Weight Reduction

[jeffmsp]

Thinking it would be a good idea to post up simple ways to improve the weight of the MSP. As we all know weight loss improves every area of performance (braking, handling, acceleration) and also improves the "feel" of the car.

You wouldnt believe how much of a difference their is in the car's characteristics when you drop a bit of weight.

I know I dont have a "legit" setup to compare to as I have swapped in a 1.8l BP, but my list should give you guys some ideas.

Feel free to post up anything you feel is worth mentioning.

Heres my setup.

1. No AC system
2. No PS system
3. No Spare tire (I keep a tire inflator can and a CAA membership handy)
4. Removed trunk carpeting and faux wood floor
5. Deleted ECU and ECU kick plate (the MS unit weighs nothing in comparison and I mounted mine out of reach of peoples feet)
6. Lightweight crossmember (undercarriage)
7. Cut out thin metal shroud in front of rad to make room for future FMIC endtanks (nothing structural was touched)
8. Protege5 radiator (less capacity than MSP rad means less weight)
9. Thin wall SS intake piping (really light but easy to dent or ruin from overtightening clamps)
10. Lightweight 4-1 SS exhaust manifold (no heavy cast BS)
11. No EGR
12. No idle valve (thanks megasquirt)
14. No catalytic converters
15. No VAF/MAF


Anyways, I am hoping that with a quarter tank of gas and just me in the car that it will weigh in around 2700 or less.

IIRC stock is close to 2850 though there seems to be some debate on 100% stock weight.

anyways, get creative and post up some ideas.

some inspiration

"simplify, then add lightness" - Colin Chapman

 

[pw~mp5]

Battery http://www.fullspectrumpower.com/ http://www.braillebattery.com/
Wheels
Coilovers
Racing seats
Carbon Fiber Hood

 

[sm76]

Check out protege weight reduction thread. I weighed most parts I removed from the car and listed it in the first few posts.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123663837-Protege-Weight-Reduction&highlight=reduction


Your goal is simple to meet. With lighter wheels, tires, exhaust and coilovers my car was down to 2650 or so with the full interior and a 4-point roll bar. The listed curb weight is a little high for these cars.


Biggest items are exactly those listed by pw~mp5.

 

[jdwk]

Yeah I just started a thread a couple days ago because I found a scale very close to my house. 2980 with my 190 in it and 5 miles on a fresh tank.

The easiest savings would be to take the subwoofer and amp out. I took mine out to diagnose some rattles coming from the rear end, and I could feel the difference with just that 25 pounds or so out the back. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to put it back in, but it just doesn't sound as good without it.

It's expensive, but if my red top ever parts with me, I will be getting a Braille. I'll possibly mount it in the trunk, but running a bunch of 4 gauge cable through the car doesn't sound like my idea of a good time.

I actually just got a quote to repaint my hood due to 75k miles of rock chips and $250 was just the labor for R&R, so I am temped to just get a CF hood and have it painted. I have no desire to run around with a CF hood, but it seems like it would save a good 35 pounds or so, which would be very helpful on this car.

It's a fun balance, and interesting to see what some people are willing to live with in the pursuit of lightness. The topic pops up quite often on just about every car forum.

 

[jeffmsp]

cool thread sm76

good info jdwk im thinking of just getting a cf hood too as mine has the same chipping from rocks etc

some other things to add:

carbon fiber trunk
drill holes in shifter linkage
lightweight lug nuts
spoiler delte
slim fans

I wonder how much the power windows are adding compared to manual

 

[jeffmsp]

cool thread sm76

good info jdwk im thinking of just getting a cf hood too as mine has the same chipping from rocks etc

some other ideas to add:

carbon fiber trunk
drill holes in shifter linkage
lightweight lug nuts
spoiler delete
slim fans

I wonder how much the power windows are adding compared to manual

 

[sm76]

cool thread sm76

good info jdwk im thinking of just getting a cf hood too as mine has the same chipping from rocks etc

some other things to add:

carbon fiber trunk
drill holes in shifter linkage
lightweight lug nuts
spoiler delte
slim fans

I wonder how much the power windows are adding compared to manual

Here is my order of importance for weight reduction for a car that will be driven on the street because you can drop a lot of weight and still keep the car enjoyable. I liked having the stereo so I wouldn't have removed that.

Light weight wheels save about 35 lbs of unsprung rotating mass
Flywheel saves 11 lbs of rotating mass
Carbon Fiber Hood saves 21 lbs.
Coilovers save 26 lbs
Light weight exhaust saves 20 lbs
Light weight seats save 30 lbs
CF trunk with no spoiler saves ???
Medium sized battery can save about 10 lbs. Don't go too small because a daily driver needs enough enough reserve to deal with heat/cold and frequent starts.

That's about 170 lbs right there and the car is still perfectly streetable. Rear seat is another 30 if you want to do that.



That other minor stuff adds up, but I wouldn't compromise the strength of things like a shift linkage for a few ounces when you have big items like those listed above to take care of.

I also wouldn't go through the effort to go to manual windows for maybe 1 lb of savings. Each window, track, mechanism and motor is only a total of 8 lbs. not much room for savings there.

 

[jdwk]

My car had an Injen intake already in it when I bought, but I noticed a few metal brackets and heavy rubber support pad that maybe were there to support the stock airbox, but they weren't doing anything on my car, so I took them all out. In total they weigh maybe 3-4 pounds, practically nothing, but every little bit helps. However, I then had to run a 12 gauge wire from the battery to the engine block to stop the lights from dimming when the fans kicked on.

