Did some weight reduction just now
 

This is what I took out:

https://images5.theimagehosting.com/DSC02624.th.jpg

It covers the ecu in my car, weighs 4 pounds, completely unnecessary. I figure it 100 pounds = 2% mpg improvement, I just made a .08% improvement in fuel economy. It's the little things that count. As I eliminate stuff I'll post it up here, :)

EDIT: Took the cargo cover out too:
https://images5.theimagehosting.com/DSC02625.th.jpeg

That's 10 pounds there. So now I'm up to .28% increase in fuel economy.

I also took out a 20 pound lead acid battery I had in there for no reason, but that doesn't count. :)

https://images5.theimagehosting.com/DSC02628.th.jpeg

There ya go, another 12 pounds gone, so that brings me up to 26.

https://images5.theimagehosting.com/DSC02632.th.jpeg
https://images5.theimagehosting.com/DSC02633.th.jpeg

Hey, there ya go, looky there, that's another 4 pounds. .5 each for the rear speaker covers (there's two of them). So that gives me like .67% increase in MPG!

HAHA
 

Last year I did some weight reduction too.

I shaved 25lbs off of my car by exercising, eating healthy, not eating fast food, and not drinking soda.

so that means I just improved my fuel economy by .5% :-P

Oddly the best MPG i've ever gotten was with two people in the car (wife and myself) and a trunk load of luggage. That was my 46mpg trip.

Re: HAHA
 

I think it's psychological. People drive more conservatively with people in the car, especially the wife (at least I do) -- except for those who want to "show off" and drive aggressively. Less-snappy acceleration from start = better eco. Weight reduction is finicky. I could stand to lose 50 lbs., but when that happens (hopefully this summer), the weather will permit better mileage. I always took the spare tire and jack out of the car for autocross, but when I left it in once, I got the best lap times -- maybe it evened-out the front/rear weight ratio. Anyways, it would take some serious weight to get appreciable gains. The engine burns fuel as it does. I think 500 lbs for a 4-cyl. car is reasonable for a goal in weight reduction. That would include a driver, spare, power equipment (windows, brakes, steering, A/C), extra seating, etc. I think the focus should shift on engine management and driving style.

RH77

some of the teamswift folks
 

some of the teamswift folks are fanatical about weight reduction. they're all about power/weight. mostly for autocross, etc.

but they take a 1650 lb swift/metro and strip 200 lbs from it.

even the 14 lbs of rubberized soundproofing applied to the floors.

table of removable swift items & their weight (scroll down for the table)

I drive with out any carpet
 

I drive with out any carpet in my trunk. Thats good for 10 pounds. The spare tire + jack (25 pounds) and rear seat (20 pounds) are the easiest way to cut weight in most cars.

In my dads 96 caravan the total weight for both bench seats was 195 pounds!

I love weight reduction. But it is hard to do without making your car look like crap.

https://www.evilplastic.com/p92-wgt1.htm

^
I have looked at this a lot to see what weight can be trimmed.


Hear is what i have done:
Carpet in the trunk- 10
Firewall isulation- 5
Tar in trunk- 5
AC system- 30 (I still need to take out compressor)
headliner (wasn't in car when i got it) - 4
sunroof (broke when i got the car)- 14
plastic air dam pieces- 7
different muffler/intake saved-6
plastic peices- 4
side mirror-3

Total saved- 88 pounds (i never totaled it up before, thats more then i thought)

Re: I drive with out any carpet
 

The one time I took the spare tire out, I had a flat. Honestly -- I rotated the tires on my Civic and left the spare and jack out when I ran to the store. Luckily I had my cell phone and someone brought me my spare/jack. And If I take the rear seat out, I'll have to take 2 people home who "had too much to drink". IMHO, weight reduction should be relegated to unsprung weight -- lighter wheels and tires (where the biggest effect is realized).

I'm not arguing against it, but I'm asking if the decision to remove components is within the scope of the goal you're trying to accomplish. If it's just you and the car, and you're certain of your decisions (and have AAA), then by all means have at it -- but think it through...

RH77

Re: I drive with out any carpet
 

The one time I took the spare tire out, I had a flat. Honestly -- I rotated the tires on my Civic and left the spare and jack out when I ran to the store. Luckily I had my cell phone and someone brought me my spare/jack. And If I take the rear seat out, I'll have to take 2 people home who "had too much to drink". IMHO, weight reduction should be relegated to unsprung weight -- lighter wheels and tires (where the biggest effect is realized).

I'm not arguing against it, but I'm asking if the decision to remove components is within the scope of the goal you're trying to accomplish. If it's just you and the car, and you're certain of your decisions (and have AAA), then by all means have at it -- but think it through...

RH77

I have my spare tire in and
 

I have my spare tire in and rear seat.

I was going to put a warning but forgot.

My metabolism is fast, I can
 

My metabolism is fast, I can eat more than a fat man and still keep my weight. I'm at 118lbs and I have a six pack.

And people wander why my altima averages out 30mpg, ahahaha.

