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Weight Reduction for the Daily Driver.

44K views 152 replies 45 participants last post by  GBPackerFan 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I have done quite a bit of research over the past few months. There is quite a few ways and options on our New Edge's on how to reduce weight. Some have even managed to get them all way down to around 2800 w/o the driver. My personal end goal is somewhere between 3000-3200 without me in it. But again, I have done quite a bit of research and figured I would share my knowledge with my fellow MM peeps, especially the DD's! Ya, not everyone is a hard parked douche bag that has deep pockets and more than 1 pony on the lot. So let’s get to it!

I will just throw out random sentences and parts in no particular order to better explain things. I will also include as many pics as possible. Before I start though, be sure to take a gander at this weight reduction list: http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/modular-mustangs/148415-ultimate-weight-reduction-list.html I will be basing my weights off of this list, refer to it for any other ides or considerations of weight reduction.
First thing I want to start with is quad shocks. You do not need them, and its practically common sense that it should be the first thing that comes off of the car. I really have no idea why they are there. Anyways, they weigh 8 lbs. which does include both shocks and mounts. Yes, the mounts also come off of the car. You can also grind off the mounts from the axle housing. I found these 2 pics on Google to give you an idea of the location and the mount.





Than we have the "black boxes" behind the rear wheels. I actually did some research, they are crash absorbers that hit the tires in hope that it will move the car forward and/or use the tires to absorb a small portion of the impact. They don't weigh much empty.... Probably 1.2 lbs. for both of them. But filled with dirt (as any daily drivers will be) they weigh about 3 lb.s maybe 4 between the two and the dirt.

Here is a quick pic of the location of the boxes:




And its just two, 8mm bolts that hold it in:


Also, when they are out, be sure to remove the clip threads and put them back on the black boxes to store them:


Next up is the vibration dampener or commonly known as the: “Dog Bone”. It is secured in by two bolts, and is seriously just a 10 lb. dead weight bolted in front of the pumpkin to reduce the vibration that is caused by the whirling of the diff. Remove it, you will not notice a thing, unless you’re an old ****. Do NOT go and shave off the mounting points either, they are there for many aftermarket parts. I sadly do not have a pic of it, but if you look underneath your car, you can’t miss it.

Next thing is control arms. I would say that an easy 4 lb.’s can be had from switching out to billet control arms either from someone such as MM: http://www.maximummotorsports.com/s...o&cPath=514_21_91_427_454_458&products_id=518 UPR: http://www.uprproducts.com/mustang-99-adjusable-lower-control-arms.html or Team Z: http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/Street_beast_p/tzm-sb-lca.htm. Match Team Z's lower control arms with some relocation brackets: http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/Weld_on_IC_brackets_p/tzm-icb-8.8.htm They help with traction big time on our cars.

Another big help in weight is a tubular front end (K-fram, A-arms). Only run tubular A-arms if you are going coil over because most of them rid of the spring perch. Personally, I will be looking into either MM or QA1: http://www.americanmuscle.com/qa1-tubular-kmember-9604gt.html for a K-frame. As far as A-arms, get the set that are designated for that k-frame and do NOT get a spherical set either, I would stick with rubber or poly urethane. I will also be looking into MM or QA1: http://www.americanmuscle.com/qa1-tubular-aarms-9404gt.html?source=igodigital for these. Going with a coil over setup teamed up with some tubular A-arms and a tubular K-frame can shed up to 40 lbs. I personally with be rolling with some Strange struts and a UPR coilover kit.

Next part is the rear bumper support. This is a fun one too, and its easy to do. All you need is some strait bar, a grinder and a drill, oh also a measure tool and a sharpie. What your going to want to do is remove the stock rear bumper support which includes the Styrofoam a bunch of bolts, and the rear crash bar. The post from earlier doesn’t have an exact weight on this, but I would say its at least 12 pounds. Here are some pics to give you an idea of how I did mine.

Before:



After:



The exhaust hangers (Yes they are fine and don’t bend at all):

The difference:

And next up is the opposite from the rear…. The front bumper support! This one will require a tubular front bumper support. Some people will tell you don’t need it (like how the rear doesn’t need one) but I didn’t want to risk it, and got a good deal on my Donathan racing piece, but you can order them here: http://donathenracing.com/Products.html This mod was easier than the rear, and saved me about 10-13 pounds. I also tore out some of the plastic flaps underneath, now all I have the is inner fender wells.

The bar:

And the before and after (I forgot to take a pic of the Styrofoam):

Next thing I did was the fogs. This was sadly probably only 2 lbs. at most w/ bulbs. I never used them, and had some covers to go in their place. Covers: http://www.americanmuscle.com/9904-smoked-fog-light-covers.html This is what I did for this.





