Weight distribution

[Team_Oni240]

ok, im a new member here and i have question....im lookin to even the weight distribution of my '92 240sx....i heard that if change out the front lights for non flip ups and take out the rear seat, i can get abouta 50/50 weight distribution....what would u guys recommend to cheaply distribute the weight of my car....

[cdlong]

battery relocation, carbon fiber hood, remove AC, silvia conversion like you said. removing the rear seats will take weight off the rear axle, not what you want to do if you are going for 50/50.

[eddiec]

flip up headlights ~ 20lbsback seat ~ 5 lbs

yeah that should just about do it.

[2Fass240us]

back seat ~ 5 lbs

Wrong! The back seats (both parts) weigh 20.8 pounds. If you want to find out how much S13 parts really weigh, click here: http://www.mysportscar.com/fea...x.htm

[240marcuSX]

some of those weights on that site look pretty gratuitous.

you wont even be able to tell the difference while driving. but i understand the urge to get things as light as possible, the site listed above by 2fast240us is a good list of things to take out, but i think those weights are off.

lighten up the front, and move the battery are your best bets

[2Fass240us]

some of those weights on that site look pretty gratuitous.

Is this your "feeling," or do you have quanititative data to back it up? If it's the former, I'd encourage you to not make such claims. If it's the latter, I welcome you to post your weights. The scale I am using is very accurate, and I have pictures to prove most of the weights I've taken, most of which show the items on the scale. I painstakingly weighed all of these items, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make statements such as this without data to back them up.

you wont even be able to tell the difference while driving. but i understand the urge to get things as light as possible, the site listed above by 2fast240us is a good list of things to take out, but i think those weights are off.

If the original poster really wants to remove this stuff, who are we to tell him no? You've already brought my weights into question once. And I've told you already...if my weights are off, prove it with pictures like I have.

I should also add that quite a few of these weights, especially the rear seats, have been confirmed by some of the FA big guns.

[240DRFT]

im not saying your wrong im just saying how are the rear seats(which are foam) weighing 20.8 pounds

[240marcuSX]

believe me, i like a light nimble car as much as the next guy, im a freak about it.

some of those weights look accurate, but others seem a little heavier than what i would believe, thats all. i havent weighed anything, so youre right, i have no proof. i just sort of pull stuff out and chuck it in the garage.

and im not telling team oni not to remove anything, there are nothing but benefits to do so, but having a perfecly 50/50 weight ratio is hardly noticeable from how close the 240s is stock. unless he, or you are a professional driver of some sort.

a lighter car handles better than a heavier car regardless of distribution.

[2Fass240us]

im not saying your wrong im just saying how are the rear seats(which are foam) weighing 20.8 pounds

For starters, a FA member (Thx247) used a scale that was accurate to 1/100th of a pound, and he got the following:Lower rear seat 5.46lbsUpper rear seat 17.16lbs

This totals to 22.62 pounds, or roughly 8% difference from my measurements, on the high side. Maybe it was the little chunks of missing seat in mine!

Have you ever truly looked at the rear seats? The lower (a$$) part is foam, yes. But the upper (back) part has a metal subframe and is significantly heavier (almost 3x, actually) than the lower part.

[2Fass240us]

believe me, i like a light nimble car as much as the next guy, im a freak about it.

I would hope so, given the links in your sig!

some of those weights look accurate, but others seem a little heavier than what i would believe, thats all. i havent weighed anything, so youre right, i have no proof. i just sort of pull stuff out and chuck it in the garage.

Which ones seem suspect to you, specifically? I can post pictures of the weights if you'd like, but most of them are already linked in my table. And the ones without pictures are simply because I haven't changed the table and uploaded the images.

and im not telling team oni not to remove anything, there are nothing but benefits to do so, but having a perfecly 50/50 weight ratio is hardly noticeable from how close the 240s is stock. unless he, or you are a professional driver of some sort.

Hehe...there are downsides however, such as comfort and added NVH.

