What is Car Weight Reduction ? Performance Gain Expectations | Car Weight Reduction Tips

Performance car enthusiasts and street racers alike , every one is all about getting that extra bit of performance gains to out do their competitors at the track.

Car Weight Reduction is one such way which racers use to make their cars faster. This article will take you through what Car weight reduction actually is , how to do it properly and what kind of performance gains can you expect after reducing the weight of your car.

What is Car Weight Reduction ?

Car weight reduction is simply the removal of excess weight from your car to improve the power to weight ratio. It can be simply explained like this "the lesser the amount of weight your engine has to pull, the faster it will be". Not only does weight reduction improve acceleration it also makes the handling more nimble.

Car Weight Reduction Stages:

To be honest there are no defined weight reduction stages but we can scale them from amateur to professional level weight reduction.

The most basic car weight reduction techniques that street racers use is the removal of  the spare tire , spare seats, carpets , tire changing kit and interior trim. I wouldn't say that it is safe but it does make a small difference.

source: Youtube

For those who are racing on a more professional level weight reduction techniques are different. Apart from removal of the interior trim , performance experts replace the cars removable body parts(door, bonnet , trunk lid, fenders) with either fiber glass or carbon fiber panels. with such a weight reduction job it is imperative that one uses a lightweight roll cage for safety.

source: Youtube

Performance Gain Expectations:

The gains you will get from weight reduction depends upon the extent to which you have reduced weight. For example if someone removes the basic extra parts mentioned earlier , they would be able to feel a very slight difference in acceleration , although handling improvements would be much more evident.

For the ladies/gentlemen opting for a full fiber body weight reduction can expect significant acceleration gains. Professional level car weight reduction jobs also improve the cars ability to take on corners at high speeds and reduce body roll as well as under steer.

Car Weight Reduction Tips:

If you are on your way to reducing your cars weight make sure you read through these tips:

1. Replace seats with light weight racing seats.
2. Replace Rims with Light Weight Alloy Rims.
3. If you love DIY jobs then get your hands on some fiberglass materials, you can easily learn how to cast your own body panels in fiber glass from youtube. If you can make your own fiber panels not only will you save a ton of money but you will also experience significant performance gains.or you can buy pre made fiber panels from amazon
   Example :
4. Removing interior Trim, Seatbelts and rails.
5. Replace Window Glasses with Poly Urethane sheets.