Hey all, I could really use some advice on how to drop a good amount of weight in my miata. I know, the first thing I need to do, is trim off about 50Lbs from my body, but beyond that, I could really use some advice. I have already gutted, removed AC, removed driver and passenger windows and swapped out to light wheels. Any advice is appreciated.
weight reduction ideas
- Thread starter the1jbh
- Start date
JeffYoung
New member
Other places to look --
Anything interfering with the dash bar, you can pull
Is a stock tank lighter than a fuel cell, or vicey-versa?
Vent windows
Carbon fiber seat v. fiberglass or alum
Exhaust
Bracketry
4 bolts holding the door on? Use three!
Paint is heavier than you think, strip the car down and paint it with a single coat of single stage
And so on....
Anything interfering with the dash bar, you can pull
Is a stock tank lighter than a fuel cell, or vicey-versa?
Vent windows
Carbon fiber seat v. fiberglass or alum
Exhaust
Bracketry
4 bolts holding the door on? Use three!
Paint is heavier than you think, strip the car down and paint it with a single coat of single stage
And so on....
pitbull113
New member
I hope you have NASCAR style door bars or this isn't legal.
Remove the undercoatng.
Switch to manual rack and ditch p/s.
The only time I had problems getting down to minimum in a miata was in the early days of SM , but that was before we could gut doors , and I did nothing but add a cage , suspension , rear end , exhaust , intake and go race. That was on an early 90 ( the lightest cars ) , but they've raised the weights.
I've done nothing but add weight to my 95 and I'm 195#
There's a guy who did a website about developing a lightweight miata , he weighed every potential part for removal and it's listed on the site .... Try googling lightweight miata. If that does not return the desired result , ask the question over at miatanet
Be aware that many of these weight reductions are non compliant with IT rules.
I've done nothing but add weight to my 95 and I'm 195#
There's a guy who did a website about developing a lightweight miata , he weighed every potential part for removal and it's listed on the site .... Try googling lightweight miata. If that does not return the desired result , ask the question over at miatanet
Be aware that many of these weight reductions are non compliant with IT rules.
red986s
New member
Yep that's why I asked if he was building an IT car.
Give us some details on what you've removed/replaced. What do you want to do, road race, solo, track day?
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Here you go , note that much of this is non compliant , but it shows that this guy pulled 325# , you should have no problem getting a miata to make IT weight
44.00 replaced 16" chrome rims and tires with factory alloys
38.00 A/C
37.00 soft top
33.00 Passenger seat
27.00 Spare tire and jack
20.00 door windows, mechs, etc
10.75 Door and deck speakers
10.50 replaced headlights with midtenn fixed lights
10.00 replaced P/S with manual steering
8.00 Misc airbag stuff
6.00 replaced flywheel with shaved flywheel
6.00 replaced exhaust manifold with JR headers
6.00 deck lid
6.00 replaced '92 7-spoke alloys with '94 hollow spoke/pad
6.00 replaced catalytic converter with test pipe
5.50 wiper motor, arms, blades, bolts
5.00 replaced steering wheel with Grant GT wheel
5.00 deck/behind seats insulation
4.50 trunk hinges, springs, catches
4.25 bolts and rails for top
4.00 CD player, remote, harness
4.00 Front baby teeth
4.00 insulation under carpet
3.75 pax seat belt
3.75 AFM and square air cleaner
3.50 Speaker wires, +/- wires for amp, antenna
3.25 rear baby teeth
3.00 front air bag sensors, wires, bolts, covers
3.00 trunk ribs
2.50 replaced power windows with manual windows
2.50 plastic engine pan
2.25 Washer bottle, pump, hoses
2.25 dynamat under back shelf
2.00 Fuel line cover, battery cover
1.75 Charcoal canister, solenoid, hoses, harness
1.75 intake brace
1.50 Metal plate under steering wheel
1.50 AFPR
1.50 replaced radiator fans with low profile fans
1.50 replaced hood latch and cable with hood pins
1.25 front fender well liners
1.25 sill plates
1.25 behind seats carpet
1.25 Spare change (under the carpet)
1.00 cut front of cam cover and removed plastic
1.00 sunvisors (both sides)
1.00 rear fender well liners
1.00 soft top latches (car side)
1.00 fuel line cover (on tank)
0.75 Passenger side mirror
0.75 dual exhaust hanger
0.75 pax armrest
0.75 2x speaker covers
0.75 radio surround
0.75 drain tubes and collectors
