2011 hyundai accent weight reduction (looking for some advice)

[johnathanf1lm]

Hello i am current trying to reduce even more weight off of my 2011 hyundai accent. Its a gl so not ac or power windows/locks. I deleted the power steering and the stupid engine cover. I am going to be putting al rims on when i am done cleaning them up and deleting the tpms set up also. Now i am at the point of looking at what is a good buy for weight reduction or easly deleted that i over looked

[oil pan 4]

Aside from deletions, buying stuff for weight reduction is really not cost effective at all.
When the battery dies you might be able to replace it with lithium ion and relocate it away from the engine compartment. Only problem is they don't like engine bay heat or below freezing weather.
But you could get a 20 to 30 pound weight reduction with the battery.

[johnathanf1lm]

Ive thought about a lifepo4 battery. I am planning on taking the money from the stuff i took off to do other mods at no cost.

[NoD~]

Start with the rotational mass, if you are willing to dump money into the project (though, read on below for plenty of cheaper/free weight reduction tips!). Light weight wheels are a perfect start! I used to buy the lightest wheels for the buck I could, which was the Rota Slipstreams at the time. The difference between these and heavy rims, for acceleration, was very noticeable. City driving, it should net you a little MPG, though most aluminum wheels will come with challenges in the aerodynamic department.

Another one that kills weight and adds "umph" is aluminum drive pulley. I'm sure there is a little MPG to gain, as it takes weight directly off the engine's rotational mass, but probably not a lot. An under-drive pulley sends less power to the accessories, giving even more reving hapiness, likely giving you further MPG gains, but each car responds to this differently and you will want to do your research before going this route.

Ridding of sound deadener from the factory and using carefully placed, higher quality deadener will yield in about the same results, but save you ~20-30 lbs pretty easily. Carpet padding is another thing you can take out, but will gain a tad bit of road noise. You can usually find thick insulation on the firewall inside the cab that is pretty heavy as well.

Your best bet is basically remove as much interior as you are willing to remove, analyze it, and put back what you believe you need. You'd be surprised how many little things are in there that you may think you don't need. e.g. my Insight had a metal plate in the steering column cover that I saw unnecessary, so I yanked it out. Why lug around even an ounce of weight if it does nothing for you? Sure, maybe some of it is there for a reason, but if those reasons don't fit with your agenda, YANK IT OUT! Course, be very sure of what you pull out. You don't want to compromise your safety too much, now do ya? (though, airbags are heavy... are they worth your life?)

I like to find the small things that I don't need... here's a spreadsheet to my insight, for example. In my old Neon, I was willing to cut sheet metal and bracing out to save weight. Hell, I took bolts I deemed too long and cut them down! Or replaced them with zipties, where deemed safe to do so... My Insight, I'm a little more reserved about making permanent and extreme changes. Every car is different, but has a lot in common with the same weight-reducing capabilities. All depends on how extreme you are willing to go!

Just an FYI, if you aren't primarily city driving, weight reduction is going to net you close to nothing in MPG. Sacraficing weight to get aerodynamic gains is definitely the right way to go for the highway! Examples: wipers, mirrors, antennas, badges, "rub strips" on the doors, emblems, etc.

When adding weight in, consider using aluminum and coroplast. Great for things like grill blocks that, even in city, are very well worth the tiny amount of weight.

[Shortie771]

Oil_pan is right, the way to save gas is not by spending money on lighter parts. With the exception of parts that already need replacement, in which case go for it. You won't see a very large benefit from weight reduction unless you do a massive amount of low speed driving. Most of your weight reduction comes from deleting things altogether such as a/c, power steering, cruise control, back seats, passenger seat, removing sound dampening, interior paneling, spare tire, etc. There really isn't a whole lot of weight to be saved if you are trying to maintain creature comforts and keep the interior. Sure you can throw on some lightweight rims and tires, a lighter battery, carbon fiber hood, aluminum control arms, racing seats, a lightweight flywheel, the list goes on... All of these things will reduce weight, but it's cost prohibitive because they will cost far more than the gas you will save by making the modifications.

Here is a link from a Civic forum that talks about weight reduction.
Weight Reduction 101

Forgot to mention.. You could drive with only have a tank of gas, but that only saves you 37lbs.

Edit: WOW! 2 posts before I could hit submit

[johnathanf1lm]

I drive more city then highway usually so lower weight is better. Under drive pulley dont have harmonic balancers and can end badly without on some engines that and it would only be under driving the alternator and water pump. I do agree with not spending money which is why i plan on going through my car, and seeing what i can shave or remove before going into the buying stuff. As for comforts i just need a radio and all the seats just incase i have to ever take my wife or kid in the car. Also weight reduction helps with the whole no power steering too a little bit.

[Ecky]

I steam cleaned what looked like 5lbs of dirt out of my carpet a few days back...

[Shortie771]

Whenever my brother puts an engine back together and has a pile of extra bolts at the end, he chalks it up to weight reduction

[oldtamiyaphile]

Don't bother.

My van averages 6.7 city (16mph average speed) and on a really bad day 9.7 with a 500kg+ trailer.

If you work that out that's 0.006l/100km per kg.

Those are worst case figures because a trailer also adds rolling resistance, rolling inertia and completely ruins my aero (it's a big tall box). I also EOC normally but rarely do with the trailer.

My van had a 0.33 CD and I coast down tested the van+ trailer at 0.45CD

If I type those numbers into the calculator, I find that with a .33CD I should be getting ~6l/100km at 50km/h, and with a .45CD I should be getting 8.7l/100km. So it seems that my 500kg trailer is only costing me an aero penalty, the weight is doing little to nothing.

A lighter car will sit higher on it's suspension so could actually cost you economy at higher speeds.

So on my new van I happily fitted a heavier radio, speakers, sound proofing and even an active sub, as the comfort, convenience and enjoyment is worth the extra 0.000-0.001l/100km or so it might cost me.

[Shortie771]

Edited for US measurements.

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

Don't bother.

My van averages 6.7 (35.1mpg) city (16mph average speed) and on a really bad day 9.7 (24.25mpg) with a 500kg+ (1100lb+) trailer.

If you work that out that's 0.006l/100km per kg (0.0025 gallons per mile)

Those are worst case figures because a trailer also adds rolling resistance, rolling inertia and completely ruins my aero (it's a big tall box). I also EOC normally but rarely do with the trailer.

My van had a 0.33 CD and I coast down tested the van+ trailer at 0.45CD

If I type those numbers into the calculator, I find that with a .33CD I should be getting ~6l/100km (39.2mpg) at 50km/h, and with a .45CD I should be getting 8.7l/100km (27mpg). So it seems that my 500kg (1100lb) trailer is only costing me an aero penalty, the weight is doing little to nothing.

A lighter car will sit higher on it's suspension so could actually cost you economy at higher speeds.

So on my new van I happily fitted a heavier radio, speakers, sound proofing and even an active sub, as the comfort, convenience and enjoyment is worth the extra 0.000-0.001l/100km (0.0004 gallons per mile) or so it might cost me.