Just in the process of slowly seeing how light I can make a coupe without resorting to the stripped out racecar look. I started by corner weighting the car and found some very interesting results. we all know the 20v turbo is very nose heavy but what some of use may not realize is that (in rhd guise) the front r/h is quite some way heavier circa 14% (with driver) than the left. So in my quest to A; lose weight and B; balance up the left/right I started by removing the A/C and replacing the engine mount. Overall weight loss was 8kg, but the left/right imbalance only inproved by about 2%.. which is an improvement i suppose.
In my grand plan I was also going to move the battery to the boot (to improve fr/rr balance) but with the left/right being so bad I've decided to leave it where it is for now.
I think the next step is to investigate moving the washerbottle to the boot, I can use what was the rear wiper and pipework to feed the front (sort of a reverse system). This will move about 4kg (water bottle full) to the rear and again help the left/right imbalance. approximately another 1% or so.
After this I'm running out of things to relocate, I have a motorbike horn which is only 200grams which will lose me another 750grams or so from the front r/h corner.
Next on the weight loss agenda is some lighter cooling fans. I would hope to lose another 3-4kg here, however I think the pro alloy intercooler will probably negate this loss and unfortnately not help the l/r weight.
then when funds allow (or the missus does) a glassfibre/carbon bonnet should help fr/rr weight. (does anybody know how much lighter these are than the std bonnet?)
Cheers Tim

i'm surprised the AC wasn't a bit heavier - mines a 16VT but the ac compressor alone was 7.6kg

Have you weighed the fans?

I think the bonnet is about 35-40kg and fibreglass ones can be more like 15kg

something, that I have done on my car so far :
1 : front speakers -1 kg
2: spear tyre, and tools -16,1 kg
3: stuff away to fit FMIC -2,0 kg
4: rear viper+motor -1,4kg
5: using grale int.manif. -2,5kg
6: remove int.cooler. mount. place -1 kg
7: battery mounting place -1 kg ( make a new from fiber )
8: new battery -13kg ( 5.4kg version )
9: other boot stuff -4,4 kg ( so boot is empty )
10: new turbo+manif. -0.4 kg
11: bonnett -25 kg ( new is 5.3kg )

and I dont even have A/C so add that to the list also.
next is new interior, with new seats, new wheels and tyres.
( on thre my friend get away 22kg !!! on 20v version )
16vt wheels and tyres weight standard 19,2 kg each .
I still have all the interior, all the noise material etc..
so -67,8 kg already, without A/C result, and normal interior and tyres !

oh and here are some pictures from the bonnett :
http://87.94.41.25/ftcf/board/index.php?topic=7662.25
roll the page down and you see .

Hi, I've already removed

rear wiper
spare tyre and tools
interior noise material
stuff for FMIC
remove int cooler mounting place
tubular manifold and turbo
Decat and new exhaust (removing surplus exhaust hangers)
CD changer and amp from boot

Bonnet I think is next on the list

cheers Tim

Do you have any pictures?

Interesting, I've taken away what seems to be the heaviest. Everything in the boot, ca -20kg. Also I put the battery there and threw away the old mount. I have LHD so balance is ok. Although maybe 2kg's extra for that long powercable..
I actually noticed a difference, the steering was a tad lighter after battery move! Anyone else noticed that?
Besides better balance thru tight corners of course.

sorry, dont have pictures..
put its easy, just buy a new battery, and make a box to it..
I guess your cable is then very thin, if it weights only 2kg
i did the same on my old car with 50mm cable, and that was around 10kg ..
now I want weightsaving, so new racing battery and only 5.4kg
I also have LHD car.

backseat weights around 10kg, front seats debends on the model.
I´ve heard, that 16v models are around 17kg each and 20v with bags are round 25kg..
if you put there one of these :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/small-size-bucket-...A1%7C240%3A1318

you get at least 26kg weight saving also

you can also get those, made from GRP, so then those costs around 95 each ! with the same model...
so 40 for delivery and 190 for seats-- 230 pounds and - 26kg
I have been thinking those, but I would like to make leather those,or alcantara, and a little softer place for my ass

F927UBS have you got lightweight wheels on your Coupe? I remember WF sying his wheels were significantly lighter than the standard 20VT wheels.

Regarding the washer bottle, would you buy another due to it's odd shape? Perhaps a smaller rectangular one to reduce overall weight, and possibly be put it in the spare wheel well to keep the weight as low as possible?

