weight savings, I'm going this route also, I don't race my 8 at this point, but I will in the future when the warrenty has expired so I keep that in mind when I buy parts for my car. However I also like the creature comforts also so I wont be ripping anything in the interior out, but from the research that I've done I think a good amount of weight can be removed from the car, and as most people know unsprung rotational weight is the worst so I concentrate in that area for the biggest gains. The SSR comps weight about 5lbs lighter than an oem wheel in the 18 size, thats 20lbs. I have seen lighter exhausts that can be 30-50lbs lighter than the stock exhaust, I plan on getting some tien coilovers which are also lighter than the stock components, but Im not sure by how much. Lighter tires would be good also, but the problem with that is finding a good high performance good grip tire that is light enough to justify bying it if the grip isnt as good as a heavyer tire. Another area that I am looking into saving weight would be the wheel rotor, braking assembly. From what I hear the stock rotors are very heavy, so If they were replaced with a rotor of the same size made out of a different material that holds up as well as the steel that would be a big gain also. I think I remember seeing somewhere that a titanium set of rotors and calipers were in the works for the 8 that weighed 10lbs all together, that would be a '' huge '' gain with the lighter ssr comps. For my situation I find that it would be very hard to lose say 200 lbs from the car without giving up some stuff that I need/like but I dont think that 100-150 lbs isnt unthinkable and if that weight is saved in the wheels and rotating assembly mostly, that 100lbs or so would make a bigger difference than the 250 over-all weight reduction

 

buy you a set of stock cloth seats, that should be worth 60 or 70 lbs right there. GT seats, with their motors and such, are heavy. And you get to keep your side airbags this way, in case you crash :p

 

I'm in the same boat as gr8rx, I want to keep my amenities but lighten the car. I would pay $ to lighten the car rather than lose good stuff like power seats, Bose stereo, etc. I have looked at lighter exhausts, the hi-flow cat (SR Motorsports saved about 10 lbs., but I had to pull it as it caused my turbo to backfire), lighter rims (SSR Comps or GT2's, which are now on sale at Tire Rack), lighter battery, even lighter lugnuts (Kyokugen).

 

With my seat suggestion, you could just swap in the cloth seats for track days. Now if you want lighter all the time, and wish to keep the power/leather seats, it is obviously not an option. But for track days, it's probably the most weight you could remove in one shot, without gutting the car, and still retain all safety features. The cloth seats are probably a little better at keeping you firmly planted in the seat, too.

 

Does a carbon fiber hood save much?

 

Why is it when someone asks for advice, instead of reading what was said, and sticking to subject, people throw in flames and criticism, without actually helping. At least some people on here have the ability to give advice without useless criticism. Some things will never change.

 

can't be much...IIRC, the stock hood is something like 12lbs.

 

cf hoods save nothing, and I have seen them add a couple pounds.

 

I wouldn't bother with a CF hood since the oem one is aluminum. My suggestion is to trade in the GT for a base. Then get a titanium exhaust w/midpipe, light weight 17's, light weight battery, take out all the seats and use one racing seat, take out spare tire kit, take out all the engine covers, take out a/c if you can live with it and throw on a sweat suit and jump in the sauna for a couple of hours before the race.

I think getting a base 8 to 2700lbs or less is possible, especially if you want to go all out.

 

if memory serves me correct, i think my old racing seat was something like 6 or 8 lbs. i wouldnt mind swaping them back and forth. i didnt weigh the rear seats but they werent too heavy. i have 18" stock wheels/rubber on right now so going to 17's or 16's should give a good bit too. i really dont want to get into exhaust stuff if i dont have to.
as for cf hoods, one of my students works at a company that makes cf hoods for the 8 and according to him, they are about 3 1/2 lbs lighter. not worth it if you ask me.

denward

 

imo, 3.5lbs is definately not worth it, especially given the price of them. also, the rear seats in the 8 don't weigh much at all either. 4lbs is sticking out in my mind for some reason, but i can't be sure of that (for the non-leather seats anyways). but at the same time, they are easy to take out and put back in and it costs you nothing, so if you are so inclined you could do that. personally, i wouldn't, but i don't have leather, so i know my rear seats weigh next to nothing.

 

Yanking the seats is a relatively easy way to lose a quick almost 100 lbs. Did that routinely in the Integra I used to autocross.

Also, gasoline is heavy - never autoX with more than a 1/4 tank full, and lose the spare tire as well. On both you and the car!

 

FYI, our hoods are made of aluminum, so you are not going to save much weight there. For track purposes you are probably better off with a nice set of light rims, lighter lugs, lighter tires. Unsprung weight loss is the best. That being said I am about to get a new exhaust. Can't give up the chrome 19" bling.