I'm hardly a professional driver, but hope to be one day!

a lighter car handles better than a heavier car regardless of distribution.

It will also wear less on the tires and brakes, be easier to slow down and accelerate due to decreased inertia, and be easier to tow!

[240marcuSX]

hatch wall carpeting, plastic rear speaker panels, and rear floor mats

wiring & relays

i dont know about those seats either, i mean i guess if theyve been weighed that many times, its gotta be about right, but it just doesnt feel like twenty pounds.

those are the main three i have a problem with, and when you start questioning the results of even one, it makes you question the accuracy of the rest if the same scale was used. but the rest i guess are about right, i cant tell the difference between stuff that weighs so little. especially since several pieces were weighed together at one time.

but i do appreciate someone taking the time to weigh all that junk.

[2Fass240us]

hatch wall carpeting, plastic rear speaker panels, and rear floor mats

If you look at the picture on my website, it's a little convoluted because I piled so much stuff on there. In retrospect, it would've been a better idea to do some of it individually. Without being ableto go back in time and look at everything, it's difficult for me to say what the issue was. I might've mixed the numbers up, but it's doubtful. The "hatch wall carpeting" was heavier than I thought it would be, primarily because it has some sort of weird fiberboard backing.

wiring & relays

I was very pleasantly surprised about this. If you look at the weights on my webpage versus the ones in the pictures, you'll notice that the two scale readings, when added together, are 2.5 pounds more than the number in the table, and this is because one box weighed 1.0 pound and the other 1.5. As for 25.8 pounds of wiring and relays seeming heavy to you, I don't know what to tell you to reassure you. But there is a lot of wiring that was cut out. Three things that might help you visualize that number:1) The whole harness in the engine bay was was chopped, much of it eliminated, and then relocated to underneath the dash. Only one of the 2 engine bay fuse boxes was kept since the headlights are non-existent. This eliminated fuse box is part of the 25.8 pounds.2) Eliminating the rear defrost saved a lot of wiring weight because of the thickness of both positive and ground wires.3) This weight includes the seatbelt computer, which is probably a pound by itself. It also includes some light bulbs, relays, anda few small electrically-related plastic pieces. The pictures I'll upload show this, however, so hopefully it won't be misrepresented.

I made sure that the boxes contained only wiring and relays, with the exception of the seatbelt computer and the aforementioned items. No bolts were in the bottom or anything, because I specifically checked before I took my measurements.

i dont know about those seats either, i mean i guess if theyve been weighed that many times, its gotta be about right, but it just doesnt feel like twenty pounds.

Well, I've learned one thing from this exercise, and it's that I cannot trust "feeling" worth a chit. My perception of what something weighs is almost always very far off from what it really weighs. Keep this in mind when bringing my empirical data in question.

when you start questioning the results of even one, it makes you question the accuracy of the rest if the same scale was used. but the rest i guess are about right, i cant tell the difference between stuff that weighs so little. especially since several pieces were weighed together at one time.

This is understandable, and I am currently endeavoring to ensure the scale is calibrated properly. None of the weights made a mental buzzer go off though, as all seemed reasonable. Even down to the sound deadening, which surprised me because it was much lower than I expected.

I will probably weigh the smaller stuff with a postage meter that tops out at 70 ounces, simply because it's probably more accurate than the one I have been using, at least in that tight weight range.

but i do appreciate someone taking the time to weigh all that junk.

Thank you. Glad to be of assistance, despite the interrogation.

[240marcuSX]

we interrogate all newcomers here. you are doing well so far.

[2Fass240us]

we interrogate all newcomers here. you are doing well so far.

That's understandable, especially considering the "How much horsepower can I get with a SR?" type questions most newbs post. Most newcomers seem unable to use the Search function on several of the Nissan boards I frequent, but rest assured that I am no ordinary newb. I may be new here, but I'm rather established elsewhere. I know my 240 almost better than I do my wife since I've taken the whole damned thing apart myself.