Re: My metabolism is fast, I can
 

You're also 21. Wait until you're 25. :-P

Re: My metabolism is fast, I can
 

Exactly -- I was lean and mean at your age, but at 28, the old metabolism has slowed down (and the weight up). Keep exercising, though...

RH77

Re: My metabolism is fast, I can
 

When I was 19 I weighed 160lbs and I ate nothing but junkfood. I spent two years in a third world country where I walked every day, drank tons of water, and ate lots of rice and other healthy foods.

I came back and over the course of a few years I weighed 200lbs. I couldn't believe it.

Now I'm back to around 175lbs.

I figure the best weight reduction you can do for your car is to lose that spare tire :-P

i crew on a small racing
 

i crew on a small racing sailboat in the summer and i'm fanatical about weight there (the other 2 guys on the boat jokingly call me the "weight nazi"). i even leave my shoes behind when it's warm enough to go barefoot on deck.

i make them take out cushions, anchors, tools, extra sails, mop the bilge, the whole 9 yards.

the difference between winning and losing a race in light air can come down to a hundred extra pounds in a 2400 lbs boat. ironically, the owner/skipper is probably 75lbs overweight :)

i haven't thought much about weight reduction for my car yet, but probably will. i guess this is because i tend to focus on the hwy mpg figure, where weight reduction isn't as big a factor relative to sub/urban driving.

I already took out the spare
 

I already took out the spare and the jack. I took it out way back last year.

Took out 4 more pounds, rear
 

Took out 4 more pounds, rear speaker covers and center console, expect some serious stripping tomorrow.

Re: Took out 4 more pounds, rear
 

You're taking out stuff I can't live without (ie, center console). You can always change your rear bumper supports to aluminum ones... although if you get rear ended your car (and maybe you) are done for.

I've been thinking about hf
 

I've been thinking about hf bumper supports, but my goal is 100 pounds for fee. That dynomat sound proofing crap weighs 30 pounds, so expect that to get gone.

I don't know if crx's have
 

I don't know if crx's have one. But i removed the tow hook on my car (2 pounds). It was bolted to the bumper and came off fairly easy (needed some wd-40).

I think it's got a teeny
 

I think it's got a teeny one. I've heard to take off the exhaust shroud, and it's good for 10 pounds.

just don't go to crazy or
 

just don't go to crazy or your car will end up like this

https://www.nerocam.com/SCC_TAP.asp

thats funny stuff.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1304203 is the version for my car though.

I talk to the toad like skinny guy a lot.

HAHAHAHA crazy.
 

HAHAHAHA


crazy.

I wanted to do a lot of
 

I wanted to do a lot of weight reduction in my car. But I saw there was no point in a 3000lb car that has a weak engine. Now if the car weighed 2500lbs with the same engine I would of stripped it. BTW, I beleive if you have a 2 door car there is no point in having rear seats. Also If you have friends that mooch rides off you all the time remove all but 2 seats, yours and the passenger.

I've only got two seats to
 

I've only got two seats to begin with, so that's settled. I got hella snow dumped on me so the stripping was postponed.

all the projects are
 

all the projects are postponed, or should I say terminated for my car. I'm getting 26-27mpg on the freeway and that is with the overinflated tires. Now my car hesitates to go into 3rd. So when the car is cold I don't have 3rd and 4th. Great, just great.

On the streets it get 18-20mpg now. I think I need to ride the bus.

End rant.

Sell the piece of shit.
 

Sell the piece of ****.

Re: Sell the piece of shit.
 

Just ran a diagnostic on the tranny.
"All circuits that can be confirmed by self-diagnosis are OK"

Which basically means it only can detect electronic crap. Which means something mechanical is broken.

Automatic Tranmissions Suck
 

Auto trannies stink -- diagnosing problems with them is also an enigma. I don't really know what goes on in there. Standard trans., IMHO is so much better (for economy, statistics show people who drive sticks have fewer accidents than auto-only's, etc.) I think people should learn to drive a stick-shift in driver training.

I also think we should switch to the metric system by teaching it from Kindergarten onward (maybe MetroMPG can help me out here -- when did Canada make the switch, and how did it phase-in?). I know it will never happen because we're so stuck on the "English" system of measurement. Same thing with automatic transmissions. The U.S. is just full of them. In Europe, is exactly the opposite.

Compaq888 - do you know the history of the car? I know a lot of rental companies had/have Altimas. If it was an old rental, I'd ditch it quick. My folks bought a Jeep that was a rental (at a significant discount), and the four-wheel-drive went out on it early. Not only are the renters hard on the transmissions, but the rental agency people too -- they're way hard on cars when they move them around.

Otherwise, the car is a good, reliable choice. Consumer Reports rates it a "Best Buy" in used cars, with the transmission being "excellent" in reliability for that year. According to their site, 99's are currently worth $5k-7500. The decision to repair the transmission may be a costly one, if that's the problem. Bear in mind the repair cost, number of miles, and what it's worth. If you can, take it to a mechanic to drive it to diagnose the problem (since the codes show no fault). Best of luck, and keep us posted...

