just re-badged motorcycle batteries; Read this (good info):
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2353060

^So, save your money and get a Deka battery instead. ;)

Also, I don't have a good reliable scale; but I can throw my spare and jack & other trunk stuff on a bathroom scale, if you guys want. It should be somewhat accurate...
 
So I was just looking into it and they do have a 15lb one that is good for DD which would be alright... but I don't need a new battery yet as my redtop still delivers years after I first bought it. I'll go through that link though :)
 
ucMP3 - A bathroom scale would be fine for those. If you could do each part separately it would be better. The list is just to give people an idea of what is worth removing and what might not be worth it to them.


Just an aside. Weight reduction is much more important than F/R weight distribution. As long as you corner weight the car correctly it will handle well. Even with 140 lbs of balast my car is still 58/42 for F/R distribution.
 
ucMP3 - A bathroom scale would be fine for those. If you could do each part separately it would be better. The list is just to give people an idea of what is worth removing and what might not be worth it to them.


Just an aside. Weight reduction is much more important than F/R weight distribution. As long as you corner weight the car correctly it will handle well. Even with 140 lbs of balast my car is still 58/42 for F/R distribution.

That's pretty evenly distributed...
 
^no kidding! The ballast he added in his car is a big factor there though (and helps me understand how his car is so "heavy" after he removed so much, despite adding a big cage)

Read the entire thread on VWvortex... that etx20L sounds quite attractive for a quick and easy 20-25lbs weight saving, especially since my car shouldn't ever see a winter again. I do have a trickle charger as well to keep it good over the winter :)
 
^no kidding! The ballast he added in his car is a big factor there though (and helps me understand how his car is so "heavy" after he removed so much, despite adding a big cage)

Read the entire thread on VWvortex... that etx20L sounds quite attractive for a quick and easy 20-25lbs weight saving, especially since my car shouldn't ever see a winter again. I do have a trickle charger as well to keep it good over the winter :)

Nice. That's the same battery I had looked at b4, too. Just decided it wasn't worth the hassle during the winter, because I highly doubt that thing would turn the starter over when it's under 10 degree F.
 
Just an FYI, I weighed my car recently. With me in it, it was 2940lbs. I weigh 250#s. The car has the sub, amp, spare, and tools removed. To note, I have a one gallon methanol tank added.
 
Great read. Looking forward to putting the protege on a diet :)

I don't drive mine on a daily basis anymore but I do still drive it to the track so I'll be slightly limited with what I can do.
 
Weighted my car last week. 2653lbs no driver

Corbeau seat
No A/C system
Optima Battery
 
Weighted my car last week. 2653lbs no driver

Corbeau seat
No A/C system
Optima Battery

do you have both driver and passenger seats? and what sear rails? I have the wagner ones and they are actually pretty heavy.


Corbeau A4 seats, driver and passenger
 
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