STI/WRX stock weight and reductions

So I have been getting a variety of information about what our cars are supposed to weigh in stock form. I weighed my car this summer (04 STI) at the Proving Grounds event and it tipped the scales at 3360 lbs as it would come off the street w/o driver (spare tire/jack, half tank of fuel, etc). Some have told me this is about the norm while others have insisted that the car should weigh closer to 3150 lbs.

So here is what I am looking for:
Vehicle weight w/o driver (I don't want to do any math)
What has been done to lighten or add weight to the vehicle
I am concerned about the GD chassis but if others would like to post I am sure there would be interest.

My hopes are that I can dump literally 200lbs off my car this winter without loosing driving comfort. I do have corner balance scales that I can borrow from a friend and will continue to update my progress along the way.

Edit: Stage 1 of weight reduction is underway and all aftermarket stereo stuff and dynomat is removed. Lost a total of 46.4 lbs, not the 50 that I was looking for but a good start non the less. I also have the front bumper facia removed and am waiting on Oswald perf bumper beams. I have to get the car put back together so I can tear the trunk stuff out and rear bumper as well. Updated pics on page 2.

 

My 02 WRX weighed in at about 3150 with a half tank of gas. I think the STi picks up some weight with the bigger brakes and beefier trans. The wxtra 150 or so lbs sounds pretty reasonable for the upgraded hardware. I think to lose 200 lbs the AC is going to have to go on an STi. I might be wrong about that, but I am having trouble thinking up places to lose that much weight without sacrificing comfort.

 

initial thoughts are as follows:
bumper beams 50
header 15
spare tire/jack 20
battery 15
stereo stuff, dynamat, wiring, amps 50-60?
IC sprayer, rear wing 20?
other stuff 20-30.
Bingo.........200lbs!!
I will start tearing stuff apart and document over the next couple weeks.

 

Shows you what I know. Looks like there's some more weight in my car yet. Stock seats are still in mine. I have a front mount that replaced my bumper beam, so not as big of a loss there. I remember it was 3265 with me and gas when I pulled onto the scale.

 

Your car weighs 300lb's less than mine! The only items I see on there I will not be doing would be the A/C and I will be going to a lighter trunk mounted battery. Definitely gives me hope!

 

Charcoal box

 

For unsprung weight...lighter wheels could be a big helper. IIRC, you're running rota's? Those are at least 20 lbs per wheel. Pick up some Enkei RPF1's (17x8, approx. +48 offset) and you're looking at about 15 lbs per wheel.

 

The only issue with running a narrower wheel is the stability issues that would be caused by running a 255. Especially in the RS-3's since they have such a soft sidewall. Plus I love the look and fit of the wheels!

 

Well, you could fit a 255 on a 8" wheel...but probably better with an 8.5 or 9. You can also get the RPF1's in 8.5 to 9" width as well. Just a suggestion, as Rota's are typically not the light nor strongest wheels for racing (although I used to run them on my last car!). And actually, the wider and lower offset RPF1's look much better than the 8"/higher offset ones.

There are other Enkei's styles, SSR's, etc that are lightweight as well.

 

I did not weigh my 17x9 Grids but they did not feel too heavy compared to similar wheels I have lifted onto the tire machine. They are considerably lighter than my 18x9 G-forces.

 

Grids in that size will be 20+ lbs for sure. 17x9" 5x100 RPF-1's are special order, but they are supposedly going to be a stocked item now that the BRZ is out. I have the Mach V wheels. They're 17x9" and weight under 18lbs.

 

You forgot. Grids carry a -20lb weight reduction spell. This is due to their level 5 magic coolness.

Silly noob

 

Do they make RPF1's on a +42? Mine are a +42 and just touch on very hard cornering right now. Enkies are so spendy.....ouch!

 

I can handle the 1/4 tank mod but don't have plans of dumping a gear.

 

About 100lbs

 

FIXED

Silly tranny banger

 

Not sure if anyone talked about this at the track...but I'd always keep your fuel level above 1/4 tank, maybe even 1/2 tank for the full track (unless you have an aftermarket fueling system I suppose). I experience some fuel cut on my saabaru at an autox when I had about 1/4 tank...never a good feeling!