I know for some people this isn’t an option, but deleting your EGR system saves weight, and seriously cleans your intake. EGR weighs about 5 lbs. It’s easy to do, and all you need in place of the delete is a block off plate for the plenum and a cap for the exhaust manifold. Just something to add, I fabbed my own EGR delete, and for $20 shipped, I will get you’re the 2 block offs in your choice of their silver or black (or brass for the cap). You will retain your stock gasket and bolts (unless you want fancy bolts like me… not).

After:

The block offs:



Next thing is the spoiler, it really doesn’t weigh much, I think it’s like 2 or 3 lbs. but if you have block off caps for the holes, do it. I kept mine for the time being.

Another thing that actually saved 2 pounds or so is the headunit/cd player. The stock one weighs like 4 or 5 damn pounds. I have a Pioneer U310-BT and it weighs like a 1 lb., not even.

As far as the interior, the front seats NEED to be replaced. I sadly have yet to get to this, but I have some seats, and brackets lined up. Front seats weigh 48 lbs for driver and 38 lbs for passenger…. That is a lot, lol. As far as the rear seats, they weigh 45 for all of it. I will be going with MMR RSD ( http://modularmustangracing.com.tempwebsite.net/cartgenie/prodInfo.asp?pid=44&cid=1 ) as they are the only ones that sell a tan RSD to match my tan interior (yes, I like my tan interior). I am also considering taking the time and deleting my rear seat belts. I know that has to be a good 8-10 lbs. I will be going wiht these Summit racing seats, and OMFG they are on sale! I know what my next paycheck is going too :p http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g1159b-1/overview/ with these seats you will also need Summits Mustang seat brackets: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g11507904/overview/make/ford

For the rear seat portion, I do not have MMR's RSD YET but will have it soon. For now I decided to make the rear seat cushions stay in place. It took me a good 3 hours tops to knock all of this out. All in All I shaved around 10-13 lbs. (not including the 6-8 lbs. of rear seat cushions).

Here is before:

Bottom cushion out: For the bottom cushion, it is just the two clips at the bottom that you want to push on with a flat head.

Thats where some of my 7.62x54's went:

Top cushion out along with the buckles: This is also esay, just two 10mm bolts on the bottom, two at the top, and the entire bracket (along with trunk mat) comes out.

Passenger side quarter panel cover off: Remove the hanger hook (philips), front seat belt, plastic tab and carefully remove. The two smaller black clips in front of the quarter panel window will most likely NOT some out with the cover. Before you re-install the cover be sure to remove these tabs and put them back into the cover.

I used some strips of padding to reduce all of the damn noise this cover has been making (it worked):

And here is the pile of crap that was removed from the car:


And the after (without cushions or RSD):

The current status of my trunk AFTER I fit my cushions back on:

Now for the seat cushions, I just reinstalled the bottom cushion no problem, but the top took some skillzz... Start by getting a 15mm and removing the bolts on the side of the top cushions: After that, I set the top cushions in place, went in the trunk and zip tied the hooks to a slit in the frame: It works for now, I will be getting the RSD in two weeks so this won't be an issue.

And the after EVERYTHING pic: But their is one thing left to do because the rear seat "head rest" lost all of clips and mounts (its plastic crappy tabs that broke off REALLY easily).

Remove the rear seat "head rest" and remove the left and right rounded tabs: Next thing I did was drill two holes on each side (holes just big enough to thread the bolts I was using, you will need to locate your own bolts and make sure the drill bit you are using is just big enough). I than placed the rear seat "head rest" on top, had a buddy of mine put pressure on it as I went in the trunk and screwed the bolts in where the tab use to be (with lock washers).

Now for the front seats. But what could I possibly do to the front seats? Well removing the passenger seat is one thing, but removing the driver seat is another. Thats right, the passenger seat can work on the driver side VERY WELL. First thing you will need to do is remove the large nut holding the seat buckle in place and bolt it on the other side: Leave that cover off because it will be a tight fit between the center console and that spring: This is the left side without the buckle (it will be cleaned): And here is the buckle: It worked like a charm!!

Spare tire and components weigh 25 lbs, I have had all of that out for a few years now :p. Gutting the trunk will yield around a 10-14 lb. loss.
The hood, holy ****, the stock hood weighs a **** ton. Its part metal and part something else. I am personally going to get a CF hood, and paint it to match when the time comes. I know for a fact that will be a good 20 lbs. I don’t know the weight of the trunk lid, but I will also be getting a CF trunk lid and painting it to match.

