Car weight reduction – is it necessary?

First of all, it is necessary to mention that losing some weight from your car will help all aspects of its performance. The acceleration will be quicker as there is less weight to pull around. Braking will also be better, as well as general handling. So, how can you reduce the weight of your car?

The bonnet and boot is generally the heaviest panel in any car. Replacing this with a carbon fiber or fiberglass will dramatically reduce the weight. Be sure to fit proper fasteners at each edge as the bonnet may well flex at high speeds. To save money, it is possible to buy a scratched or imperfect carbon fiber bonnet and then paint it - it will look standard and your car will be lighter.

Fitting alloy wheels will generally help to reduce the total weight of the car. You will have much sharper handling, as the wheels are unsprang and will hit every road bump and dip. Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that lighter wheels are not always as strong, so there is a bit of a compromise to be made here. Bodywork can be lightened.

The front wings can also be easily replaced with most wings bolting on. A carbon fiber or fiberglass option can also cut the weight down. The box section of chassis and the suspension mounts will stay quite protective – don't worry too much about losing protection.

Replacing the standard exhaust with a performance exhaust doesn't just increase power, but can also reduce weight.

Internally, it is possible to remove a lot of parts. For example, you can pull out the dashboard of the radio, the sound deadening carpets, and even the seats. It is advisable to replace the driver’s seat with a lightweight driver’s seat with fixed height.

If to speak about the engine, you may use the stainless steel exhaust headers which are not only lighter than cast iron ones, but they will also give you a performance benefit.

Another weight causing item is glass. You can reduce the weight of your car for a few more pounds by removing the glass from your vehicle and replacing the windows with Perspex.

Sometimes it is possible to remove air conditioning and even power steering pumps as they can be quite heavy/ Moreover, you can change the gearing of the steering if it is too heavy.

Finally, throw out all the junk that accumulates in the car. Some people are known to drill holes down the center of bolts and shaving metal of mounts just to keep the weight down.

You should keep in mind that every little saving adds up. That is why, if you are serious about weight reduction you shouldn’t stop at nothing to achieve your aim. For this reason, you may also ditch the spare wheel, and carry a tire repair spray can or similar or replace it with a lighter space saving spare.

Moreover, a full tank of fuel can weigh a lot. That is why some drivers that deliberately use a half full tank. You can also reduce the amount of the water in your wiper washer bottle. Some cars only hold 2 liters of water, buts some can take 6 liters. So only having a few liters will save more weight.

Some cons of car weight reduction

It is worth noting that a lighter car loses some traction. It has been noted in track use that lap times have increased on some cars due to weight reduction.

The cornering ability was actually reduced as there was less weight pushing the tires into the road. It is more noticeable on wet tracks or where there is a loose surface.

A lighter car will also behave worse in a collision. As it has less protective mass around, the risk of injury or serious damage increases. That is why most tracks insist on roll cages and although this adds weight it will help rigidity and cornering.