Let's talk weight savings

**Resident Alien** · 11-30-2013

Planning to gradually put my ‘05 pig on a healthy diet. It’s a long term project but most likely well worth it in gas mileage savings alone. Not to mention the extra whp from rotating mass savings, power to weight, braking, handling, etc. Let’s hear what you folks have done – from mild to wild. I’m particularly interested in actual measurements on weight savings.

Inevitably, it's time for some armchair quarterbacking… Stock curb weight is listed as 3,410. Likely 3,360ish on a half tank of gas. It would be nice to eventually have it down to something that starts with 3,1XX on a half tank. Here is what I’m thinking of (and my very rough to not so rough estimates on associated weight savings):

CF hood (est. 15)
CF trunk lid (est. 30 but potentially a lot more, that stock sucker is heavy)
Wheels (already have 6 spokes, est. 19; with Sidewinders est. 34)
Tires (PSC’s est. 28 or PS2’s est. 24)
Headers (anything to be gained there?)
HF cats, catback (already have Corsa+HF cats, probably not saving more than 15 lbs)
Coilovers (est. 20)
Rotors (est. 30)
Lightweight flywheel (est. 7)
Seats (not ready to go full rice yet -- but do tell if you have some data)
Battery (probably not a good idea)
Any other ideas…?

I did a little homework on the wheel/tire/rotors numbers, hence the ugly unrounded numbers. I like the fact that this diet will cut chunks of fat from everywhere somewhat proportionally, without disturbing the godly weight distribution too much.

**Shooter** · 11-30-2013

Are Sidewinders the same as the stock Gen IV ACR wheels?. The 6 spokes that came on my Gen IV Aero Coupe are only 1 lb heavier then wheels that came with my ACR.

**BlknBlu** · 11-30-2013

You can put the Hardcore package from the GEN IV cars on your GEN III. That includes the radio delete plate, Carbon Fiber speaker covers, CF battery cover, Remove rear carpet and remove the hood pad. If you are going extreme, you can remove the passenger seat, front carpet, headliner, switch out glass to lexan, Steering wheel.

Bruce

**Resident Alien** · 11-30-2013

Originally Posted by Shooter

Are Sidewinders the same as the stock Gen IV ACR wheels?. The 6 spokes that came on my Gen IV Aero Coupe are only 1 lb heavier then wheels that came with my ACR.

Thanks for the info. Yes, sidewinders are the stock ACR wheels. I also thought that the 6-spokes are very close to them in weight, but then saw this thread:

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/...rs-vs-H-Spokes

If it's truly just a pound (per wheel?), then I 'll probably keep my black 6-spokes as I love their design.

**Resident Alien** · 11-30-2013

Originally Posted by BlknBlu

YOu can put the Hardcore package from teh GEN IV cars on your GEN III. That includes the radio delete plate, Carbon Fiber speaker covers, CF battery cover, Remove rear carpet and remove the hood pad. If you are going extreme, you can remove the passenger seat, front carpet, headliner, switch out glass to lexan, Steering wheel.

Bruce

Thanks for the good ideas, Bruce! Some are a bit extreme but at some point down the road I might as well if I decide to go for the lightest Gen III/IV record.

**FLATOUT** · 11-30-2013

Headers, no cats, and a light catback, can make a nice dent in the static weight numbers.

**Hiss Highness** · 11-30-2013

jenny craig?

**Resident Alien** · 11-30-2013

Originally Posted by Hiss Highness

jenny craig?

I went vegan for a couple of months and dropped 30 lbs. Now downgraded to vegetarian (+10). Happy with where I am.

**Resident Alien** · 11-30-2013

Originally Posted by FLATOUT

Headers, no cats, and a light catback, can make a nice dent in the static weight numbers.

Thanks for the good news.

**Hiss Highness** · 11-30-2013

plus I also did a stereo delete, headers and converted to cat delete side pipes, fidanza flywheel and lighter clutch plate, would like to delete the gts rear glass but no kit available, not a big fan of power windows either could shave a few pounds there, put a new harmonic on the front and it was a little lighter than stock, figure a smaller alternator and battery would also shave a little

**Scott Mannny** · 11-30-2013

I just installed a Spec clutch and a lightweight flywheel on the ACR and saved 24 lbs!!!

