2012 Weight Reduction Mod

Has anybody already done this on the 2012 yet? Honestly the idea spawned when I tried taking off my tailgate and there was a black wire attached to the inside preventing me from doing so. I don't know if this applies to any older models Also bent my rear bumper so I'm just going to remove it! This is my first mod, I have a list of other things to take care of (Air Filters, Suspension, Breaks) I have no real technical skills or experience to speak of, but I can't wait to get started!
Any constructive advice is welcome! Thank You!

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Weight Reduction Modification
2012 Stock Automatic Regular Cab 2.7L

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To remove as much "unnecessary" body parts as possible, for better mileage and a "bare-bones" or "skeleton" look.
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Tailgate: Looks like the new model has some kind of wiring in the tailgate, there are no lights connected that I can see, anti-theft protection?

Front/Rear Bumpers:

Doors:

Roof:

Spare: Only removing this for the scale.

 

The black wire connected to the tailgate was probably the camera. Why remove the spare? (Never know when you're gonna need it) You going to unbolt the bed? Sounds like you have truck bulimia...

 

Wow.

 

Help I got a truck and a din't realize that they don't get good mpg's

 

Losing all that stuff isn't going to get you a huge increase in milage. The wind turbulence created by not having all the stuff work as the engineers intended to direct air flow while in motion may actually cause you to lose some MPG. Also, the margin of safety and energy absorbtion during a crash will be nonexistent if you remove too much.
Remember, an automaker can save millions of dollars per year just by NOT installing some little 15¢ thing on every vehicle... everything on it is there to serve a purpose of some kind

 

I personally would not go about doing this, if your ultimate goal is mileage, doing so in a truck is not your best starting platform. noble idea, but if I were you, I would not attempt to continue this venture any further.

maybe buy a cheap honda beater or something, sure you lose some cool points, but you can always buy more later w/ all the money you save on fuel

 

I'd start by removing all the glass, interior, then doors, followed by the hood, bed and cab. Don't forget the front clip but leave the radiator.
Something kind of like this:

 

For better mpg's move to synthetic oils, inflate your tires to 39psi, and get a bestop or something like it.

OR

Tailgate: Replace with netting shit? or remove completely

Front/Rear Bumpers: Aluminum Front and Rear bumpers

Doors: Tube Doors

Roof: Cut hole and install moonroof/sunroof

Spare: switch steel wheel with alloy wheel

 

This is what i'm planning to do , I saw a picture online with tube doors, but I didn't think of the netting tailgate until i started dreaming about my future truck
I'm already using synthetic and check my tires frequently.

 

in regards to the front bumper, you'd actually be adding weight, as the front bumper cover is not any type of steel, its some sort of plastic, unless you made it out of aluminum foil, i don't see much weight savings

 

Tube doors? Net tailgate? Cutting roof to add a sunroof?

This is a terrible idea.

 

Tail gate off causes your mpg to go down just FYI... So will tube doors and a sun/moon roof will weigh more then the thin metal that is there... Terrible ideas in this thread...

 

Its a heavy truck, not a sports car......

 

Ride around with a quarter tank of gas or less where ever you go

 

This is true, I was just throwing that idea out there. I don't really know the point to this thread, but if he was looking for lightweight replacements, aluminum is the way to go.

OP asked for constructive advice about weight reduction, and I threw some ideas out there that are regularly discussed on this forum. I'm not saying these are good ideas, he asked, and that's what came to mind. I agree with the other comments, if you want great MPG's buy a car.

And there's no way that tube doors weigh more than stock doors, and a moon roof can't weigh much more than the roof itself.

Granted this is a 1st gen, but there's nothing to them.

 

That's DEstructive advice. The tube doors will let air flow INTO the cab, instead of around it, which will cause a huge amount of drag, lessening MPG. I don't think tube doors are legal for on-road use, anyway?

Moon roofs way a lot more than the steel removed to replace them. You are cutting the structural integrity of the roof out to replace it with a piece that is non-structural and has no strength. You have to reinforce the roof to support the new piece and keep body integrity.

So it does weigh more, and the tube door idea does more damage than good.

 

Glass is heavy ... He is worried about mpg due to weight tube doors are going to cause air flow issues that will out weigh any weight reductions... Same goes with tail gate .

 

Geezus, I'm just throwing ideas out there to get the ball rolling. Good, Bad, Ugly, put them out there and let the OP decide whats right for him.

I mean who doesn't want to see the OP rockin' tube doors, aluminum bumpers, and a fuckin' moonroof?!? HAHA

 

Drill "lightening holes" in the frame and all suspension parts. Remove all the metal panels you can, throw away what you don't need, and drill holes in the rest. Remove stock interior down to metal and use aluminum seat pan with no padding. Remove spare. Remove all plastic cladding from engine bay. All you really need is a motor, frame, tires, wheel, seat, and pedals.

 

Someone who isn't having fun at the expense of someone else's impending bad decisions..

I'd like to see the OP shed some weight if that's his goal. But I don't think he knows how to do it, and the suggestions made to him (and his acknowledging that those are the mods he was considering already) show that he has the complete wrong idea of how to accomplish this. And your suggestions say the same about you.

Tube doors are for visibility for wheeling, they're not safe for on-road use and I still suspect to be legally questionable for street use. Sure they're lighter than stock doors, but they aren't a door, and a door is more than a way to get into a car. You will lose a ton of MPG by removing the doors. You will lose the structural integrity of the body by removing the roof and not adding WAY more weight in strengthening. You will lose MPG by deleting a tailgate, or replacing it with a net.

This is common sense stuff. Hacking up a truck is not something people suggest to other people when neither know what they're doing.