STI/WRX stock weight and reductions

Now we are getting into it. My take on wheels for our cars is run the biggest baddest wheel/tire combo that you can fit. When I say fit I am talking running optimal alignment settings. I have personally ran my car with a very light wheel tire combo (stock BBS's w/ 225/45/17 v710's) and although it felt more nimble and quicker in a straightline the 255/40/17's "street itres" would WAY outgrip the smaller lighter r-compounds making for substantially quicker laps.I would love to run a 275 or 295 next year to see how the car would perform in comparison.

I would think in a lighter, lower hp car a lighter wheel/tire could improve laptimes but in most cases the additional bite of more contact would come out on top.

Tire availability is something that you have to look at very closely and is the reason I went with the 17's. Tires for 17's are $150 whereas 18's run about $250, going through a set of tires in a season that is just to big a pill to swallow. My .02 cents on wheels and tires.

As for what I want to do with the car, I want an all purpose car that can be driven in the winter. My cars mods when I purchased it would push me into way to competitive of a auto-x class so the thoughts of adhering to any rules or restrictions is out the window. I just want the car to show up and perform at anything I do with it, focusing on road race and longer course events.

And I couldn't agree more with Chong more about seat time, practice and study. We are car people and the thought of optimization of the vehicle will always be something that will push me to improve the car as well as myself.

 

Alright friends; when we start talking about weight reduction, weight savings to shave lap times what we are really talking about here is going faster, but we already know that but what you may not know or have not considered is in a lot of cases it means going faster then what you're comfortable with or ready for.

Those who have worked with me know exactly what I mean. If you have a limited budget spend it where you'll get the most return. Start working with the right people. And be excitingly sacred; cause if it ain't fun anymore then whats the point.

Now if speed was a number it would be 2, cause before you know it you're going two fast lol.


Good luck guys.

 

All the aftermarket stereo and dynomat is out, lost a total of 46.4 lbs.

 

bumperless ftw!

 

I almost felt bad pulling out the mat because I have seen the receipts for the install.

I am going to try and get as much weight out of the front as possible but is not nearly as easy as pulling from the rear. Where did you get weight out of the front of yours? I am very curious about this because I do not see a whole lot that can be removed.

Interior is back in the car, I do my work at the shop I own. Everything has to be done, cleaned up and out of the shop by Monday morning. I did pull the bracket under the steering column while it was apart. I would pull and cut up the dash but want to prevent rattles if possible. We will see how much I can get out of it with what I have planned.

 

Dang, that was a ton of dynamat! How much louder is it in the cabin now? lol

 

Hey guys just figured I'd put my two cents in. I'm a huge weight reduction addict if thats what you would call us haha

I drive a 2005 wrx wagon and when I say fully gutted it's everything but the dash.

Stock seats gone
headliner gone
Sound deadening material gone
spare tire gone
jack gone
front bumper beam gone
stock exhaust gone

Just so people get an idea my car weighs 3150 from the factory curb weight.
that means no fuel no passenger.

I weighed in at 2840 on a public scale yesterday with 3/4 of a tank so at 8.3lbs a gallon that's 100 more pounds gone.
so I'm sitting about 2740 with no passenger seat and a kirkey aluminum intermediate road race seat that weighs 11lbs.

Like the op said it's all about how far your willing to go but it's worth it to me. Every pound

 

Sorry guys I also forgot my rear doors and trunk are gutted of all metal not needed to function. Rear window no longer roll down.

 

Here's mine from Proving Grounds 2 last fall.

2002 WRX - 2960lbs (full tank of gas, no driver)

Here's a photo of the gas gauge when it was on the scale:


2960lbs with no driver (but full tank of gas):


Here's a shot of the exterior of the car:


The car has a 6 speed transmission and still retains full interior except for AC and radio. With this setup it did 10.9 @ 126mph and then later it did 10.9 @ 128mph with a different header, RS hood (+20lbs), and stock WRX wheels w/snow tires (slightly lower weight than the BBS wheel summer setup). If I gut the interior and run with much lower gas, then I think I could probably drop a bit more weight.

Items Removed:

• All Speakers
• Head Unit
• Air Conditioning
• Front Sway Bar
• Rear Sway Bar
• Front Bumper Beam
• Rear Bumper Beam
• Scissor Jack and Tools
• Spare Tire
• Trunk Liners
• Charcoal Canister
• Rear Wing
• Evap System

Other Changes:

• 04 STI BBS Wheels (similar to stock)
• Federal 235/45R17 (heavier than stock)
• 2012 STI 6MT (heavier than stock)
• 2012 STI 2.5L Built Motor (similar to stock)
• Aftermarket Header (lighter than stock)
• Aftermarket Header (lighter than stock)
• Aftermarket Downpipe (lighter than stock)
• Aftermarket Exhaust (lighter than stock)
• Aftermarket FMIC (heavier than stock)
• Lightweight Battery (lighter than stock)

Full Interior

• Stock Front Seats
• Stock Rear Seats
• All Door Cards
• Full Dashboard
• Stock Steering Wheel
• Stock Glovebox
• All Carpet and Trim
• All Seat Belts
• All Sound Deadening
• Power Windows
• Power Locks