**slitherv10** · 11-30-2013

I took out the massive V10 and put a 383 stroker done to 700 Hp for 8000 and now have a faster , lighter, meaner sounding Viper than most. Put light race wheels, take out the passenger seat with snap out rails( when I want to go fast), and removed the back class with a carbon fibre see through cut out that looks fantastic and ...removed the carpet and head liner and replaced then with blow in felt (makes it look somewhat better than bare). This setup shaved lots of pounds, gained lots of power and saved my V10 by keeping it stock, low kms and fresh for when if if I decide to put the car back to stock and sell it original with no abuse. that's a win, win, win, win situation.

Now who can beat that,,...huh?

Oh...and the biggest win win way is to lose weight off yourself (which most of us can afford ) and that would make the biggest difference of all. Both health wise and power to weight !!

**Drlee50** · 11-30-2013

Look to reduce rolling mass. Its the best return on investment. 1 lb of rotational mass =about 8 lb of startionary mass from a performance perspective .Wheels tires rotors and engine parts are mostimportant.

**Resident Alien** · 11-30-2013

Thanks for the great advice fellas! Looks like there is plenty of savings to be had, much more than I expected. Should be a lot of fun.

**Resident Alien** · 12-02-2013

Awesome info on wheel/tire weights.

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/...light=stoptech

Looks like 6-spokes come around 21 to 22 front, 26 rear. ACR/Sidewinders are more in the neighborhood of 17/25. 5-spokes and H-spokes are the reigning heavyweight champions of the Viper world - 26/34ish. Couldn't find any dispositive info on gen 3 10-spokes (other than someone mentioning SRT saying they weigh 34 lbs more than Sidewinders, which would put them in the 5-spoke / H-spoke range).

PS2 tires are overall a little lighter than Super Sports at 26/33 (SS 25/35). Sport Cups rule at 25/32, while providing widest contact patch. Stock gen 3 run craps are apparently made of concrete: 32/39. Info courtesy of TireRack spec sheets.

StopTech ACR rotors are an amazing upgrade, saving up to 32 lbs in rotating mass while improving braking.

ACR guys, I officially hate you

Bottom line: switching from a stock wheel/tire/rotor gen 3 set up to an ACR set up would result in a mind-boggling 94 (!!!) lbs of rotating mass savings. Correct me if I'm wrong but performance-wise that's like saving ~600 lbs of dead weight....

**Troublemaker** · 12-02-2013

Going by DrLees formula it's more like 750lbs. That's a noticeable difference. I am in the same position right not, trying to lose weight with every upgrade.

**6th-Element** · 12-03-2013

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**Resident Alien** · 12-03-2013

Details?? ^

**SSGNRDZ_28** · 12-03-2013

As measured weights on my scale. I have pictures of all of this to back up the data.

OEM Six Spoke Wheels (NEW, no weights, no center caps):
- Front 21.300 lbs
- Rear 26.650 lbs

OEM Five Spoke Wheels (2000 miles, with weights, no center caps):
- Front 26.584 lbs (~0.187 lbs of balancing wheel weights)
- Rear 32.174 lbs (~0.187 lbs of balancing wheel weights)

OEM Six Spoke Wheels / Michelin Pilot SS 285 front (NEW, mounted and balanced, with center caps, sensors):
- Front 50.026 lbs
- Rear 62.494 lbs

OEM Five Spoke Wheels / Michelin PS2 275 front (2000 miles, mounted and balanced, with center caps, sensors):
- Front 52.5 lbs
- Rear 65.8 lbs

2008 OEM Wheel Nuts:
- One Set (6) 0.502 lbs

McGard Spline Drive Lug Nuts:
- One Set (6) 0.380 lbs

OEM Center Cap
- 0.056 lbs
__________

Stop Tech Rotors, new
- Front 17.946 lbs
- Rear 17.868 lbs

2008 OEM Rotors, 2000 Miles:
- Front 26.954 lbs
- Rear 24.760 lbs
__________

OEM Battery Panel with associated hardware (torx fasteners)
- 2.06 lbs

DSE Battery Panel with associated hardware (quick release)
- 1.516 lbs

DSE Battery Panel with associated hardware (quick release) and battery tender connector
- 1.862 lbs