RH77

By the way, I should mention
 

By the way, I should mention the auto to manual swap on my car should be around 50 pounds of weight drop, :)

Re: Automatic Tranmissions Suck
 

I know everything about my car. The car was a rental till 11k. Then after that a woman drove it for 20k miles. Then a guy drove it for 20k miles. When I bought the car with low 50k miles the tranny was in perfect condition. The car had an erratic idle and wasn't taken care of. I changed all the maintenance stuff so far except the PCV valve. Changed the window switch, some light bulbs, tires because the brakes lock up too easy. Dealer said it was normal, even though I almost crashed 3 times because of it. The car is at 65k now. I doubt it will get sold for $5-7k. I myself bought it for $3500. It has a good a mount of body damage. It looks fine from 100 feet away but when you come up close the corner light needs to be replaced, 2 bumpers, a lot of dents on the car. Not to mention a good a mount of deep scratches to the metal.

$3500
 

Despite its fair/poor body condition, you still might be able to sell it for a reasonable amount (don't know your market/region). My recommendation would be to sell it since you have the transmission problems mentioned and since it was a rental. If you have a CarMax near you, they'll give the car a quick "once-over" and offer you a cash price for the vehicle -- you don't even have to buy a car from them. They'll probably take it and auction it off. I like to use them to get a fair market value for my cars, based on the current behind-the-scenes auction circuit. Sometimes it's disappointing, and other times it's a little higher than you'd expect.

RH77

Re: Automatic Tranmissions Suck
 

it happened in the early 80s. i was in the first generation of kids to grow up not learning imperial. the imperial i know was learned outside of school.

though, as one of the items in the link below points out, we tend to use a mix: e.g. feet & lbs for measuring people, miles per imperial (british) gallon for cars (as well as L/100km), and metric for everything else.

you really want details? see:

https://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-75-1572/science_technology/metric_system/

Re: Automatic Tranmissions Suck
 

I didn't learn metric until I lived in the Philippines for a few years. It was a sudden shock when all of a sudden I had to learn the metric system. Ordering food (meat, rice, etc.) in kilograms was easy to learn. Talking about distance in kilometers was something I never really got used to. Describing people's heigh in cm's was also next to impossible.

When I have a child I'll be damned if we don't teach the metric system in the house. Maybe we can make an effort as a family to only use the metric system.

For those who dont know:
 

For those who dont know: Metric (kilogram, meter, liter) is approximately based around water.

1 meter cubed water ~= 1 ton(1000 kilograms) of water.
Also: Heat required to rise 1 celcius of 1 centimeter cubed water = 1 calory.

I thank God there is only one universal "time" measurement system in the world rather then different weight, length and volume measurements.. Otherwise conversions would be much more difficult.

And there is also the "right hand drive" cars and traffic issue ..it must be solved also :)

capcom - what side do you
 

capcom - what side do you drive on in turkey?

"Standart" Right side sir.
 

"Standart" Right side sir. (Steering wheel/driver at left)

Re: Automatic Tranmissions Suck
 

Wow, thanks for the link -- lots of cool info. BTW, I love Canada -- I think the U.S. should take some cues from your Country's laws and philosophies. I get to work there from time to time, and really enojoy the visit. Your bio says Eastern Ontario -- are you close to Ottawa, or further North?

RH77

i'm about an hour south of
 

i'm about an hour south of ottawa, on the st. lawrence river.

the timing of your comment on our laws and philosophies is kind of funny - our national election is coming up on monday and it appears from the polls we're heading for a switch from a liberal to a conservative federal government. (not wanting to start a political discussion in a fuel economy forum - just pointing it out.)

My weight reduction so
 

My weight reduction so far.....
- Trunk interior pieces - 10.2 lbs
- Spare tire, jack & tools - 23.8 lbs
- Battery Powered air pump - 9.0 lbs
- only filling to 1/2 tank, 30 ohms (5 fewer gallons at any given time) 5*6.25= 31.3 lbs
- Personal spare tire reduction 193-190= 3.0 lbs
- Cleaned out briefcase - 5.0 lbs (damn spare laptop battery!)
- Oil level at minimum mark on dipstick - 0.5 lbs
- only filling washer fluid reservior to 1/2 full (1/2 fewer gallons at any gtiven time) - 4.0 lbs

- Total 88.8 lbs so far.

Future planned reductions:
- Further reduction of personal spare - 15 lbs
- Possible removal of passenger seat - 35 lbs ???
- Possible removal of roof holder in trunk - 10 lbs ???
- Possible removal of AC system (I am struggling with this. I don't use AC but it would be a shame to remove a perfectly good system) - 30 lbs.
- Possible passenger side view mirror removal - 3 lbs plus aero benefit.
- VX wheels and tires - 50 lbs???

Total additional possibilities - 143 lbs

What else am I missing here?

Oh yea, the removeable top is 25 lbs but prolly increases drag and it would really suck if it rains..... :(