Not quite as drastic as a Varley or similar, but when mine died I replaced it with a Bravo 2.0 battery, which saved me 3.1kgs (and was £20 cheaper!). Although from what you've said I've just made the R/L balance worse

so 67,8 kg + those 26 kg = 93,8 kg
A/C around 10kg ? was it ? = 103,8 kg
my car weights standard ( if trusting a magazine )
1273kg so after those weightsavings it is
1169,2kg .

the little front wings can be chanced for lighter ones..
thats around -2.5kg / side for saving.
mirrors.. 1.1kg --> 200g if taking carbon mirrors so -900g / side. +many many other little things

No lightweight wheels as yet, would love a set of 17" team dynamics pro race 1's if somebodies got some for sale.. Hint Hint...

and on more thing :
there is this noise material inside the car ( on the front )
my friend take this "plate" of on his punto and it weights 15kg, so I believe that you can get even more of from coupe.
after that total weight on my car should be around 1150kg

Sorry - whats that JTM - i'm not quite sure what you mean. Sounds deadening inside the cabin or is this something in the engine bay?

sorry, my English isnt too good
inside, not engine bay.
its bitum material or something like that.

yes, I know what you mean, sound deadening like Dynamat - it's in the doors and rear corners as well and stops vibrations.

I took all the sound deading out of the interior of my track car - about 15kgs!!

Keen on doing bonnet & battery next!

don't trust the published weight of the car.

For last year's Ten of the Best, I removed:

All seats (replaced fronts with kevlar race seats)
All door cards
All speakers
All seatbelts
centre console
all carpets
all boot trim
spare, toolkit, jack
rear wiper and motor

I've weighed this lot - it comes to well over 100kg, but while it was all out, I had the car weighed - 1280kg

So - it would appear the published weight for a 20VT of 1310kg is miles out - I estimate about 1400kg wet

Is it worth removing the sound deadening under the bonnet? Must be worth a few kg's under the bonnet. I guess it'd expose the headlamp wiring to the elements & possibly more engine heat too.

one Finnish 20v turbo have been also measured.
with everything inside, half a tank of fuel ( remembering )
it was 1340kg .
A/C and everything else was on that car.

Shit. No wonder our brakes burn up.

door cards weight 3.5kg each + 0.5kg speaker = 4kg / side
at least 16v

what do you want from the car lads?
if its drag car then you need to keep the weight to the front of the car but if its track then 50/50.

i really didn't know the coop was that un balanced in its weight. and also its bloody heavey. im surprised its as fast as it is and that its not a bad handling car and nigel does so well in totb with a unbalanced weight.

Going back to nigels comments earlier, I think you'll find most car manufactures quote dry weight, which means.

No oil
No water
No washer fluid
No powersteering fluid
No brake fluid
No Fuel
No Battery Acid
No gearbox oil

and if they're anything like the bike factories I work with!!

No suspension fluid.

when they mean dry they mean dry!!. I've even heard of them de-humidifying the car to make sure it's completely dry.

Really? That couldn't save alot of weight could it?

I would expect probably 30kg's total??. not sure?

Oh and wouldn't have a stero either as that's an optional extra, or a sunroof or possibly aircon, anything that is an optional would not be fitted.. It's a theorectical minimum weight really

Well the benefits of a lighter front end are obvious in a 20v which is only some 60-70kgs lighter than a 20vt as the non turbo feels alot less nose heavy.

I cant remember wether you can get an mot with a perspex rear window and rear quarters, a quality tubular stainless steel manifold is also considerably lighter than the cast iron OEM one, which considering its position might help weight distribution.

A smaller more efficient aluminium rad, lightweight single fan, lightweight front crossmember and aluminium strutbrace would also save quite a few kilos.

You can replace every window except the front with Plexi glass and as long as it's not badly scratched of Opaque it'll pass an mot.
I have replaced the std cast manifold with a tubular one and unfortunately it was only about 1/2 a Kg lighter. I'm going to need a new rad sometime soon so have already contacted pro alloy with regards supplying.. the fans could be replaced with two lightweight Davies Craig units, I would expect a 5Kg weight loss here.
As posted before, I think the next best step is the bonnet 20kg's in one hit surely would help the fr/rr balance alot, turn in would be better and I would expect braking to improve also, less weight and less weight transfer.

dont use plexi, use polykarbonat ( dont know exact in english )
thats what they use on Rally cars, and some production cars as well ( peugeot 308 back window example )
half the weight of glass..
I was thinking to make side windows for that,and get away
maybe 5kg / side . ?

I have my exhuast manifold off at the moment so weighted the fans as they are out

5.1kg for the OE 16vt ones
6.2kg for dry OE raditor