losing some weight...

Preludes are pretty heavy, we all know this.

so my question is, what are some cheap effective ways to lose some weight off this car?

Carbon fiber hood for sure but aside from that, what else is an option?

thx for the help :iceslolan
(and maybe this shoulda went to exterior section, but i like the answers i get in here!)

Sell it and buy a Civic.... :iceslolan But seriously. You could do the usual and start stripping the interioir but it would still be all for none. The chassis and reinforcements are the majority of the weight. So I may have been joking with the whole Civic comment but it would be the best way.

hahaha :lol: i see.

are there any other carbon fiber parts that i could replace on the body or is the hood the extent of that?

Tar under carpet->16.5 lbs
Fuzz under carpet->9.5 lbs
Air Conditioning->29.5 lbs
Power steering->11.25 lbs
Stereo system->8.5 lbs
Brake dust shields->3 lbs
Side impact beam->22 lbs
Exhaust heat shield->5 lbs

total less weight 95.25 lbs.Of course you can replace your hood and fenders with CF ones.Plus you can completly strip the whole interior.

A suggestion to take out chassis reinforcement is probably one of the stupidest things I have ever read here. If your looking for weight savings strip the interior, you might also look into racing windows. They are made of plastic instead of glass, don't know how legal they are though.

Don't rip out the side impact beam or anything that strengthens the car, you will regret it big time if some dumbass hits your car. That stuff is put in there for a reason.

You can probably snag yourself a carbon fiber hood, you might also looking into getting a carbon fiber trunk if possible.

Tar under carpet->16.5 lbs
Fuzz under carpet->9.5 lbs
Air Conditioning->29.5 lbs
Power steering->11.25 lbs
Stereo system->8.5 lbs
Brake dust shields->3 lbs
Side impact beam->22 lbs
Exhaust heat shield->5 lbs

total less weight 95.25 lbs.Of course you can replace your hood and fenders with CF ones.Plus you can completly strip the whole interior.

1. Insulation under carpet.....Allowing exhaust temp to enter cabin
2. Air Conditioning....... Depending on your location
3. Power Steering.....Unless you drive in a straight line everywhere
4. Stereo...... Sure, just use a portable CD player and some headphones :rolleyes:
5. Brake dust shields..... hope you like cleaning rims
6. Side inpact beams...... Just shoot yourself in the head and save some time
7. Exhaust heat shield.... see #1

Overall........


WTF????

Here are some things I removed to my 2900 lb. Accord to get it down to 2600 lbs. Still working on it...won't be happy until I hit 2500.

removed: all interior door panels, carpet, sound proofing, glove Box, roof vinyl, rear view mirror, interior lights, center console, floor mats, sun visors, back seat, vinyl and cloth near the rear windshield, spare tire, jack tools, core supports, washer fluid and resevior, wiper lines, air box, A/C, rear seat belts, some tar pads, muffler heat shield, trunk lining, cig lighter, coin trays, rear defroster, horns, useless wires, fire wall sound proofing, ducting, light grill, light rims, interior fenders, useless bolts, plastic wire clips, dealer tow hooks,trunk key lock, back seat locks...etc

hopefully that helps

Here are some things I removed to my 2900 lb. Accord to get it down to 2600 lbs. Still working on it...won't be happy until I hit 2500.

removed: all interior door panels, carpet, sound proofing, glove Box, roof vinyl, rear view mirror, interior lights, center console, floor mats, sun visors, back seat, vinyl and cloth near the rear windshield, spare tire, jack tools, core supports, washer fluid and resevior, wiper lines, air box, A/C, rear seat belts, some tar pads, muffler heat shield, trunk lining, cig lighter, coin trays, rear defroster, horns, useless wires, fire wall sound proofing, ducting, light grill, light rims, interior fenders, useless bolts, plastic wire clips, dealer tow hooks,trunk key lock, back seat locks...etc

hopefully that helps

The sad thing is that my Civic w/ swap and ALL creature comforts minus AC = 2360.

The prelude is probably safer and stiffer then the civic. Where else is the extra weight going? A strong frame isn't a bad thing.

I'm probably going to end up getting a prelude and I am going to make it lighter, but it will be my daily drive so I'm not going to rip out anything I might need.

knorsk no offence but some of the stuff you removed.... what were you thinking?

Rear view mirror? Who needs a good view of what's behind them?
Spare Tire/Jack? Don't get a flat tire
Core Supports? Do you want your car to be your coffin? because thats the size it will be if you get in a good accident
Rear Defroster? Again, I don't need to see whose behind me
Horns? I feel sorry for you if a giant SUV cuts you off, especially with out the chassis strengthening.
Useless wires? Do your tail lights still work
Useless bolts? Only need one bolt to hold the door on?

B16 you can drive with out power stering. You just have to be really strong, espeicaly with a 2800+ LBS car.

