Weight reduction mods?

One thing nobody has mentioned is windows. The glass and power window mechanisms are very heavy. I wouldn't suggest not running windows but manual window cranks are a lot lighter. And replacement of the rear window with a proper grade of lexan or speedglass would drop more weight than most of the mods listed here.

Also a flowmaster hushpower muffler is light and a lot less obnoxious than a straight pipe.

 

Has anyone suggested removing a couple lug nuts off each wheel? Win/win by reducing rotational and unsprung weight.

 

Wtf are y'all doing this shit for???? All the money spent on these pointless weight reducing mods will never ever ever be recovered with fuel savings or lower maintenance cost for brakes. LMFAO. Dumbest shit I've heard is the window cranks... really?!? Shoulda just bought an old ass beater that doesn't have creature comforts to begin with.

Unless you're building a race truck most of this is hella dumb. Think!

 

Remove all of the doors and hood

 

Agree. This thread has DUMB written all over it.

 

I'm sure somewhat said this at one point in here but, rotating mass. Lighten the wheel and tire setup.

 

My one and only weight reduction mod is to leave the wife at home when I drive.

 

http://www.rcramer.com/fun/econobox/

 

Back in the day and still used today is a hole saw and drill out holes in sheet metal and brackets in non load bearing areas

Just like what I do in Drag Racing is for every 100lbs lost in weight of the vehicle is worth 0.03 reduction in ET in the 1/8th or 1/4 mile

As an example I've removed over 300 lbs in my Street /Strip car

 

Funniest part of this thread is fact all the haters just prove how little they actually know about performance.

Maybe they should google what an aluminum flywheel does for ya. Or maybe why they shave ring gears for rotation mass reduction.

 

Some serious weight to drop in the rear bumper. Tow package receiver hitch plus stock bumper weighs 93 lbs (about 54 of which is the hitch and its fasteners/hardware). If you stick with the factory bumper you need to replace the hitch with brackets for non-tow package trucks (the hitch actually holds up the stock bumper) but you'd probably still knock off a good 45 lbs doing that.

I went with a AP aluminum rear bumper including side panels which was only 38 lbs all together. So this was a rare case in which a mod removed 55 lbs from the truck.

 

I think the point is that it's a Tacoma.

 

Point is: if you add a shit ton of weight you loose performance and fuel economy. Add sliders loose the power windows. Evens things out.

I did this with my jeep. I got rid of the hard top and added a swing out tire carrier and bumper. And on and on....

 

Some people just enjoy the idea of seeing if they can make their vehicle lighter, just because it's a fun challenge, with zero expectations performance wise. All the herp-da-derp-everything-is-dumb folks need to lighten up heh heh. Get it? Lighten. up. I'll be here all week, thanks!

 

Ba-boom-tsch!

 

Cranking windows by hand is so hard!

I know when my last vehicle was on the decline and all four windows stopped working I would have been happy to crank.

I think the point of the thread is - in the midst of all the mods and creature comforts a smart modder should take into account weight and its distribution.

 

First gen tacoma but i thought this would be relevant...I like the stock tailgate but it is heavier than expected and I also didn't want to drill holes into it if i want to anything so I built this tailgate out of superstruts and an 1/8" diamond plate. Reduced 23 lbs-nothing significant but I really didn't like storing my traction boards on the roofrack after a muddy day either.

 

Tailgate, tow package, sway bar, back seat, tires and wheels.

 

Anyone consider a battery swap to something lighter? The existing information is scarce, and some vendors claim drop in replacements. I am in the process of deciding on ice vs electric cooler, so I might have to go to a deeper cycle battery anyway.

 

Do you know how much the back seats weigh?