Tags – Ways to Reduce Car Weight
By taking a “less is more” approach and reducing the weight of your car, you can actually enhance its performance and gain more speed on the track.
In simple terms, putting your car on a diet improves every performance aspect of your car.
For instance, less weight means your car accelerates quicker and it is easier for the brakes to slow the car down.
In addition, reducing the weight eases the pressure on the suspension, giving more control to the tyres to turn during steering as removing weight from higher up lowers the centre of gravity for better handling.
So, a light car is a fast car, but how do you reduce the weight?
Here are 4 effective ways…
1. Interior
Starting with the obvious, remove anything random you don’t need inside the car; e.g. ditch the spare wheel and jack.
Next you could take out the carpet, underlay and back seats, which could save you around 25kg.
In addition, you could remove the passenger seat (especially if these are electrically adjustable) as well as replacing the driver’s seat with a lightweight racing seat.
Keep in mind though, if you are removing some interior parts the car still needs to be legal for street use.
For instance, we suggested removing the spare wheel, but removing airbags would not be an option.
Lastly, if you can live without driving with music, strip out your stereo, particularly if you have amplifiers and sub-boxes.
2. Wheels
Standard alloy wheels are often made from an aesthetic point of view rather than looking at performance, and they can weigh a lot!
Typically, standard 18 inch alloys can weigh up to 12kg each, however there are lighter options that can weigh as little as 7kg, which may not sound like a lot, but will reduce the weight of your car overall.
One reason being, lighter wheels will reduce the rotational mass of the rims and therefore the suspension won’t need to work as hard – and you’ll see an improvement in acceleration.
3. Windows
Now we’re not saying get rid of the windows entirely – unless you aren’t using your car for leisure.
Whilst glass windows offer protection and help with aerodynamic features, switching to plastic can save you up to 25kg – plus, they’re cheaper to buy too.
With that in mind, consider switching to Plexiglass or Perspex, which is 50% lighter than glass, however it will be more susceptible to scratches.
4. Body Panels
If you’re serious about shedding some serious car weight, then it’s worth considering swapping your heavy steel or aluminium body panels with fiber reinforced plastic.
Whilst they may not always be the cheapest, carbon fiber is the strongest and lightest alternative, and can be used on the bonnet, front wings, boot lid and even the roof.
At the same time, carbon fiber will not look as sleek as carbon, but if you consider how much money you would spend on a paint job to fix dents and scratches – it quickly becomes a worthy investment.
Final Words
Although a lighter car can boost performance, unless trying to shed off milliseconds is your goal, we wouldn’t recommend stripping your car too much as it could become uncomfortable, noisy and not very nice to look at; spoiling your overall experience and enjoyment of the car.
To learn more, please get in touch with us today.
In the meantime check out our Vehicle Weight Checker Solutions.
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