[andrewbadera]

are there any decent weight reductions to be made on the lx wagon? (1993)

I plan to keep ac, and 4 speakers ... don't really need trim, though my dog will be riding in the back seat or back end, so she needs some accomodation ... want to keep the spare ... is the trim worth tearing out? what else should I be looking at?

 

[Electronikal]

No the trim is not worth tearing it apart....

The heavier stuff is like
A/C + piping system
Power steering pump + piping system
Spare Tire and Jack

Other wise...you could remove the rear windshield washer nozle + components ( reservoirs, motors and such)

You could also remove the rear wiper + motor

You could remove the carpet + the glue in your car and trims...but its worth around 10 pounds all and all...

and You could also probably loose some weight

You could remove your Roof rack and replace it with a rack less roof trim...i know where i can get some of these for cheap.

humm...can't think of anything else....

Could also remove all the unnecessary seats...

 

[Electronikal]

There is not much weight to be lost in an econo box lol ! Its another story in a luxury car like in the New Acura Tl

 

[94scortlx19]

even if you were to strip the scort down to nothing but a drivers seat and steering wheel, i think the gains would be minimal, the scort is pretty damn light as it is, altho it mite not seem like it with only 88 ponies under the hood, Heres the weights on 2 gens

LX Wagon: 2,419 lbs
LX/GT 2 door hatch: 2,355
Pony: 2,287
4 door Hatch: 2,287
4 Door Notchback: 2,371

 

[PonyExpress]

unles youre going to strip it down to a bare shell plus one seat for racing use, its not worth it in my opinion to make yourself and others suffer through the noise, vibration, harshness, the lack of insulation also makes it incredibly hot in the car in the summer, and freezing cold in winter.. its just not practical.

 

[GTScort]

unles youre going to strip it down to a bare shell plus one seat for racing use, its not worth it in my opinion to make yourself and others suffer through the noise, vibration, harshness, the lack of insulation also makes it incredibly hot in the car in the summer, and freezing cold in winter.. its just not practical.

especially since

1) you're driving a porky ass wagon anyway
2) the gains won't be all that significant... few tenths at best and you'll still be among the slowest cars on the road.

you bought a wagon... unless you pull off a GTR swap like crank0r, or a GTX swap like Sgt, its not worth trying to make it fast. especially at the expense of every comfort feature.

 

[RedIntake]

Gains arent minimal for removing heavy and light parts. My scort is nearly stripped of all luxuries, with no rattle whatsoever. I dropped over 400lbs just in parts that I've weighed afterward. I noticed amazing acceleration gains, and I did most of it for free. Actually made some money selling parts on Ebay. The only thing that I haven't removed that I probably won't is power steering and the passenger's airbag. I tore out every part of my A/C system (but it didn't work anyways, so I didn't mind). This was the biggest free gain in speed that I've done to my scort, although it definitely isn't right for everyone. I live in Florida where it's humid and warm all times of the year, but an open window will take care of the heat. As for winter, we get down to 40degrees about 1 week a year... so heater wasnt needed very much.
For the price, weight reductions aren't a bad idea. Plus there are plenty of things that replace heavy parts with lighter ones, and still do the job. Like alum flywheels, UDPs, etc..

 

[siragan]

Yeah, I second that. My sister's festiva (used to be mine) is extremely stripped... you can lift it up without a jack it's that light.

It VASTLY improves the nimbleness of the car, and what people say about it being too cold or too hot is bull. It's louder, but that's about it.

If more people actually properly TUNED their cars and stripped weight, you'd see significantly fewer people coming in asking about turbocharging. On the EGTs with a properly tuned motor and weight reduction, it's a pretty darn quick car. Especially for the money.

And weight improves every aspect too... handling, braking, and acceleration. And it's free.

Don't forget about weight balance too.

And don't forget that GASOLINE weighs a lot too. My RX-7 runs best on about 1/4 tank. A full tank and a passenger... holy crow. Ungodly slow.

 

[96EscortLX]

Sounds dumb, but my escort runs best on a full tank..... as for stripping stuff down, how much different does an A/C make? I know I really don't like mine, I never use it (although other people like it on.... but if I can say it's not there, they have no choice!)

 

[siragan]

Well... removing the AC is very good. Here's why

• 
  It's sprung rotational weight
  It's on the front end of the car (better balance)

On top of that, you can ditch the condenser, the evap core, the drier, and all the tubing... not to mention of course the compressor. On my RX-7, it saved 48 pounds total, and I do notice the difference.

Simple things like less gasoline, properly inflated tires, and proper ignition timing will make a huge difference. Most people don't realize that the best and easiest gains are just in good tuning.

