The 370Z Weight Reduction Thread

[DR_]

Originally Posted by wstar

You keep saying you're not gonna heavily mod this car... I'm starting not to believe you Every little weight reduction is sucking you in further...

I hated the location of the wiper fluid bottle because it was right in the way of the brake ducts and oil cooler lines. I was able to remove about a foot of ducting by getting rid of the bottle. I will probably order the GTM wiper fluid bottle when I order their new oil pan.

I forgot to put back on the styrofoam when I put my bumper back on. I noticed that it isn't really needed though and it might get some extra air to the Stillen intakes so I might keep it off.

[Kingbaby]

I would keep the styrofoam if you plan on going pass 80+ often because without it the bumper will sag/dimple and the hood might catch unwanted air...

[wstar]

I don't think you can really get air under the hood that way. The upper lip of the bumper cover is nailed down with those plastic push-pins all along the top edge, and the hood has its rubber weather seal there as well. I could maybe see it deflecting enough to affect aero a little, but even then I donno. The bumper cover's pretty stout in that area.

[Kingbaby]

I'm sure your right, havent played with a z34. On a z33 it's not that refine...

[synolimit]

Way to many threads here but I found this and thought I'd share even though its probable been brought up before...


"Lightweight battery, odyssey, braille, etc. Information:


I have spent close to 8 hours researching batteries, and wanted to share much of what I found, which is not always clear on previous threads. I am sure some will disagree with some of my statements, I am not saying any of this is 100% fact but I have read A TON on this subject before coming to these conclusions. These are random:

1) You can get away with a very lightweight low power battery in the NSX if you don't have a lot of aftermarket stuff, drive your car frequently, and don't live in a severly cold climate. You can save around 15-20 pounds of weight instantly by changing the battery.

2) The battery world is a big scam. There are a handful of battery manufacturers, everyone buys from them, then re-badges and sells for whatever they want. The specs are manipulated wildly at times, there is no real standard. Many companies have multiple websites and multiple names for the same battery (and multiple prices).

3) The two best known brands: Braille and Odyssey... at this point, I really feel braille is severely overpriced. They are made by Deka, rebranded and sold for A LOT MORE. All manufacturers say that their "internals" are different, but I have seen some internals and they look identical to me. Believe what you want. Deka also makes "Big Crank". Both Big Crank and Deka can be had for a lot less than the matching Brailles. The Dekas are sold under many other names as well. Braille lists PULSE CCA's on their website... this is a ******** term. You have to read their CCA's.

4) Odyssey is made by Enersys. Enersys sells the same battery under the "hawker energy Genesis" brand for less money. A lot of performance shops sell DynaBat which is purchased from Hawker and sold for more money. These are all enersys batteries.

5) Odyssey terminology... the batteries can be bought in various iterations. For example PC680, PC680MJ, PC680MJT. Same battery. MJ stands for Metal Jacket. T refers to the top post. You can adapt a standard 680 by buying an SAE post. The metal jacket is to protect the battery, not to protect the environment the battery is in. One of the main culprits in killing battery performance (like radiator performance) is heat. The MJ units keep more heat away from the internals. In a mid-engine car, this is not so much an issue. Just as the NSX radiator stays cool, so does the battery. I don't feel the MJ is necessary, but some may disagree and can chime in.

6) The performance of these batteries can be had for as little as $25 using UPS batteries. I saw many accounts of various racing forums of people using these, but they do not take vibration as well. Here is a battery that will crank over your NSX just fine at $25:

http://www.batterymart.com/p-12v-20a...battery-3.html

I'm not recommending this, but just showing what a $300 battery has internaly is not all that different. Battery basics are the same, there is a lot of marketing involved. I am thinking its the same with Duracell and Energizer. I don't think there is magic inside.

7) Big Crank (Deka) has some models listed standard, and "L". EXT15, or 15L. The "L" refers to a reversal of the polarity. Look at the pictures and select the correct one.

8) Another couple of options are Yuasa and Gruber Power, these will work with the right adaptor post and are very reasonably priced:

Gruber Power

A pretty informative article here, at least look at the pics, it is funny the resemblence:

Stealth 316 - Dyna-Batt Battery

I just wanted to provide info of what I have found. Right now I am leaning toward getting a Big Crank EXT15L to save some weight.