Driving w/o the power steering is not that bad i have been doing it for a long time now in my teg, my civic also has no power steering (dx) U think that is why i hated the power steering in the teg so much b/c I drove the civic for a long time before I bought the teg.
Anyways all the other stuff is just about the dumbest things to do, Ypu don't want to remove bumper supprots, door supports etc etc. And all for what? 0.1-0.2 in the quarter. Is that really worth the comfort things like AC etc and not to mention your life if you are involved in an accident? :screwy:

I am fully aware that PS is not needed. I hope that was a joke. I meant that for the strip it's cool but if you love the corners and autoX shit then I suggest keeping the PS. I believe autoX'rs here will agree.

I am fully aware that PS is not needed. I hope that was a joke. I meant that for the strip it's cool but if you love the corners and autoX shit then I suggest keeping the PS. I believe autoX'rs here will agree.

or people who actually want to sell their car afterwards...

honestly, how many ppl would want to buy a car w/ no power-steering when it came with it stock?

no offense to the ppl who do it (because it is a fine way to lose weight) but i personally would never do it.

as for selling the lude for a civic...remember this, wuts one thing a stock prelude has that no stock civic ever will? a little word called torque... :biggrin: (j/k civic owners, but u know its tru...)

torque?? just get a turbo...theres your torque :rolleyes: , as for weight reduction on a lude'...good luck with that....We tried on my friends car...i think we got about 220 lbs off without sacraficing any supports and what not...but it wasnt free......i remember someone mentioning something about windows up there...thats one thing we did..LExan windowns took off about 42 lbs...but it was rather pricey...

-u could trim the underside of the trunk...the support web i think its called...
-Lightwieght racing seats are like 15lbs lighter than stock...
-Remove air bag systems...
-If u really wanna get crazy...get like a 11gal fuel cell...wieghs about 20 lbs lighter...
-Like someone said...A/C is a biggy...u can get like 35 lbs off...
-bumper reinforcments...
But some stuff does alter yoru safety...its all up to you...
...u could remove the metal linings in the windows...
i cant think of anything else...im mad cuz im late for work cuz my starter somehow shit the bed over night...i think the bolt might be loose..too cold to work on it though...

alright thx for the help fellas ima look into all those things!

The prelude is probably safer and stiffer then the civic. Where else is the extra weight going? A strong frame isn't a bad thing.

I'm probably going to end up getting a prelude and I am going to make it lighter, but it will be my daily drive so I'm not going to rip out anything I might need.

knorsk no offence but some of the stuff you removed.... what were you thinking?

Rear view mirror? Who needs a good view of what's behind them?
Spare Tire/Jack? Don't get a flat tire
Core Supports? Do you want your car to be your coffin? because thats the size it will be if you get in a good accident
Rear Defroster? Again, I don't need to see whose behind me
Horns? I feel sorry for you if a giant SUV cuts you off, especially with out the chassis strengthening.
Useless wires? Do your tail lights still work
Useless bolts? Only need one bolt to hold the door on?

Rear view mirror? obstructs/distracts your most important frontview...2 side mirrors and blind spot checking is more important
Spare Tire/Jack? AAA and you usually get a flat every ten years...i doubt it will ruin your day
Core supports? leading cause of whiplash in small crashes...the car will actually absorb more impact and keep you more safe inside without them
Rear Defroster? they don't even clear the whole rear windshield
Horns? Honking causes panic and people slam on the brakes making accidents worse or it causes peds to stand still like a deer
Useless wires? you need wires assembled in Mexico for your A/C if you don't have it
Useless bolts? Everything that was held in by bolts that you remove...you don't need right? Or are you saying that I should put my cigarette and stereo bolts back in for safety?

Any more brain busters...you fucking noob

Your best friend,
kNorsk

Hrmmm lets think for a minute... Honda isn't actually going to put stuff in their cars that isn't required or there isn't a purpose for. Remember the less money they spend on their cars the more money they make. So my question for you then...

WHY ARE THOSE ITEMS YOU LISTED IN THE CAR IF THEY ARE AS REDUNDANT AND DANGEROUS AS YOU SAY THEY ARE?!

Rear view mirror? Why are these in cars if they don't serve a purpose. They wouldn't be in cars if there wasn't a reason for them. Perhaps is so you can see what's behind you with out looking over your shoulder?

Spare Tire/Jack, who wants to call AAA if you get a flat tire? when you can change it yourself in 10 minutes.

Core Supports? You do not want the car crushing and absorbing impact energy in the passenger cabin. Remove the core supports? rip up your drivers license your too stupid to be driving. Not to mention the stiffer the chassis the better the handling.

Rear Defroster? makes it so I can see out my back window, why the hell would I want to do that?

No horn? Lets think for a moment? somebody is about to cut me off and I need to let them know I'm there, how do I do this with out the horn? Yell? do I have time to roll down the window? I don't think so. These have been on cars forever. Its so you can let people know your there, so they don't hit you or so they can get out of your way.