Also rotor dust covers. I unbolted mine, and shaved a few pounds easy. I suppose if you are desperate, you can grind the mounts off as well.
Another thing to shave a good 25 lb.’s is pro dumps; in other words, cutoff the exhaust about 8 inches after the catbacks. I don’t plan on doing this for a good while.

I also want to delete my antenna and fill the hole on the fender. I know that will shave a good few pounds. Just something that came to mind.
Also when the time comes, I will be going with a tubular front end. This will shave about 20 or more lbs. depending on how hardcore you are about it. I will also mate that with a Teksid block when the time comes, ya that’s 80 lbs right there!

Some other obvious things are like an aluminum flywheel, and aluminum drive shaft. Those aren't cheap so they are not on the top of my list by any means :p

Besides all of that (I swear I am missing a few things) I always never fill more than a half tank of gas, that’s 20-30 lbs. right there.
As far as sway bars, I suggest either going with hollow SN95 sway bars, or keeping the stockers. Sadly, taking 80 mph turns on the highway without sway bars isn’t a good feeling. You might get away with deleting the rear, but I am personally going to keep mine on. I also refrain from going with a lightweight battery. I highly doubt those can keep up with a daily driver cranking the stereo and AC all day. This thread is made with a piece of mind that we daily drivers need our AC, stereos, airbags, and comfort for Gods sake. Speaking of comfort, also shave 15 lbs. with some coil overs :D Oh and if you’re really desperate, go ahead and get rid of those damn valve stem caps (mine are locking so I’m keeping mine), F8l swore he lost 10 lbs. without them :shiftyeyes

I hope I helped shed a good amount of light for a few DD’s that want to break 12’s NA. It can happen with the right combination, BTW. I will add to this list as discovery’s come to me that are worth a few lbs. Again, this is a daily driver directed thread.

I want to add something to all of this. Us new edge owners are one of a kind. I know the feeling, the new 5.0's have hella power and technology. I am going to tell you, with a little smarts, elbow grease and bucks, you can have something that will eat modded 2013's. I only spent $7k for my car, and only invested a few grand. Its only NA (for now), but I can tell you right now, you CANNOT get a new 2013 down to even 3500 without almost gutting it. Team up our low weight with a built 2v, and you can have a street legal 9 (or even 8) sec car NP. Another thing to note is our new edges are 1320 MONSTERS. The body, the rear end and the wheel base is nearly perfect for getting down some good times. New edge FTW!



---------- Post added at 09:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 PM ----------

Oh, another things to add, deleting the insulation under the hood is an option. I have no idea of the after effects, but I want to do it. Haven't done it though, afraid it might fade paint.
 
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#6 ·
That was mentioned in the original post.


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---------- Post added at 07:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 AM ----------

I assume by a "tubular front end" you mean a tubular k-member? That should save you more than 20 lbs depending on which k member you go with. Some companies claim up to 75-80 lbs. I'm not sure if those are accurate or if they're marketing speak, but I definitely think you'll see quite a bit more than 20 lbs off the front with a tubular k-member.
Ya that's what I meant. I didn't do a ton Of research on those and which one to get and shave the most weight. I only say 20 lbs or more because for a DD, you'll want a beefier one.


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---------- Post added at 07:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:43 AM ----------

Good **** man! Thanks for the write-up.

Don't forget replacing the K-member with the lower control arms. That right there will shed a good amount of fat.

I know the decklids are fiberglass so Im not sure how much weight can be saved off that aside from removing the spoiler.

Light weight rims will also help as well. Removing rotational mass is huge.
Deck kids are all fiberglass? Damn. Ya I never took it off to get an idea. My spoiler seriously weighs like 2 pounds though. Maybe the older ones weigh more.


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#14 ·
Sweet! Just front coil overs? How do you like than?

Listen folks, as far as wheels, I wouldn't worry to much about them. The rotating mass isn't going to be affected by a few pounds. Just go buy whatever wheels you want and run a fat tire. I have 18x10s on the rear with 305/35/18 and love em. All you need is some gears to make up for it.


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#22 ·
Actually some regular AM wheels don't weigh that much. 18x10's weigh 27 pounds each I believe. It's better than Lexani, that's for sure lol.
Really, you should be taking the whole wheel/tire package into account. Tires that fit 18x10s are going to weigh more than tires for a 17x9. Comparing wheel weights alone is only really sensical if you're comparing two wheels that you're going to put the same size tires on.
 
#21 ·
I've done most of that but I kept the crash bars for safety. Drag wheels really shed some weight if you ever hit the track.
 
#29 ·
I stated the weight of the stock rear seats earlier. The MmR RSD shouldn't weigh more then a few pounds. It's a really thin wood, and a super thin layer of carpeting.


