Reducing the weight of your car has many benefits. For one, it makes your vehicle accelerate faster and more effortlessly and increases the efficiency of its brakes and overall handling. It also adds to your car’s fuel efficiency, as lighter vehicles are more responsive to the driver’s actions. This reduces the amount of strain needed for the engine to roll and helps you get the most out of your car. Overall, driving a lighter vehicle will enhance your experience on the road and save you substantial money in the long run. Here are five simple ways to reduce the weight of your vehicle.
1. Use carbon fiber car parts
Carbon fiber is a regular plastic blended with graphite textile or carbon fiber composite. This material may be labor-intensive and more difficult to produce, but its benefits, without a doubt, outweigh the downsides. Carbon fiber is not only more resistant to impact, but also lighter, making your car easier to handle and safer on the road. You might want to check out sites like Monaco Motorsports if you are looking for a car part dealer specializing in carbon fiber products.
2. Replace front seats
While rear car seats are typically lightweight, with each weighing around 5kg, front seats in some cars weigh as much as ten times that, especially if they have electric motors, vents, and fans. Consider replacing your stock car seating with bucket seats, which are way lighter, and getting rid of any installation that may add to the seat weight. As an added advantage, bucket seats are sturdier than stock seats, making them arguably safer and more comfortable.
3. Change the wheels
Alloy wheels are often built with aesthetics rather than performance in mind. They can significantly increase your car’s weight, with standard 18-inch alloys weighing around 12kg each. Lightweight aftermarket wheels weigh as low as seven kilograms, trimming your car’s weight by a remarkable 25kg, assuming you always carry a spare wheel with you.
4. Understand how brakes work
For most car components, smaller means lighter, but the opposite is true with the braking system. Standard brake calipers and discs are typically solid cast iron, meaning they are relatively heavy despite their size. On the other hand, aftermarket brakes use two-piece discs, alloy center bells, and alloy calipers, making the braking system significantly lighter. Note, however, that aftermarket brakes usually appear bigger than standard brakes.
5. Get rid of what you don’t need
Ridding your car of things you don’t need, such as the jack and spare wheel, is an obvious way to increase legroom and trim its weight. That being said, many car owners overlook other usually lightweight items such as the underlay, carpet, and door cards, which can add up to weigh as much as the driver’s seat. If you have too many useless objects in your car, don’t overlook them just because they are individually lightweight.
Endnote
Driving a lightweight car has many benefits. Use the above tips to get rid of the extra weight without compromising the performance of your car. It may be advisable to get a new car if the tips don’t yield any significant change.