__________

IPSCO SSCA Tow Hook
- 1.6 lbs

__________

OEM PCM:
- 1.594 lbs

__________

OEM Gen V Composite Intake
- 13.536 lbs

**SSGNRDZ_28** · 12-03-2013

For what it is worth, a note on Braille batteries

Lithium delivers a higher, cleaner voltage which improves the performance of every electrical component and has shown to provide: quicker starting, improved management& data logging performance, less horsepower draw from the alternator due to efficient charging (5 times faster than lead), will last 3-5 times longer, more reliable, all on top of the significant weight savings. They also don’t self-discharge, so if the battery is disconnected, they can sit for over a year and still have over 13 volts to start the vehicle.

As for AGM options, we have seen Viper guys (also hundreds of C6 Corvette guys) running our 21 pound B3121 battery. This option saves about 20 pounds and is half the size, but does not give you the electrical performance benefits and long life of lithium. Cost is similar to an Optima.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....atteries/b3121

Our B6034 would be the same weight/size of OE but more powerful option in a sealed AGM battery.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....atteries/b6034

The I34CX would be the lightweight lithium drop-in replacement at only 10.2 pounds and a true carbon fiber case.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....atteries/i34cx

The only thing to be pay attention to with the super lightweight models is that they have less capacity than OE, so the car can’t sit as long without a charger. The model below will have the same sitting time (capacity) as the OE battery.

The I34CS is the high output/high capacity model at 17.5 pounds and comes in a true carbon fiber case with 2500 pulse cranking amps.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....atteries/i34cs

The I34S is the battery used in the SRT Viper race cars and at 19 pounds, it has 2320 pulse cranking amps and comes in a standard thermal plastic case.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....batteries/i34s

We always recommend a 2 amp lithium charger for the lithium batteries and most chargers for lead/AGM batteries are fine for our AGM products.

**6th-Element** · 12-03-2013

Originally Posted by Resident Alien

Details?? ^

Those are going on a race coupe that is on a diet, so far the car has carbon everything but doors, saved a lot of weight. These are the last couple of parts and they are a B to make, LOL

**6th-Element** · 12-03-2013

Originally Posted by SSGNRDZ_28

As measured weights on my scale. I have pictures of all of this to back up the data.

OEM Six Spoke Wheels (NEW, no weights, no center caps):
- Front 21.300 lbs
- Rear 26.650 lbs

OEM Five Spoke Wheels (2000 miles, with weights, no center caps):
- Front 26.584 lbs (~0.187 lbs of balancing wheel weights)
- Rear 32.174 lbs (~0.187 lbs of balancing wheel weights)

OEM Six Spoke Wheels / Michelin Pilot SS 285 front (NEW, mounted and balanced, with center caps, sensors):
- Front 50.026 lbs
- Rear 62.494 lbs

OEM Five Spoke Wheels / Michelin PS2 275 front (2000 miles, mounted and balanced, with center caps, sensors):
- Front 52.5 lbs
- Rear 65.8 lbs

2008 OEM Wheel Nuts:
- One Set (6) 0.502 lbs

McGard Spline Drive Lug Nuts:
- One Set (6) 0.380 lbs

OEM Center Cap
- 0.056 lbs
__________

Stop Tech Rotors, new
- Front 17.946 lbs
- Rear 17.868 lbs

2008 OEM Rotors, 2000 Miles:
- Front 26.954 lbs
- Rear 24.760 lbs
__________

OEM Battery Panel with associated hardware (torx fasteners)
- 2.06 lbs

DSE Battery Panel with associated hardware (quick release)
- 1.516 lbs

DSE Battery Panel with associated hardware (quick release) and battery tender connector
- 1.862 lbs

__________

IPSCO SSCA Tow Hook
- 1.6 lbs

__________

OEM PCM:
- 1.594 lbs

__________

OEM Gen V Composite Intake
- 13.536 lbs

Magnesium BBS race wheels 15.6 lbs front, 17.4 lbs rear...
Pic edits 002.jpg

I have 2 sets of these babies kicking around