 

[Electronikal]

and yes i know stripping a car is good for balance and all..but you can't strip much if you don't take off the A/C and Power steering...removing plastic trims wont do sh*t other then making your car look bad.... and yes you could go with light weight parts too.. and you could also get a FC hood along with FC bumper cover, FC fenders and probably FC doors...

But i don't think that this is what the guy was asking for in the first place

anyways !

 

[martinarcher]

Yeah, I second that. My sister's festiva (used to be mine) is extremely stripped... you can lift it up without a jack it's that light.

It VASTLY improves the nimbleness of the car, and what people say about it being too cold or too hot is bull. It's louder, but that's about it.

If more people actually properly TUNED their cars and stripped weight, you'd see significantly fewer people coming in asking about turbocharging. On the EGTs with a properly tuned motor and weight reduction, it's a pretty darn quick car. Especially for the money.

And weight improves every aspect too... handling, braking, and acceleration. And it's free.

Don't forget about weight balance too.

And don't forget that GASOLINE weighs a lot too. My RX-7 runs best on about 1/4 tank. A full tank and a passenger... holy crow. Ungodly slow.

You make it sound like it will cut your 0-60 time in half and reduce your quarter mile time by seconds. :wink:

I agree with some of the others - a weight reduction could give you small gains but no - it is by no means a replacement for a turbocharger. :lol:

 

[PonyExpress]

i had my headliner out of the Pony for reupholstering, in about 75* heat the inside of the car heated up like an oven. you could feel radiant heat coming off of the roof above me.

 

[Josh_LX]

HOW TO: Make your Escort faster.

1. Work like hell and save $13,500

2. Sell the scort for $1500

3. Go buy a WRX

I'm sure you could strip 400 lbs out of a car. The question is, could you live with it. SCC magazine did it to a 350Z not too long ago. They went 'Nam on the thing, took over 600 lbs out of it. They said it changed the whole attitude of the car. They also said it changed their attitude about the car. They couldn't stand to drive it. A brand new, 35K Z, and they refused to drive it on anything but the track. There is a reason race cars are race cars, and not every day grocery getters. I plan on shaving some weight here and there, mainly on the name of performance and looks, but, as it was said earlier, It doesn't get much lighter than an escort, unless you drive a race car.

I dont wanna brag, but am one of the few people here that could prbably deal with the heat, cold and noise of a stripped scort. My 1954 Dodge truck NEVER gets warm in the winter, or cool in the summer, and to even begin to hear the stero, I had to crank it up to 25 on the volume. Now, In the scort, the exact same stereo, speakers and all, nearly deafens me at volume 20. I bought my scort because I was tired of the heat, cold and noise. Trust me, its not worth it.

 

[andrewbadera]

HOW TO: Make your Escort faster.

1. Work like hell and save $13,500

2. Sell the scort for $1500

3. Go buy a WRX

see in my mind that's not the point of being a car enthusiast ... WRX ride the wagon hump the Subie leg blah blah blah ... sure I could sell my Eclipse and end up in an STi, with payments out the ass, simply mantastic. or, I could keep my paid off Eclipse, and have some fun improving the performance of a cheap car. have some fun with it, and learn more about Ford. (my first car was an 89 fmazda Probe)

 

[andrewbadera]

and yes i know stripping a car is good for balance and all..but you can't strip much if you don't take off the A/C and Power steering...removing plastic trims wont do sh*t other then making your car look bad.... and yes you could go with light weight parts too.. and you could also get a FC hood along with FC bumper cover, FC fenders and probably FC doors...

But i don't think that this is what the guy was asking for in the first place

anyways !

just want to strip what I can now, and replace what other stuff I can with lightened parts later.

 

[RedIntake]

Sounds dumb, but my escort runs best on a full tank..... as for stripping stuff down, how much different does an A/C make? I know I really don't like mine, I never use it (although other people like it on.... but if I can say it's not there, they have no choice!)

Doesn't sound dumb, when your tank is full you aren't sucking a high concentration of years of dirt and fuel tank buildup from the bottom. A good fuel tank cleaner will take care of this.

 

[Josh_LX]

A full tank leaves no room for moisture to form from condensation either.

 

[96EscortLX]

ok... what should I use for the cleaner??? I've never used a fuel tank cleaner.

 

[RedIntake]

I think marvel mystery oil will do the trick, 3 bottles consecutively spread over 3 full tanks of gas. In other words, put 1 bottle of marvel in, fill the tank, run it to empty. Then repeat the process 2 more times. It will mix best if you add it before filling the tank with gas. A new gas tank will probably be about $300, so it's a good idea to try to clean out the gunk and dirt. It's not a bad idea to put a bottle in your crankcase either.