M-010: Putting the TL on a diet (Update Links in Post #1)
#881
Nice accomplishments.do u ever think ull get enough hp to eat up mustang gt's?id also love to see a walkaround of the whole car both inside and outside.photos would be nice but a video would be better
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#883
Three Wheelin'
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A mustang gt is small potatoes for this car
#885
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
You sir are my hero.
#886
Suzuka Master
iTrader: (2)
Maybe he's already done the nitrous, not sure. I know he was planning on it.
#889
I just came from the Nissan world so these types of things didn't exist to me. What is a vibration damper? Is it for the sub woofer? Whats the ramifications of removing it?
#890
The words are pretty much self explanatory. A vibration dampener, dampens vibration so you dont feel it in the cockpit. It is used on luxury cars. It is not for subwoofers. Acura has them on the bumpers, trunk lid, clutch, motor mounts, etc. I removed all of mine.
#891
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
Even the steering wheel has them.
#895
#896
Ahh thanks. For some reason I couldnt see all your responses. Thank you gentlemen.
#898
ill post the whole list i have going very soon.
but you should get one of these:
![](http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680mjt_lg.jpg)
i'm running this battery, it weighs about 15.5 lbs, my stock battery was close to 40 lbs. also this has available tiedowns and holders for it. i ended up yanking my whole battery tray and using a custom aluminum one for this saving even more weight. a very easy mod that shaved 25 lbs off. i live in NY and have no trouble starting in cold temperates, no dimming lights, everything powered just fine. just dont leave your lights on for a very long time.
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680mjt.htm
but you should get one of these:
![](http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680mjt_lg.jpg)
i'm running this battery, it weighs about 15.5 lbs, my stock battery was close to 40 lbs. also this has available tiedowns and holders for it. i ended up yanking my whole battery tray and using a custom aluminum one for this saving even more weight. a very easy mod that shaved 25 lbs off. i live in NY and have no trouble starting in cold temperates, no dimming lights, everything powered just fine. just dont leave your lights on for a very long time.
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680mjt.htm
#900
Safety Car
Thread Starter
The dampers are meant to reduce any slight vibration that might be felt thru the steering wheel and seats. When I removed my dampers, I did not notice any increase in vibration. I would rate them as "overkill" by Acura to produce the smoothest car possible.
#901
It says using 3 gallons of fuel at a time saves 44 lbs. Actually, it saves more than that. A gallon of gas weighs roughly 6 lbs, and the tank is 18 or so gallons, correct? If one were to measure it out so that the car only has a max of 3 gallons inside at once, the missing 15 gallons would account for 90 lbs of weight saved.
Just a thought I had.
Just a thought I had.
#902
Three Wheelin'
I bet if you went from a stock car to removing all the NVH stuff like Incaccurate has, you'd notice the difference. Its a harder thing to quantify when doing incremental changes, much like the performance gains from reducing weight.
#903
Safety Car
Thread Starter
It says using 3 gallons of fuel at a time saves 44 lbs. Actually, it saves more than that. A gallon of gas weighs roughly 6 lbs, and the tank is 18 or so gallons, correct? If one were to measure it out so that the car only has a max of 3 gallons inside at once, the missing 15 gallons would account for 90 lbs of weight saved.
Just a thought I had.
Just a thought I had.
Whoop !!! After how many years? Finally, someone took notice of this and questioned it. Years ago when I wrote it, I was expecting someone to question the obvious and no one did ever question it until now.
My logic is stating the 44 lbs is because that would be the average weight savings. If I had said 90-lb reduction, then someone would had complained "Well, that is only when your tank was full and the tank doesn't stay full all of the time." Thus, the 44-lb reduction is the average savings between being full and empty (90/2=45).
Thanks for the question
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#905
Safety Car
Thread Starter
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I GOT ANOTHER 13 POUNDS OFF OF THE CAR !!!!!
:gheywave::gheywave:
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210203.jpg)
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210202.jpg)
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210201.jpg)
Weight Reduction Since Last Update
-----------------------------------------------
10.9 RacingBrake Two-piece rotors
1.8 Exterior Roof Molding
--------------------------------------------
12.7 lbs NET TOTAL REMOVED
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210197.jpg)
Interestingly, the published weight by RacingBrake (see pic above) for the oem rotor and their 2-piece rotor were incorrect. However, the weight reduction was very close to the RacingBrake's claim. RacingBrake claims a weight reduction of 11.4 lbs for the pair, whereas my actual reduction was 10.9 lbs. This is a half pound less reduction than the claim.
