jaymzs66

After reading the threads here, one thing I notice is not many people are talking about the added weight of a FI kit and how it has affected handling. In another life, I was a Golf III owner and a simple battery reloc changed the handling dramatically.

I've compiled and purchased 85% of the stuff I need for my turbo build, including AP and all. Weighing the entire setup, ( I went for the oil pan - whether it was pointless or not, a few extra hundred just made me feel better) I'm seeing the entire setup, with fluids, at about 80 lbs. It seems about half of that, due to the IC will sit in front of the front axle. I have an '05 Shinka, which I'm not too interested in gutting the interior on ( since I really love it). I've seen some threads about losing weight here, but many go into changing rims , problem with that is that sits below the suspension obviously, so I don't see how that will do that much in terms of handling dynamics - though rims will be something later this year.

The thoughts I have so far are:

- a "dry" battery, which I'd also relocate to the rear.
- forget about CF stuff ( at least on the hood, too costly for too little return) I'm hearing something like 1000$ for 10lbs for this.

Any idea what's left? Target is about 60lbs. The primary focus here is on the front loaded weight , though I'm interested about anything really.

Cf05

I don't know if youve done this yet but I believe losing the stock exhaust can loose you about 30lbs depending on what aftermarket one you go with... or are u primarily trying to lose weight in the front?

bse50

The stock updated battery weighs around 37lbs. I have a dekka etx18l that weighs around 18lbs and it helped handling by a tiny bit (it sits in the stock location). I used a performance box to determine that, not butt feelings.

Switching to lighter rims helps more than just removing random weight though, it is unsprung weight and a rotating assembly. Think about a lightweight flywheel and how it helps, it's pretty much the same but helps with braking and handling in general as well.

Anyway since i am pretty **** about weight and my car is pretty much stripped i also have a small washer fluid tank that weighs less than the original one (2.5lbs less). So by relocating the battery and changin it you could lose 39.5lbs on the front.

That's the easy part, the best bet would be to get your car corner balanced after the turbo install as well. You can play with weight distribution a bit but corner balancing a car makes a world of difference handling wise... if the coilovers are right. Get a cheap set of coilovers to save money and you'll screw everything up

gareth

Well if the battery weighs about 40lbs and the turbo kit weighs about 80...

Remove battery from front (-40lbs from front)
Install turbo kit in front (+80lbs in front)
Reinstall battery in rear (+40 in rear)

Net weight change front = +40lbs
Net weight change rear = +40lbs
Net change in balance = 0

Looks like it was meant to be lol.

And then throw on a lighter aftermarket exhaust to drop some pounds.

Also, a lot of the stuff in the turbo kit will be replacing stock components (ie exhaust manifold) so they won't actually be adding weight.