I also don't use washer fluid. I wash my car enough I've never needed to use it, so I emptied it. Even if I take a long road trip, I just clean off the bugs when I fill up for gas. A half gallon is about 4 pounds. Now that I think about it, I should probably remove the container and the motor for the sprayer as well.

I plan on replacing my clutch when it cools off here in the fall. Mine is fine and still chirps into second, but I figure at 75k miles a new one would probably be a noticeable improvement in feel. I am debating whether or not to get a lighter flywheel. I am not sure if I will like the feel of it since I am so used to mine. I've debated doing it in every car I've owned, but never actually pulled the trigger on one, because if I don't like it, it's not a simple job to put the old one back in.

 

[sm76]

See if someone near you has an MSP with a lightweight flywheel. It lets the engine change speeds so much quicker that it is a huge improvement in responsiveness. Launching requires a little more throttle or slip to get it moving, but it isn't bad.

 

[jdwk]

That's a good idea, but kind of a shot in the dark. I've ran into two MSP's in the 5 years I've had the car, and both times, I hunted them down to talk to them about their cars. One guy was pretty young, in school, so not a lot of money for mods. The other guy was probably in his late 40s and was totally stock, and probably thought I was a lunatic.

So not sure how I would find one with a lightweight flywheel, but I guess any protege would be the same, since I am worried about the normal, below boost launch. I guess I haven't even tried to see if there is a Phoenix club. I think there is a general Mazda owner's club. Yep, AZMC. Guess I'll start there.

 

[o0n8]

the gt spec 4 ladder bar that replaces stock takes off a decent amount. I think the trailing arms weigh less as well. The 505 intake mani feels about 30 lighter then the stock mani and of course lighted fly wheels and pulleys will decrease engine rotating weight and overall weight.

cf trunk with no spoiler netted me about 30lbs over the stock msp

 

[noyesboy]

That's a good idea, but kind of a shot in the dark. I've ran into two MSP's in the 5 years I've had the car, and both times, I hunted them down to talk to them about their cars. One guy was pretty young, in school, so not a lot of money for mods. The other guy was probably in his late 40s and was totally stock, and probably thought I was a lunatic.

So not sure how I would find one with a lightweight flywheel, but I guess any protege would be the same, since I am worried about the normal, below boost launch. I guess I haven't even tried to see if there is a Phoenix club. I think there is a general Mazda owner's club. Yep, AZMC. Guess I'll start there.

Im about to order a spec clutch from protegegarage and was going to get the 7lb flywheel as well but my friend has seemed to have talked me out of it, He was worried about daily driving it (which i dont care about you'll get used to it) and he didnt know if you would actually see gains from it, i think cutting 11lbs off of one of the most crucial parts for your tranny would net u some noticeable gain, but i have been debating on using that $350 on other mods what do u guys think, I have fmic, hard pipes,boost, wideband gauges, injen intake, j pipe back exhaust no cats, turbo timer, hks bov, intercooler sprayer, Safc(not installed yet) Either way i have to get a new clutch so im goin with a spec 1. I'm running 11ish lbs of boost too, but the elevation is crazy in Albuquerque, nm so 11lbs here is like 8-9lbs in amarillo tx

What other mods do u think i could get in place with 350 to 400 bucks

 

[jeffmsp]

drive a car with a lightened flywheel before you do anything. some people really like it, many feel like they ruined their car as it can be a real b**** in stop and go traffic. there is alot of easier ways to make the car faster than a lightweight flywheel and launching at the track is also something to consider if you are not an experienced driver/

before you do anything install the SSAFC and get it tuned. there are plenty of maps to start off from.

 

[noyesboy]

it turned out not mattering i had a huge blow out on i40 so i ended up replacing 2 tires, so spec clutch in route, i'll be hooking up my ssafc finely when my wideband gets back in should be here any day!!!

 

[jeffmsp]

well here is the latest list I came up with from my current BP05 swap. Im wondering what it weighs now.

If you know the answer to a ? or have any other good ideas aside from ripping out the interior or buying anything expensive let me know.


no ac in engine bay - 22 pounds
no PS, minimal fluid - ~15 pounds
smaller capacity rad (need actual capacity numbers of p5 and msp rad) ~3-5 pounds
no turbo, no cast exhaust pieces(S,J pipe), no intercooler ~35 pounds
smaller transmission ~10-15 pounds maybe more
smaller axles ~5 pounds
no spare tire 10 pounds
no under car brace ~10-15 pounds
battery Optima red + ~7 pounds
no splash guards 3 pounds
no amp or subs - 25 pounds
no carpet/mdf piece in the trunk - 3 pounds
no catalytics converters - ~15 pounds
no heavy cast exhaust manifold - ~20 pounds
no EGR or tube to IM -?
no IM support bracket - ~3 pounds
no power steering loop - ?
no turbo oil/coolant lines - ?
lightweight crossmember - ~15 pounds
205 tires - ?
no charcoal canister bracket - ~1 pound
no ECU kick plate ~5 pounds
+ 1 wiring harness, gauges, electrical connectors, grounding wires etc, and 2nd fuse box + ~10 pounds
no rear sway bar or brackets ~10 pounds
no vaf/maf -~3 pounds


debating on deleteing the rear speakers next as I only go back there to shag and
when you consider the weight of the speakers (easily as much as a CF hood reduces weight)
it seems like a no brainer

I also found a really low profile rectangular 1.5L container I am debating mounting under the passenger seat and using as the washer bottle resovoir to save a little weight and distribute it a bit better as having weight on the ends of the car isnt the greatest idea from my understanding.

not much left to remove from the engine bay lol

 

[HKPRO5]

Nice!

Take the speakers out... You need more room to shag. =)