Dropping weight = how much time?

Lifted07Sierra · Jan 11, 2009

Im helping my cousins husband turn his 96 GT into a fast lil machine. I already know all the performance parts to make them fast but one thing I never did to my saleen that I wanted to do was lighten it by ALOT

We have a goal of dropping the weight by 200lbs total. I was wondering whats a round about figure of -200lbs and how much it would knock of the 1/4 time?

Also anyone know how much a 96 gt weighs in stock form?

d98gt · Jan 11, 2009

Weight Reduction Information is the list you are looking for to figure out the weight of certain parts.

Without driver the 96 probably weighs around 3300-3350

bhuff30 · Jan 11, 2009

You'll gain around .1 seconds for every 100lbs of weight you remove. That's just an approximation. Be careful about removing weight from the rear half of the car without plenty of traction. A lot of the free and easy stuff to remove is in the back and will hurt your 60' time as the weight distribution gets worse.
You should gain about .2 seconds with 200lbs of weight reduction. For a car you want to drive on the street, I personally think it's easier to add power than remove weight. A car without AC, power steering, a dash and other interior parts isn't much fun to drive around, and you don't really gain that much! For a race car, it's different.

d98gt · Jan 11, 2009

I had my 98 auto in the 3100 range though that included doing some reduction that most likely wouldn't do. remove spare, jack, board/carpet in trunk, rear seat (bracket is actually pretty heavy), the black thing above the rear seat (no idea of proper name haha) and this is where some will laugh--replace the driver seat with the one from the passenger side since driver seat has power and weighs quite a bit more.

bhuff does have a point about lack of weight over the tires can lead to a problem and worse 60's, especially if on street tires.

Lifted07Sierra · Jan 11, 2009

This is what we were thinking to drop the 200lbs
we got corbeau racing seats
removed spare tire
took out foaming underneath rear set probably a good 8lbs
doing a rear seat delete
UPR k member kit
UPR rear suspension pieces (uca, lca and what not)
remove front swaybar

Ill take a look at the list to figure out whatelse we can do without making the car look stripped.

I hear the UPR k member kit is worth a 65lb drop and the rear suspension over the stock parts is good for another 25lbs.
Anyone know if thats accurate or not?

Stark77 · Jan 11, 2009

Those stock stamped rear suspension pieces - and the cast iron style swaybar were heavy as hell. Replace it with chromoly but be careful about aluminum - it tends to be much more brittle.

Stark77 · Jan 11, 2009

Wow - I just checked out that page and my upper & lower control arms + steeda rear sway actually weight more than stock! Wasn't expecting that one!

flstang65 · Jan 12, 2009

and move the battery to the truck for better weight distribution.

GettinThere · Jan 12, 2009

flstang65 said:
and move the battery to the truck for better weight distribution.

You beat me to it.

Add a full nitrous bottle to the trunk for increased traction.

squeak93 · Jan 12, 2009

Cheapest way to shave weight in the car.... Loose weight urself... I know most of us could afford to drop 20-30lbs.... Its free and will make you feel much better...

For real, the k member and batter relocation are some or ur best bets. Go all out and do a coil over set up and replace ur d/s with an alum one, big and little wheels/tires will go a long way.

COramprat · Jan 12, 2009

One performance mod that equates to weight reduction is an aluminum drive shaft. The stock one weighs a ton.

Stan Weiss · Jan 12, 2009

X2

This helps more than just removing weight because it is less rotational mass to accelerate as well.

SVT32VDOHC · Jan 12, 2009

I doubt 200lbs will do anything. I tried taking stuff outta my 96 Cobra once, and it did nothing for the 1/4 mile time nor the MPH. Big waste of like 3 hours.

98COBRA281 · Jan 12, 2009

when you remove the front sway bar, it helps with launching right?

bhuff30 · Jan 12, 2009

Removing the front sway bar is great for drag racing. First, it removes some weight, 20+lbs, and from the front which is even better. It also allows for better weight transfer by allowing the front end to lift more easily.

I've seen good results from dropping weight, but it completely depends on WHERE you drop the weight from. Removing the spare tire, and everything else in the trunk makes the mustang a bit light and they don't really like to hook without good tires.

As a dramatic example, consider the first time I hit 12s with my 2.3. I made 11 passes, all in the low 13s. Everything from 13.0's to 13.4's, but I was having trouble with traction and was just a hair away from 12s. I got ready to leave the track, throwing about 150 lbs if stuff in the trunk, including my tools, an air compressor, full gas can and a bucket of spare parts. My friend encouraged me to make one more pass, with all the crap in the car. It was my first 12, a 12.97, the best of the 12 passes I made that night, just because the car hooked. I ran 1.5 mph slower, which was no big surprise, but got my 12 second run.

Moral of the story? Be careful where you drop the weight from if you are traction limited. Dropping weight from the front is GREAT, but removing it from the rear on a traction limited car will probably net the same ETs at a slightly higher mph.

02nightmaregt · Jan 12, 2009

98COBRA281 said:
when you remove the front sway bar, it helps with launching right?

Yes, in theory, it helps with weight transfer to the rear.

Green&GoldGT · Jan 12, 2009

Removing the front sway bar allows the front end to flex more which is good for weight transfer

theseeker411 · Jan 13, 2009

How 'bout lighter wheels too? That'd cut down on a ton of rotating weight. Also, a lot of my friends that do a good bit of road racing (Spec e30) have told me that Corbeaus don't hold up very well. I'd look at Sparco or something similar.

Lifted07Sierra · Jan 16, 2009

Im going to remove the front swaybar this weekend.

What are some other free weight reduction mods?

How hard is it to relocate the battery to the trunk?

Winters98GT · Jan 16, 2009

Lifted07Sierra said:
Im going to remove the front swaybar this weekend.

What are some other free weight reduction mods?

How hard is it to relocate the battery to the trunk?

no need to do it. Get a lightweight pc680 for track use.

swaybar, dog bone, seats, spare and you are good to go.

Dropping weight = how much time?

Lifted07Sierra

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d98gt

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GettinThere

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...I can take it. I think.

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To hell with your Mustang, I want to see your HOG!

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Whoop...whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop...GANGNAM STYLE!!!

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Dropping weight = how much time?

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