I looked into making your own batteries (especially with lithium cells). I was not able to come up with anything really cost effective, but can tell you for sure that $1995 for a Braille is making the CEO a lot of money"

[wstar]

Odyssey isn't that bad. I looked into your Genesis info above. There is indeed a matching Genesis battery for the PC680, which is the NP18-12 that you can see here: ENERSYS Genesis NP18-12BFR . Just based on comparing pics/specs/descriptions, I'm pretty sure that's the same internals as the PC680. It's just a different jacket and different terminals, and a little under half the price (~$50 vs ~$115). I'm sure it's a cheaper option for the same thing electrically, but there is some value in having screwed-in SAE posts and a thicker plastic jacket. Maybe not $65 worth of value, but really the savings there are pretty small potatoes compared to the cost of operating the car over the life of the battery, not to mention all the other related modding you're doing if you care enough to drop battery weight.

[synolimit]

Why does everyone go pc680? The PC625 is lighter yet more powerfull. It does have acid though and slightly bigger. But lighter would be the choice in a weight reduction thread no?

[wstar]

The PC625 is slightly lighter and has slightly more AH of capacity, but it has less cranking ability. The difference isn't much, so who knows, it might be enough. Try it and see!

[synolimit]

If anyone cares.

I couldn't find the weight of a 2013 base sport. Nissanusa.com PDF file on the different models doesn't list sport weights for any car. So I went and weighed it. With a full tank of gas, all fluids, added features of splash guards, and carpeted floor mats she came in at a mind blowing 3,361! I can't believe a car made with tons of aluminium can be so heavy. So far I've been able to shed 59 pounds but no idea what else can go that I'd wouldnt miss. Intake and exhaust should put it close to 100lbs but after that I think ill be done.

[MJB]

Originally Posted by synolimit

If anyone cares.

I couldn't find the weight of a 2013 base sport. Nissanusa.com PDF file on the different models doesn't list sport weights for any car. So I went and weighed it. With a full tank of gas, all fluids, added features of splash guards, and carpeted floor mats she came in at a mind blowing 3,361! I can't believe a car made with tons of aluminium can be so heavy. So far I've been able to shed 59 pounds but no idea what else can go that I'd wouldnt miss. Intake and exhaust should put it close to 100lbs but after that I think ill be done.

I'm down to around 29xxlbs, but then again I went to extremes . You know, with all the safety requirements for cars today, and all the creature comforts people want, 3,300 really isn't that heavy... lighter than a Camaro and Mustang, lol.

[Kingbaby]

thats gas tho...lol

What fun with all the weight reduction is buying quality replacements for everything...so that you won't miss anything just found a lighter replacement.

[MJB]

Originally Posted by Kingbaby

thats gas tho...lol

What fun with all the weight reduction is buying quality replacements for everything...so that you won't miss anything just found a lighter replacement.

I really have fun trying to find areas to cut weight. People think I'm crazy what I've done to my Z.... I find it a challenge!

[synolimit]

Originally Posted by MJB

I'm down to around 29xxlbs, but then again I went to extremes . You know, with all the safety requirements for cars today, and all the creature comforts people want, 3,300 really isn't that heavy... lighter than a Camaro and Mustang, lol.

Yeah but with modest weight reduction, about 400lbs more than what I'm used to and that had AWD, huge FMIC, heavy two peice drive shaft, 4dr, etc etc. 2900lbs would be perfect.

[MJB]

I know people have already weighed the A/C compressor, but thought I would just add this picture Who needs A/C anyways!

[wstar]

Just making the call to remove the AC and Radio and all related components completely sucks a *lot* of weight out of the car. All the wiring, tubing, front condensor, the subwoofer and amps, the control modules, the central AC module, the blower, etc. It also frees up a lot of room to work with for custom wiring and dash stuff in the center dash area. There's easily over 100 lbs in just radio and AC junk to be gutted, and most of it's forward of the centerline of the car, or at least near the center. Only the subwoofer is out to the rear.

The other easy target on a track car is killing the airbag system and seatbelt tensioners, etc (if you're moving to harnesses + race seats). The airbag modules are all reasonably heavy (especially the two frontmost ones), and the curtain ones are way up high on the car (= not good).