Minimal Weight Loss Till You Notice Performance Increase

[t3chtun3r]

What is the minimal amount of pounds you have to lose off the car to notice an increase in HP, performance, and/or torque?

[Shag Wagon]

Probably around 300 lbs....I was riding my friend around and I had to throw my wagon into sport mode just so I could get up to speed. I dropped him off and noticed a big difference.

[DjSpeedy]

I forget what the exact equation is but I beleive it is something like..

For every 100 pounds removed it is as if you freed up 10 horse. You are not giving it more power just helping it pull better. Thats why when you dropped off your friend you noticed an "increase" in power. Dropping 300 pds is pretty diffcult to do though especially if you still want the car to be a daily driver.

[deevergote]

It also depends on WHERE you shed the weight. Taking stuff from the rear of the car (spare, jack, seats, etc...) or even lightening the rear (carbon fiber trunklid) is best on a FWD car, since there is nothing good coming from that weight. However, too light in rear makes the car even more nose-heavy. Taking out some front end weight will increase handling a bit.

200-300lbs is probably a good seat-of-the-pants point. A non-pro driver should be able to feel the difference starting around then (I had the same experience with a 220lb friend... he always yelled at me when I commented on how differently the car handled with him in it!)

10hp/.1sec (1/4 time) is a reasonable estimate. It's not a fact, but it's a workable guideline.

[t3chtun3r]

For every 100 pounds removed it is as if you freed up 10 horse.

Hm....from this that means 10pounds would be around 1hp? if this is the case, I got to dump tons of worthless crap out of my car.

[starchland]

id say around 150, think about how much slower your car is with another passenger.

[rickyduckworth]

in the 1/4 mile, 50lbs is enough to see a difference in the time, .1-.3 seconds depending on a lot of factors......remember, 300lbs more in a torqueless (powerless too) civic cx is literally enough to make it hard to go up normal hills......my 300lb dad rode with me in a cx i had, and on i-65 going up a pretty steep hill, it was fucking HARD to make it.....running 45 at the top......the cb7 has a lot more power, more torque and that helps in nullifying extra weight.......but you should "feel" 150-200lbs, regardless of the location of it......