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---------- Post added at 11:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 AM ----------

Tubular k with stock a arms and lowering springs. I havent had it weighed in awhile but I should be in the 3100-3200lb range. There are also some useless lil black plastic block things in the rear wheel wells that can be taken out for a couple pounds.. The dirt in mine had to of been a pound or 2 also lol. I also gutted the rear seat brackets, belts etc and shaved about 20lbs while still looking like it has a rear seat. So its pretty much a couple pounds of leather wrapped foam now.

Good ****, ima add that to the list. Ya ima gut mine as well when the time comes.

Ya I have heard about those black boxes, just had no idea what they were so haven't bothered. I will remove them, weigh them, than add em to the list after I find out exactly what they are.


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---------- Post added at 11:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 AM ----------

Oh and your weight is exactly where I want to be. There is still hope!


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#31 ·
I couldn't find a rear seat delete I liked so I did that until I get around to fabbing up my own. However I think a delete kit would almost weigh more than just the foam seats, its a pretty light setup that way. Although it does confuse people when I tell them I dont have a back seat for them to ride in lol
 
#34 ·
Also don't forget no cats and full stainless steel exhaust. Definitely will shave some pounds compared to stock exhaust. I swear my stock H pipe was 2x the weight of my o/r H pipe.

That and battery relocation to the trunk or rear seat, and don't run heavy wheels like FR500's lol.
 
#39 ·
sub'd this is a great thread... and i will most likely end up putting in my thread as an example lol


how do you feel about doing tubular a-arms and tubular k-member for a DD? Some people say its to rough/ vibration of a ride w/o the stocker
 
#40 ·
how do you feel about doing tubular a-arms and tubular k-member for a DD? Some people say its to rough/ vibration of a ride w/o the stocker
There shouldn't be any difference at all in NVH between a stock and tubular K-member assuming you make no other changes.

It's the other changes that bite you; Tubular A-arms will have poly or solid bushings in place of the stock rubber, CC plates (required by a CO conversion, which are typically required by tubular A-arms) will replace the rubber strut top with a spherical bushing. Any time you replace rubber with something more dense, such as poly or steel, you're going to have more vibration transferred.
 
#41 ·
As far as wheels go, every 1 pound of rotational weight taken off is equivalent to 9.5 pounds of dead weight.
 
#45 ·
Damn man, Those foxbodies must have some heavy as stockers lol. BTW, that includes the k-frame, arms, and coil overs.

---------- Post added at 08:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 PM ----------

Update 1.2, added information on front tubular suspension components.
 
#46 ·
Still looking, but haven't found any official documentation on what that whole k-member package will drop off of a new edge. Can't be too far off from the fox body though.
 
#48 ·
I had both side to side with A arms attached and could easily pick up the tubular set up. I almost hurt my back picking up the stock stuff. . . That's with about 5-10lb of dirt on the k member also. I'd say about 50ish pound difference with the GMS set up. I think the UPR is a little lighter than GMS. I'm switching to UPR since the GMS moved my wheel location. . .
 
#51 ·
dont forget better ride quality with lightweight wheels. wheels are definitely a killer for rotating mass. i ran my stock wheels for a long time because of these reasons. rotating mass is so important that we use aluminim lug nuts on the racecar. yea they arent cheap either.
 
#52 ·
Anyone mensioned swapping to an aluminum block yet? If you're replacing/rebuilding the motor for any reason, it would be worth finding an aluminum block. Explorer 2V, correct? If your into drag racing, there is a definite advantage to lightweight, skinny front wheels and tires. There's a reason drag cars have narrow front wheels. IIRC, the older Fox body guys used to use the solid aluminum space saver spare wheels on front as a cheap and available alternative for the occasional track duty.
 
#53 ·
Yes, go back and read the last half of my original post.


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---------- Post added at 10:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 AM ----------

dont forget better ride quality with lightweight wheels. wheels are definitely a killer for rotating mass. i ran my stock wheels for a long time because of these reasons. rotating mass is so important that we use aluminim lug nuts on the racecar. yea they arent cheap either.
If your worried about ride quality, gtfo, lol.


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#61 ·
idk how much i would trust that rear bumper support in case of an idiot hitting you from the back, but other then that good pointers have to get rid of my heavy ass 18's lol
 
#63 ·
I could never do the rear bumper thing. Too many people around here tend to "park by feel"...including my wife.

If your not worried about looks, you could probably replace the door panels with aluminum sheet metal. Too bad crank windows weren't standard on these like the older Fox bodies. What about plexiglass rear quarter windows? A/C delete as well, if you wanted to take it that far. You could just remove the compressor and condenser and plug the lines. I only use the A/C a couple times per year anyway. I'd rather have the windows down and listen to the exhaust.
 
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