0.75 Pax sunvisor
0.75 jute under seats
0.75 MSD
0.50 gas lid cable and switch
0.50 hardtop bolts and bracket
0.25 fuel filter cover
0.25 eyeballs and switch
0.25 antenna cable (radio to trunk)
0.25 throttle body brace
0.25 diagnostic connector/airbag bracket
0.25 gas canister bracket
0.25 l-pipe, hose, cover for gas canister
0.25 pillow block for alternator
0.25 radio antenna stalk
0.00 Cruise Control (not sure of weight)
0.00 Trunk carpet (not sure of weight)
0.00 Trunk "back" (not sure of weight)
0.00 rear exhaust heat shield (not sure of weight)
0.00 replaced hood prop with wooden dowl (due to fixed lights)
-1.50 ADDED BBK pulley
-1.50 Additional water in radiator
-3.00 Larger all metal radiator
-6.00 ADDED A/W IC (not sure of weight)
-8.00 ADDED intercooler water pump
-25.00 Jackson Racing Supercharger
320.75 Total weight removed
44.00 replaced 16" chrome rims and tires with factory alloys
38.00 A/C
37.00 soft top
33.00 Passenger seat
27.00 Spare tire and jack
20.00 door windows, mechs, etc
10.75 Door and deck speakers
10.50 replaced headlights with midtenn fixed lights
10.00 replaced P/S with manual steering
8.00 Misc airbag stuff
6.00 replaced flywheel with shaved flywheel
6.00 replaced exhaust manifold with JR headers
6.00 deck lid
6.00 replaced '92 7-spoke alloys with '94 hollow spoke/pad
6.00 replaced catalytic converter with test pipe
5.50 wiper motor, arms, blades, bolts
5.00 replaced steering wheel with Grant GT wheel
5.00 deck/behind seats insulation
4.50 trunk hinges, springs, catches
4.25 bolts and rails for top
4.00 CD player, remote, harness
4.00 Front baby teeth
4.00 insulation under carpet
3.75 pax seat belt
3.75 AFM and square air cleaner
3.50 Speaker wires, +/- wires for amp, antenna
3.25 rear baby teeth
3.00 front air bag sensors, wires, bolts, covers
3.00 trunk ribs
2.50 replaced power windows with manual windows
2.50 plastic engine pan
2.25 Washer bottle, pump, hoses
2.25 dynamat under back shelf
2.00 Fuel line cover, battery cover
1.75 Charcoal canister, solenoid, hoses, harness
1.75 intake brace
1.50 Metal plate under steering wheel
1.50 AFPR
1.50 replaced radiator fans with low profile fans
1.50 replaced hood latch and cable with hood pins
1.25 front fender well liners
1.25 sill plates
1.25 behind seats carpet
1.25 Spare change (under the carpet)
1.00 cut front of cam cover and removed plastic
1.00 sunvisors (both sides)
1.00 rear fender well liners
1.00 soft top latches (car side)
1.00 fuel line cover (on tank)
0.75 Passenger side mirror
0.75 dual exhaust hanger
0.75 pax armrest
0.75 2x speaker covers
0.75 radio surround
0.75 drain tubes and collectors
0.75 Pax sunvisor
0.75 jute under seats
0.75 MSD
0.50 gas lid cable and switch
0.50 hardtop bolts and bracket
0.25 fuel filter cover
0.25 eyeballs and switch
0.25 antenna cable (radio to trunk)
0.25 throttle body brace
0.25 diagnostic connector/airbag bracket
0.25 gas canister bracket
0.25 l-pipe, hose, cover for gas canister
0.25 pillow block for alternator
0.25 radio antenna stalk
0.00 Cruise Control (not sure of weight)
0.00 Trunk carpet (not sure of weight)
0.00 Trunk "back" (not sure of weight)
0.00 rear exhaust heat shield (not sure of weight)
0.00 replaced hood prop with wooden dowl (due to fixed lights)
-1.50 ADDED BBK pulley
-1.50 Additional water in radiator
-3.00 Larger all metal radiator
-6.00 ADDED A/W IC (not sure of weight)
-8.00 ADDED intercooler water pump
-25.00 Jackson Racing Supercharger
320.75 Total weight removed
G-Man
New member
I know it's the middle of the holiday feasting season, but there's no better way to reduce weight than off the driver (for the 90% of us who are "more than optimum weight.")
I'm looking to lose 15 pounds which will make my car faster, and more importantly, make my whole life better. I'll feel better, be healthier, be stronger, better endurance in the heat, better off at/on track, endurance is better, etc., etc., etc. - all of this contributes to a better life on and off-track.
I'm looking to lose 15 pounds which will make my car faster, and more importantly, make my whole life better. I'll feel better, be healthier, be stronger, better endurance in the heat, better off at/on track, endurance is better, etc., etc., etc. - all of this contributes to a better life on and off-track.
lateapex911
Super Moderator
Some of that's kinda grey, isn't it? (Not that I really care, but..)
1-Anything? That implies that i could pull my entire HVAC box. I don't think that's the case. I notched mine for my cross car tube, which runs behind the dash.
