weight removal

1der · Post by **1der** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:38 am

after taking the spare wheel out to reduce weight,what else could i remove?apart frm my rear seats.
Thanks

Redline · Post by **Redline** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:05 am

All depends how serious a commitment to shedding weight you want to make I guess; do you want to retain the creature comforts of the GTi?

I would suggest looking at lightweight wheels. Removing unsprung weight is going to make a much greater contribution to improving performance. You could also look at lighter panels such as carbon fibre wings or bonnet, along with possibly replacing the rear windows with polycarbonate.

Following that it all depends how much you want a sound system and climate control for example. Probably never going to make it as lightweight as 205 GTi however!

neilw · Post by **neilw** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:49 am

Engine, Wheels, Petrol

tegwin · Post by **tegwin** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:42 pm

You could strip out all of the sound deadening from inside of the body pannels...

Remove the aircon pump etc to reduce weight and load on the engine...

Remove the sound system...

If you go for lighter wheels you should in an ideal world get some decent coilovers and have the cornerweigting re-done to make the most of it...

1der · Post by **1der** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 7:16 pm

how easy is the aircon to remove?

Would this leave me without any form of heating in the car?

tegwin · Post by **tegwin** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 7:27 pm

You would have to unbolt the pump from the engine and then either put on a small pulley/bearing block to take the belt..

Or get a shorter belt so the other bits and pieces are still driven..

You could then pull the dasboard out and remove the aircon radiator thing from inside the car....and remove the aircon radiator from the front of the car as well...

Its a lot of work/money for little gain

Luke'sGti · Post by **Luke'sGti** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 7:49 pm

Go on a diet

tomo87 · Post by **tomo87** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:05 pm

without removing the rear seats i doubt you will see any real gains? i just feel that if you are not willing to take out the seats your not that fussed about losing weight!?!?

tegwin · Post by **tegwin** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:11 pm

In the grand scheme of things the rear seats weigh bugger all!

tomo87 · Post by **tomo87** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:17 pm

probably not but they are one of heaviest single objects that you can remove

1der · Post by **1der** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:19 pm

just thought having no rear seats in a 5-door would look a bit odd

pip_polo · Post by **pip_polo** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:24 pm

remove back seats, and rear doors.

Redline · Post by **Redline** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:08 pm

Weld the back doors up....

6N2 GTI 00 · Post by **6N2 GTI 00** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:31 pm

The seats weigh next to nothing. If your looking for better acceleration then go down the route of either fitting a Turbo or a 1.8 T 20V conversion.
You would be lucky to loose 80KG's by weight removal.

Your never going to loose much weight unless you destroy the inside of the car. Best bet would be removing all the seats, door cards, speakers etc. Stick two lightweight bucket seats in the front and leave the back with no seats. Alot of work for very little return.
Comfort comes first for me, especially on those cold winter mornings.

Good luck with it though

Ben,

Tim_GTi · Post by **Tim_GTi** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:30 pm

6N2 GTI 00 wrote:The seats weigh next to nothing. If your looking for better acceleration then go down the route of either fitting a Turbo or a 1.8 T 20V conversion.
You would be lucky to loose 80KG's by weight removal.

Your never going to loose much weight unless you destroy the inside of the car. Best bet would be removing all the seats, door cards, speakers etc. Stick two lightweight bucket seats in the front and leave the back with no seats. Alot of work for very little return.
Comfort comes first for me, especially on those cold winter mornings.

Good luck with it though

Ben,

I agree, unless your properly serious about the whole weight loss thing, ie. carbon fibre panels, no interior sound or air con. I'd just stick to the engine mods and making it look cool