Josh...dumping the six speed is just silly! (for obvious reasons)

 

Don't worry about Josh. He doesn't know what he's talking about

As long as a surge tank is installed, it should be fine

 

Mine runs out coming out of turn two with anything less than 1/2 tank, so when I run it is full to the top, surge tank should fix that this year!

 

Generally its the other way around I think. The WRX has better gears for auto-x because you don't have to shift as often. Most can put it in 2nd and forget about it. When it comes to the STi, many(modded) have to shift between 2nd and 3rd gear. On the road courses, the 6 speed's gearing provides you with the opportunity to always keep the car "in power" vs in the WRX you can get into spots where you are out of the power band and going to fast to try down shifting. At BIR I could basically leave my WRX in 3rd and 4th thru most of the short course which is nice as it allows me to work on my lines more then shifting; however there were parts where i was bogging in 3rd gear, but going to fast to make any use of downshifting further. Maybe a certain BIR Instructor can shed some more light on this subject?

Other advantage of the STi tranny are the LSD's not sure of their actual impacts when road racing.

 

On the subject of wheel weights, my buddies 17x9 grids weigh less then my 17x9 Gram Light 57ds.

A good very light wheel is the Volk CE28, its expensive but I believe the 17x8.5 weights just shy of 15lbs(Don't know if that is correct, but it should be close).

 

How durable is a 15lb wheel. You would think they would bend just looking at them.

 

Volks have been used as racing wheels for a long time. Its all in all the way the wheels are made. RPF1s are great racing wheels and they are light, they may seem expensive, but a Volk will be double the cost of the RPF1.

 

Well, after driving a 5 speed in autox and moving to a 6 speed (only for one event so far), I can say it really depends on the course. The 2nd gear on the 5 speed is often times geared way too high for coming out of the sharp turns and tends to bog. While the STi 2nd is great for picking up speed from sharp turns...there were courses that I ran out of gear in 2nd in my 5 speed...I can only imagine what will happen in the STi!

Anyway, back on topic...lighter wheels, yes. But, I would be curious to find out just how heavy your rota's actually are, before you go chasing after only a couple lbs. Do you have the actual size specs on the rota's?

 

So i am going to be doing new bumper beams as the first part of this reduction. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Oswald or JDM beams? Also is there a jdm rear or just a front? I am having issues finding pricing and availability on the jdm beams. Any thoughts?

 

I'd start by searching the forums(nasioc and iwsti) for someone who has one for sale. Follow by vendors, I know some vendors used to bring them in. Lastly, if you have no luck, I know some canadians that import cars/wheels/parts that would be able to get it for you. Probably wouldn't arrive till spring tho.

 

I was looking more for something next next week. My car was hit in a parking lot and the front bumper is getting replaced. I am going to start tearing stuff out of it next week/weekend and then put on the new bumper when done.
3

 

^I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on this as well. It seems that most autocrossers will throw on the widest tires possible. I assume that's because contact patch is much more important than weight on those types of courses?

 

Usually for Autocross wider is best. It will really depend on the class. In some classes you are limited to a tire width. In the class I run, I'm limited to a 245. All of the fast guys are putting that on a 9" wheel to try and maximize the contact patch. With the stock classes, you are limited to the stock wheel size, so as much rubber you can fit is the way to go. Almost everyone will try to find the lightest wheels allowable for the class. Less mass on the corners is always best.
Race tires/slicks have very different properties that street tires. You are able to pinch a race tire/slick a lot more that a street tire. This obviously allows for a wider tire on a narrower wheel than possible with a street tire, again going for maximum contact patch.
When you are dealing with only 6 to 8 runs a day,durations of 25 to 60 seconds, and with differences in time measured in the .001s, every little bit helps.

 

That also depends on the the class you run in. In stock class, many try to put the largest tires possible on the car to get the most amount of grip(more grip, more speed through the corner). Stock class only allows limited mods(Struts, Tires, 1 sway bar, Air filter, Cat-back, and some other randoms), so tires is one of the biggest improvements you can make.

I only ran 245s on my WRX, but that is what I had laying around. It will likely be what I keep running in STU next year.

 

Yeah, it seems that some guys in stock class have 265's on stock, 8" wide, WRX wheels! That's really pinched!

 

Some of them are running up to 295s.

 

Now that's a lot of cheese and crackers for two seconds off the clock. Johnny!