Someone PM'd me with this question (name removed to protect the innocent):
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hey im ********** and i have a civic vx, im wondering if i get carbon fiber fenders, doors, hood and trunk would that increase my mpg, i get 40 right now. here's the catch all of that cost like 3000 dollars in by next year i will be striping out the car.
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Yup, lightening a car will improve fuel its economy. A bit.
If you want, you can estimate the effect of weight on steady state MPG by plugging the car's numbers into this tool:
Aerodynamic & rolling resistance, power & MPG calculator - EcoModder.com
The effect will be less pronounced on the highway than in stop & go driving, but it will get better in both environments.
As for the cost, I assume you're wondering about cost/benefit. $3k invested in lightness won't pay for itself in fuel savings in any reasonable amount of time. If you're going to go carbon fiber crazy, do it because you really, REALLY like lightness, not because you want to save money (if you get my drift).