RacingBrake's chart shows the oem rotor being 18.6 lbs. My scale said 17.90 lbs.
RacingBrake's chart shows their rotor being 12.8 lbs. My scale said 12.46 lbs.
Perhaps I am misinterpreting RacingBrake's chart. Maybe they mean the RacingBrake (not oem) one-piece weighs 18.6 lbs.
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210200.jpg)
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210199.jpg)
I easily noticed a weight difference while handling the RacingBrake rotor versus handling the oem rotor. I found it interesting that the weight reduction is not due to just the hat being aluminum. The outer steel disc itself is lighter too due to having thinner surface faces. That is, the RacingBrake vent slots are wider. This was a fortunate thing which allowed me to claim additional dynamic weight loss. Prior to ordering the RacingBrake rotors, I thought that I would be unable to claim any dynamic weight loss due to the weight savings being centered around the axle (i.e., the hat).
Given the speculation that each pound saved at wheel RPM is normally equivalent to 3 pounds of static body weight, I feel it is fair to give the RacingBrake rotors an equivalency factor of 2. The reason I am giving it a factor of 2, and not 3, is because the moment-of-inertia of the weight reduction is not as far outward as it would be with a wheel. Thus, the RacingBrake rotors will give the perception (during braking and acceleration) that 20 lbs was removed from the car.
How do they feel? Immediately, I noticed easier cornering and easier lane changing. Not anything drastic or very obvious. It is more of a subtle improvement. To me, this gives me a perception of having quicker steering (although technically, the steering ratio did not change).
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210204.jpg)
![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210198.jpg)
As part of this update, two pounds were removed by deleting the exterior roof molding. This came about from having my cracked windshield replaced. The molding was taken off at the time as part of the process of replacing the windshield. The technician that was installing the new windshield half joked that I should leave the roof molding off to save a few pounds. So, I stood back to look at how the car would look without the molding. I liked the appearance and told him to just leave them off. Done.
As a side note, I had some anxiety that the replacement windshield glass might weigh more than my original oem glass. The technician was a friendly guy. So, I felt comfortable to ask him to jump on my bathroom scale (while holding the glass) so I could get the weight of the old glass and the replacement glass. Surprisingly, the replacement glass and the oem glass weighed the same (31.0 Lbs +/- 0.5 lb).
Originally Posted by csmeance (Moderator)
All members posting from this point on, read POST #1 before posting. Failure to do so may result in a ban!
Originally Posted by csmeance (Moderator)
To be honest, I'd take 5 minutes to have someone banned at this point with all the garbage and trash talk that I deleted in this thread, than clean it up time after time and have it keep on coming back; no more!
Thanks for allowing me to share my TL Diet with you !!!
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![](http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL836/1216349/23872873/398210196.jpg)
ITEMIZED LIST OF WEIGHT REDUCTION
-----------------------------------------------------
84.0 Racing seats and racing restraint system (see Warning #3 below)
44.0 Reduced fuel (buy just 3.0 gallons at a time)
40.0 Rims
36.0 Rear seat delete
34.0 Spare tire delete
31.0 Sunroof delete
31.0 Interior trim & misc pieces
27.5 Braille battery
24.0 Interior carpet
23.0 Trunk panels
22.0 Lightweight tires
18.0 Front door interior panels
18.0 Firewall Insulation
17.5 Parking brake and lever (see Warning #1 below)
17.0 Front bumper
16.0 Rear bumper
14.0 Rear door interior panels
14.0 RV6 Precat delete (incl race pipe & misc brackets)
13.0 Radio delete
13.0 Personal weight loss (attributed to this project)
12.0 Center console
10.9 RacingBrake Two-piece rotors
10.0 Front seat kick panels
9.9 Evap charcoal canister (see Warning #4 below)
9.0 Side curtain airbags (see Warning #2 below)