2- bracketry. Depends. I know some who have cut every welded on bracket for things they no longer needed off the car,. The exhaust system is a good example, but I think thats pretty gray.
3 deleting bolts on required items? Where does it say you can??
yes I know, 'hardware is free', but I don't think that means just remove it.
It means that you can use stainless or aluminum or alternatives instead of stock.
This is the New IT™, Jake. I was noodling it over this morning and thinking that we're at a point where a sprint-optimized Pablo could essentially start with NO wiring harness, and just add the very few bits that are necessary anymore.
And I've got this bracket that supported the rear seat, which can be removed...
...the bit that the fire bottle is bolted to. (This was Pablo I, bless his wadded up soul.)
Washer/wiper/light stalks can come out, as can the light switches. Replacing engine/gearbox mounts won't make much difference, movement-wise, compared to what I've currently got but it would be a great weight-saving opportunity on the front end of the car.
That's the beginning of the list based on most recent rules tweaks and interpretations but I've got some other ideas that can be requested - hatch struts (and brackets), trim panels around the cowl (big PITA on a Golf) and of course their brackets, and since we have the engines located correctly now, we've got to address the safety and longevity problems associated with stock shifter bushings.
It's a potentially busy winter!
K
EDIT - if you can replace a ferrous bolt with a titanium or aluminum version, you can use a plastic one. If you can use non-metallic materials, you can use air. I was reminded about this when I saw a post on the Sandbox about doing that with engine mounts. Air is certainly not "rigid."
And I've got this bracket that supported the rear seat, which can be removed...
...the bit that the fire bottle is bolted to. (This was Pablo I, bless his wadded up soul.)
Washer/wiper/light stalks can come out, as can the light switches. Replacing engine/gearbox mounts won't make much difference, movement-wise, compared to what I've currently got but it would be a great weight-saving opportunity on the front end of the car.
That's the beginning of the list based on most recent rules tweaks and interpretations but I've got some other ideas that can be requested - hatch struts (and brackets), trim panels around the cowl (big PITA on a Golf) and of course their brackets, and since we have the engines located correctly now, we've got to address the safety and longevity problems associated with stock shifter bushings.
It's a potentially busy winter!
K
EDIT - if you can replace a ferrous bolt with a titanium or aluminum version, you can use a plastic one. If you can use non-metallic materials, you can use air. I was reminded about this when I saw a post on the Sandbox about doing that with engine mounts. Air is certainly not "rigid."
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JeffYoung
New member
Sure some of that is grey.....
Heater box needs to stay but if there are metal structures in the way of the dash bar, you can cut them to allow the bar to pass is what I am saying.
On bracketry, the point is that if the rules say "x" can be removed, "x" includes the bracketry. Don't leave that shit in there!
Bolts are probably the grayest of the gray areas, but if you follow the well-settled-from-before-my-time rule that "free bushings" meant "air bushings" on the back of a RX7, then "free hardware" means have it. That's not creep or a new interpretation or anything. It's following what the Elders of ITCSion have been doing for years.
All that stuff is still on my car. I run 100 lbs over and need to put me, and the car, on a diet.
Heater box needs to stay but if there are metal structures in the way of the dash bar, you can cut them to allow the bar to pass is what I am saying.
On bracketry, the point is that if the rules say "x" can be removed, "x" includes the bracketry. Don't leave that shit in there!
Bolts are probably the grayest of the gray areas, but if you follow the well-settled-from-before-my-time rule that "free bushings" meant "air bushings" on the back of a RX7, then "free hardware" means have it. That's not creep or a new interpretation or anything. It's following what the Elders of ITCSion have been doing for years.
All that stuff is still on my car. I run 100 lbs over and need to put me, and the car, on a diet.
I'm 195# and I make weight with 40# ballast , 3 gallons of fuel , heavy battery , 13# wheels , and nothing special in the lightening department.
I think we need to get 50# off the legal weight
You should be golden with a 96
four hollow bolts would weigh the same as 3 solid bolts. and be legal.
we shaved the bolt heads (took ~1/2 off the top) and drilled out the engine to tranny bolts for the winning $2009 challenge Team "Gutty" CRX. if you trim the top off the heads, you have to be VERY careful when engaging with the wrench to keep from rounding off the head.
it saved ~ 1/2 pound for the 5 main bolts and fit the theme of the car being gutted for light weight.
we shaved the bolt heads (took ~1/2 off the top) and drilled out the engine to tranny bolts for the winning $2009 challenge Team "Gutty" CRX. if you trim the top off the heads, you have to be VERY careful when engaging with the wrench to keep from rounding off the head.
it saved ~ 1/2 pound for the 5 main bolts and fit the theme of the car being gutted for light weight.