We all want more power but...
Has anybody looked at removing items from the car to reduce weight?
I'm not too concerned with input on the safety aspect.
I'd like to keep it looking stock.
I know base seats will be lighter etc, but I'm looking at reducing weight without incurring any cost.
Things such as removing the hood insulation - I know some people have done this, any noticeable difference with engine temp, paint discoloration etc?
On previous cars there's always been a few items you can remove and the safety impacts are negligible.

 

I haven't given this much thought as I like my car comfortable and quiet. but back in my drag racing days the sound deadner was the first to go. You might want to look at is lighter wheels and tires which will also improve handling and ride comfort.

 

If our cars weren't so dang fine there would be a lot of stuff you could take out.
I have a 94 Suzuki Swift Gt that I just about completely stripped. The paper tar type sound deadening material alone was over 30 pounds. Then the carpeting, door panels and anything else that wasn't bolted down came out. Car sounds like a tin can on the inside but there was a noticeable difference in acceleration.
I don't see anyone going to this extreme on a Crossfire unless it was a BLACK one then I could see it happening. As a matter of fact I encourage BLACK Crossfire owners to do this.

 

Not trying to hijack this thread but what exactly does hood insulation do? Is it painted, clear coated under there, does it keep heat from hurting paint? Anyone had any bad experiences after taking it out?

 

I'm thinking mostly for noise control.

 

To keep the car absolutely stock and gain significant weight loss you can always lose weight yourself. I look at some of the weights some people toss around when they talk about fitting inside a Xfire and I think 'no way'. So lose weight, save your health, reduce gasoline consumption and your suspension will thank you.
PS onehundred80 weighs ......... Ta Daaaa 180 lbs, my goal is 175. I was 190 two years ago and the car does not seem any livelier.....pity.

 

I weigh in at 145lbs............fatty!! J/K

I've got a buddy that has a SRT-8 300C and literally weighs 400lbs and wonders why his car is so slow and he goes through brakes faster than most.


To the OP........there isn't much that you can actually take out of these cars to reduce any significant weight........without spending money. The seats don't weigh that much, the interior panels don't weigh that much, the hood insulation is like a feather and so on. The only way to shave real weight is to spend some/lots of money.........small lightweight battery, 2 or 3 piece lightweight wheels, two piece brake rotors, custom CF or fiberglass hood, CF racing seats, etc.

 

I agree with what Mopar said, You have to spend money to drop weight in our cars. Unless you have a limited... then just make it a base. lol

 

The car is already significantly lighter than most sports cars, such as the 350Z, Camaro, Mustang, etc.

-Sam

 

True but my buddy has a SRT caliber and those are something like 150lbs lighter then our car. A souped up mini van is lighter then our car!! I was shocked

 

Neon SRT-4=2900lbs
Caliber SRT-4= 3230lbs
Crossfire SRT-6(coupe)= 3220lbs(I weighed mine at the racetrack when it was stock)


The CSRT-4 is MUCH slower than a SRT-6 stock for stock and even if the 4 is modded there are still very few in the country that can beat a modded 6.

 

Base seats weigh in at about 30ish lbs. The limited/SRT seats are significantly more being that they are power.

I've got a set of base seats if anyone is interested.

The stock battery can be swapped for an Optima Red Top for about 12 lbs of weight savings. If you move it to the trunk area, even better.

Replacing the stock exhaust with a lighter alternative is a good way to save some weight. Our dual exhaust on a SRT saved 37 lbs.

Hood insulation is minimal and gives the car a more authoritive CLUNK when you shut the hood.

There is minimal sound deadening in the car that is not attached to an integral piece of the interior. The carpet is molded with the foam insulation. The whole lot weighs near 40 or so lbs, but if you remove the foam you lose the carpet.

The stock wheels weigh in at 26-28 lbs without tires. You can reduce this weight easily by switching to a lighter set of aftermarket wheels.

Upgrading brakes to 2 piece rotors and aluminum calipers saves a bunch of weight as well.

Other then that the next thing would be one off light weight suspension pieces and body panels.

I think a 2800 lbs Crossfire is achievable (mine is 3040 with me in it and a half tank) but at a decent cost and lack of amenities.

When I weighed it I had 17" wheels, custom exhaust, relocated Optiam Red Top, no spare tire stuff. Right now I have a partially gutted interior, Sparco Sprint Seat (12 lbs!!), no radio or speakers, wipers and motor deleted, and some misc stuff removed. I added the nitrous so that adds a little bit. I'm guessing I'm just under 3000 lbs.

 

my friend has a caliber srt as well. i was just as shocked as you were. but just by opening and closing the doors you can really feel how much less weight the caliber carries. we have all air bag extras in our cars too. O yea and i got beat by that damn Turbo Mini Van!haha

 

Mopar...dude, where are you getting your numbers? I have personally looked at the manual in the 'mini van' and it said 3098lbs.

And about getting beat by them, I'm staying just barely ahead with my mods. But his car is SOO easy to mod, I doubt I'll stay ahead for long. A simple stage 1 ECU tune, exhaust, intake and WG actuator from Mopar promises 12.5 in the 1/4!!
Yea, i too had to read that twice when i first saw it.

 

You can't always believe what you read in books/magazines*. I have several friends with CSRT-4's & NSRT-4's...........I owned 2 NSRT-4's and we race all of them at the local track.

CSRT-4 w/intake and S1 ECU runs 14.2@100 here in vegas.
NSRT-4 w/S3 Mopar upgrade and other goodies runs 11.81@118



*All cars run much slower than any magazine/manufacturer claims in Las Vegas. If you don't believe me just ask anybody that lives/races in California and then comes out and races in Las Vegas............they all leave wondering WTF just happened to their cars. lol

 

Stage 3 NSRT4's with Turbo Toys are really a fantastic car. I maen its a 11s 1/4 with no chance of warranty being voided because of parts haha.

If they would have stuck with the original Dodge Razor concept it would have been amazing... all that...but RWD and 300lbs lighter than the NSRT4.

http://www.allpar.com/model/concepts/dodge-razor.html

 

Depends on the stealership you attempt to service it at.............technically any part that has "Mopar PERFORMANCE" on it has no warrenty and can/will void your powertrain warrenty. The S3(and any other kits) have a 0month/0mile warrenty.

 

Yea, but we run in So Cal... so no worries about losing power

 

Wow skyshadow, I didn't know there is a minivan was lighter than our cars haha. And you say its turbo too haha. Perphaps the owner is a soccer mom/mechanic/race junkie? Im just throwing words together as i'm still in amazement.

-Sam

 

He is Special, I know that much! lol I think this is his first fast-ish car so he is super stoked about it. He knows little about cars though, I have been helping him as much as possible. I hardly see any SRT Calibers around, I would say they're almost as rare as our car.