weight reduction help

[johnathanf1lm]

i have a 2005 kia rio and I am looking for ways to reduce weight without making the car look stripped down or removing ac. i am a sucker for sound so i do have a sub woofer which i am currently getting a smaller lighter system

[redpoint5]

What is your typical driving conditions (stop and go, highway, etc). I find that weight does not affect my mpgs much.

If you want to reduce weight, remove your spare tire if you have tow insurance. My favorite suggestion is to loose body weight. Most Americans could stand to do this, and it has the double benefit of being healthy.

There really isn't much weight to loose on a car if you want to keep all of the comforts. Perhaps purchase magnesium wheels? Not worth the expense though.

[johnathanf1lm]

I just removed the subs out and I dont care about comforts more looks. And yeah I dont weigh much but christmas did have a little toll on me. Lol

[oil pan 4]

Switching to a lithium starting battery will save you at least 25lb.

[johnathanf1lm]

Any links? I know its lipo4 or something.like that

[Ladogaboy]

Even going to a lightweight AGM battery should save close to that amount. Odyssey batteries makes a 15 lb AGM battery, but it costs about $150 new. The lithium batteries are another option... I don't have a link though.

There is almost always a cost to weight reduction (beyond just the price, which can be very high), and the sad truth is, unless your car is a performance car, there are usually few non-do-it-yourself options. Even in the realm of performance cars, true weight reduction typically is relegated only to dedicated track cars. I could "easily" reduce my car's weight by ~ 400-500 lbs, but I'm not ready to drop the > $10,000 to do so.

[Old Tele man]

...all 'humor' aside, wonder what the weight "loss" would be if *hydrogen* (H2) were used to inflate all the tires instead of air?

...should work, at least for awhile, until the H2 gas eventually "seeped" out of the tires as it's known to do.

[mort]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...all 'humor' aside, wonder what the weight "loss" would be if *hydrogen* (H2) were used to inflate all the tires instead of air?

...should work, at least for awhile, until the H2 gas eventually "seeped" out of the tires as it's known to do.

Hi Old Tele man,
The amount of air in an average car tire is about 1 to 2 oz. If you replaced the air with a vacuum you could save almost 1/2 pound counting the spare.
-mort

[Old Tele man]

...I was thinking more about the exchange of "weight" of AIR for "lifting" of H2.

...what's the total volume of a tire? four tires?

...exchanging the 78%·N2+21%·O2 of air for 100%·H2, should have a "lifting" affect, albeit small.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...all 'humor' aside, wonder what the weight "loss" would be if *hydrogen* (H2) were used to inflate all the tires instead of air?

...should work, at least for awhile, until the H2 gas eventually "seeped" out of the tires as it's known to do.

The more H2 you put in, the lighter it becomes! Put 100psi H2 in those tires and you would have to put a brick on your roof to hold the car down. Blowouts would be reminiscent of the Hindenburg.

I have wondered what the weight reduction would be if helium was used instead of nitrogen; unsprung weight being more of a concern than sprung weight (unsprung being weight carried below the suspension). I imagined it was such a little difference that it wouldn't concern anyone, but perhaps in racing where every advantage is utilized...