8.5 Mid muffler delete
8.5 Seatbelts for rear seat
8.0 CAI
7.5 Front damper
7.0 UR crank pulley
6.5 Floor mats (incls driver's too)
6.0 Engine bay panels
6.0 Rear seat arm rest
5.5 Subwoofer speaker
5.5 Ground effect panels
5.5 Rear deck
5.5 Center console armrest
5.0 Headliner
4.5 XLR8 J-Pipe (incls removing misc brackets)
4.3 Shark Mouth grill (incl removed lower duct obstruction)
4.0 Reduced wiper fluid (use 1 pint at a time)
3.7 Rear seat insulation
3.7 Rear speakers
3.5 Engine cradle damper
3.5 Small airbags in front seats (see Warning #2 below)
3.5 Windshield washer reservoir (incl pint of water)
3.4 Glovebox delete
3.0 Megan pipe replacing oem 3rd cat
2.6 Cowl plastic panels
2.5 Glovebox plate
2.5 Innovative engine mounts
2.4 Owner manual
2.0 Roof console
2.0 Grab handles
2.0 Removed 12V air pump
1.8 Hood insulation
1.8 Exterior Roof Molding
1.5 Trunk damper
1.5 Splash guards for front brake rotors
1.4 Kick panels under front dash
1.4 Footrest
1.2 Xm radio reciever
1.2 Airbag brackets & radio antenna booster
1.2 Trunk panel over latch
1.0 Exhaust heat shield
1.0 Rear Door Hook Pin and Catch
0.5 Coin holder & sunglass holders
0.5 Xm antenna
------------------------------------------------------------
742.9 Lbs TOTAL
ESTIMATED DYNAMIC WEIGHT REDUCTION
----------------------------------------------
663 Static weight loss (minus Dynamic items)
120 Dynamic weight loss from rims
105 Dynamic weight loss from UR Pulley
66 Dynamic weight loss from lightweight tires
20 RacingBrake Two-piece rotors
---------------------------------------------
974 Lbs DYNAMIC TOTAL
ESTIMATED WEIGHT
------------------------------------
3580 - 743 = 2837 Lbs. Static
3580 - 974 = 2606 Lbs. Dynamic
ESTIMATED EQUIVALENT WHEEL HP WITH MODS
------------------------------------------
343 WHP (equivalent output)
Note: Assuming mods produce 250 WHP
Mods (J32A3 w/5AT) = XLR8 j-pipe, RV6 precat delete, RV6 race pipe (3rd cat delete),
Custom insulated AEM CAI w/ oversized Dryflow filter, UR Pulley undersize,
Ultimate Cooling Mod, Outlaw Engineering Thermoblock Spacer, throttle body coolant bypass.
Warning #1: Parking brake is mandatory to pass state inspection in many states.
Warning #2: Tampering with oem airbags is illegal in many states.
Warning #3: Use of aftermarket seats and/or seatbelts can cause injury or death.
Warning #4: Removal of Evap will cause CEL and will fail state inspection.
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-------- The TL Diet: Woo Hoo, What a Ride !!! --------
#906
Team Owner
Good to see an update! I'm glad you finally did part of the brakes, I had no idea there was a 2-piece stock sized rotor.
#909
takin care of Business in
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slotted brakes FTW....damn I would love to race you just to see how heavy my car is LOL....
#913
Safety Car
Thread Starter
^ The RacingBrake Two-piece rotor is the lightest rotor (among one-piece and two-piece) that I am aware of. Please be aware that the RacingBrake two-piece rotor is lighter than the RacingBrake one-piece rotor. However, I do not know what the lightest one-piece rotor is.
#915
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
Yea but you cheated
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#916
Checked out the racing brake 2 pieces for the MT.
It only loses sub 3 lbs. :|
I don't know if it's worth getting the 2 piece @ $680+shipping a pair to lose 3 lbs per wheel.
It only loses sub 3 lbs. :|
I don't know if it's worth getting the 2 piece @ $680+shipping a pair to lose 3 lbs per wheel.
#917
Safety Car
Thread Starter
^ For weight saving purposes, the money would be much better spent on the lightest rims that you can find. However for braking performance, the RacingBrake rotors with ET500 pads are awesome.
#919
tehLEGOman
Join Date: Dec 2004
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I should go through your list and check off what I have taken out of my TL and see where it's at.
#920
Is there anyway to take the steel plate off of the glove box and reinstall the vinyl cover?
How much of a difference did it make to swap out the rear door insulation to the accoustic foam?
How much of a difference did it make to swap out the rear door insulation to the accoustic foam?