Useless wires/bolts? I figured if you were going to take out the AC you would remove its wires and blots as well. etc.

exactly...to let people know you are there. Not like the way we use horns today. They were originally used to say "hey I'm coming down the road!" or "This train doesn't stop so be alert...toot toot!" in near accidents they are arguably useless. And core supports...take it off and tell me that your bumper full of foam and a weak piece of abs plastic is really going to make your car strong.

It all basically comes down to the word "safe". If you are concerned about safety than don't do it. Don't buy a fast car. Don't fly in a plane. Don't drive a boat said Sam I am. Drive slow and get a minivan said Sam while eating his green eggs and ham. Any good driver knows that speed is a thrill that can kill. It is never safe. So if safe is your middle name you probably won't drive your car too fast anyways. So weight reduction, turbos, and superchargers shouldn't even be in your vocabulary. If you told me that you want a safe and fast car I'd simply laugh a most terrible laugh.

Jerry Springers final thoughts on thursdays show.

You dont know when to stop do you? :screwy:

Guess I had a missunderstanding on core supports. I thought you ment the memebers designed to keep the passenger cabin from crushing.

Going fast and being resonably safe? roll cage, racing seat, 5pt harness. Not too difficult there...

remember this, wuts one thing a stock prelude has that no stock civic ever will? a little word called torque... :biggrin: (j/k civic owners, but u know its tru...)

Actually a Honda or Acura in general should not share the same sentence with the word torque Lude or not. Tell a guy with a big block that a Lude has torque and he'll slap the shit out of you. :iceslolan

Rear view mirror? obstructs/distracts your most important frontview...2 side mirrors and blind spot checking is more important



....What? Last time I checked, looking out your windshield, and up to the sky wasn't very important. It wasn't like the mirror was right in front of your face.



You act like owning a fast car means you should toss aside everything related to safety... While driving fast is dangerous, you shouldn't try to lower your chances at surviving an accident... Not saying you should be paranoid... But really, if driving fast = no concern for safety at all.... Maybe driving off cliffs would be a good way to drive real fast :p :naughty: :evillol:

hey thx for the input and everything guys, but for christs sake removing a rear view mirror is not gonna make a difference!

"damn i lost that race cuz he was lighter. I knew i shoulda took my THREE POUND rear view mirror off..."

besides im pretty sure legally u need one, least in my state.

dont argue over stupid ass points like that, it just waists everyones time.

:disappoin

....What? Last time I checked, looking out your windshield, and up to the sky wasn't very important. It wasn't like the mirror was right in front of your face.



You act like owning a fast car means you should toss aside everything related to safety... While driving fast is dangerous, you shouldn't try to lower your chances at surviving an accident... Not saying you should be paranoid... But really, if driving fast = no concern for safety at all.... Maybe driving off cliffs would be a good way to drive real fast :p :naughty: :evillol:

I'm kind of tall so when driving with good posture the mirror is right in my face(I'd like to say I drive way back and relaxed like a yo daddy but I can't). I'm pretty sure in PA you only need two working mirrors of your choice and the rear view was far too distracting especially at night when it was right in my face all the time. Must be because Hondas weren't built for tall people. And what I said about safety is that even if you have the goods like 8pt roll cage and that silly stuff you still have to expect the worst. If you go out of control and hit a wall over 100 mph you better have a good neck. Cause I doubt anyone drives on the street with a hahns device or helmet...people would think you are crazy. So when that point comes all of the extra safety you have would be rendered useless. Especially in a car that weighs as much as a bull.

:lol: :lol: :rofl:

"do u find something funny about my appearance when im driving my Automobile? This was the biggest auto-mobile i could afford!"

No one mentioned it yet. Lighter rims are a popular mod to lose weight. I think Preludes came with 15" OEM alloys, correct me if I'm wrong, so there are some aftermarket rims that are lighter.

Stainless steel sport exhaust is usually lighter than the stock unit. On a VW I had, the sport exhaust was noticeably lighter because the resonators weighed a lot less.

Although removing side-impact beams does not affect structural integrity because they are only in the doors, they are there for your safety. Most cars either have an inner frame plus door body or inner frame plus side-impact beams plus door body. The side-impact beam is a stronger replacement of what is usually a stamped part of the inner frame that can't be unbolted. Take away the side-impact beams and the only thing between you and another object is a thin sheet of metal plus your door paneling. This may affect your ability to open the door if the car is damaged in an accident.

Although removing side-impact beams does not affect structural integrity because they are only in the doors, they are there for your safety. Most cars either have an inner frame plus door body or inner frame plus side-impact beams plus door body. The side-impact beam is a stronger replacement of what is usually a stamped part of the inner frame that can't be unbolted. Take away the side-impact beams and the only thing between you and another object is a thin sheet of metal plus your door paneling. This may affect your ability to open the door if the car is damaged in an accident.

The overall point is that Honda's and many other compact cars are known for low ratings on side impact tests. One of my boys died in a side impact. If you remove the beams, prepare to meet your maker.