Reducing E30 weight for fun (not for tracking)

[capn]

Part of the reason I was attracted to the E30 (after owning an E39 540i and E46 330ci) was the visceral feeling I got when driving it as well as how light-footed it felt in the corners.

Initially (like many R3v members here) I thought of going into full gut mod and building a Spec-ish E30 but I have recently changed my mind. I want my E30 to be more like a swiss army knife (maintain creature comforts) and not a surgical knife (E30 Spec).

With that in mind I do however would like to lighten the weight of my E30 without going extreme (pulling out A/C, P/S, carpeting, etc.)

I know there are other E30ers out there with this mindset and I'd like to collect information here to see what you've done to reduce the E30 weight without going overboard.

Let's keep aftermarket lightweight parts out of this thread since they are pretty obvious and just focus on what we can remove from the factory E30 as it sits, some examples that come to mind:

Back seat removal (~30lbs) [You can always reinstall]

Passenger seat removal (~35lbs) [You can always reinstall]

Removal of sound deadening in cabin and trunk (~50lbs) [Not too much road noise]

Removal of spare tire, tire well, jack, trim, etc. (~50lbs) [Just get AAA]

That's 165lbs reduction so far which will be help improve in braking, handling, accelerating, and gas mileage.



Post up other items that you can pull off to reduce weight but still maintain a daily driver.

[Dj Buttchug]

get lighter wheels
run 1/4 tank of fuel at all times
run small case diffs
remove hood

[freeride53]

get lighter wheels
run 1/4 tank of fuel at all times
run small case diffs
remove hood

lmfao at 2 & 4

[rcsoundn1]

You could also remove all of the rear interior, since no one will be sitting back there. Rear door card, seat belts, rear deck. Could remove the rear speakers as well. There are also carbon fiber trunk lids, as well as fenders to reduce weight.

[capn]

Remember we aren't talking about replacement lightweight parts... just removing factory componenets :)

[capn]

You could also remove all of the rear interior, since no one will be sitting back there. Rear door card, seat belts, rear deck. Could remove the rear speakers as well. There are also carbon fiber trunk lids, as well as fenders to reduce weight.

Do you approximate weight savings from removing rear door card, seat belts, rear deck, and rear speakers?

[estoguy]

Remove that press board underneath the spare tire. That's about 10-15 pounds right there. I was shocked how heavy that was. I put it back in with my patio stone for winter traction.

[DEV0 E30]

Start with early 318i.

(1984-1985 318i)

Curb weight: 2460 lbs (1984, manual)
2480 lbs (1984, automatic)
2395 lbs (1985, 2 door)
2450 lbs (1985, 4-door)

http://www.strictlyeta.net/technical/specifications2.html

---

Removing too much has a negative affect on daily drive-ability in my mind. I did it for many years when I was younger. It depends on your climate, but driving a car that is stripped on the road isn't fun for a daily after awhile. Having a car that has strategically lightened parts (not just ditched parts) and some more power with a full interior is a better option in my mind. But that's my 2 cents.

[capn]

Remove that press board underneath the spare tire. That's about 10-15 pounds right there. I was shocked how heavy that was. I put it back in with my patio stone for winter traction.

I think you are referring to the tire well? It's listed at 11lbs I believe.

[capn]

Start with early 318i.



(1984-1985 318i)

Curb weight: 2460 lbs (1984, manual)
2480 lbs (1984, automatic)
2395 lbs (1985, 2 door)
2450 lbs (1985, 4-door)

http://www.strictlyeta.net/technical...ications2.html

To be honest unless you are deadset on gutting the car for track, buying a specific year model isn't going to make much of a difference for the daily driver folks like me :)

[nando]

so you drive around with no seats and a gutted interior?

cool. around here, we call that a parts car.. :p

[DEV0 E30]

If you're in a climate that rarely sees high temps, removing the entire A/C system could be worth it to some.

so you drive around with no seats and a gutted interior?

cool. around here, we call that a parts car.. :p

My exact point to my second part of my post.

Removing things can make your car look/feel clapped out. That's not "daily drive-ability" to most, and it doesn't matter how fuhraze one says they are. Eventually it gets old.

[capn]

If you're in a climate that rarely sees high temps, removing the entire A/C system could be worth it to some.

My exact point to my second part of my post.

Removing things can make your car look/feel clapped out. That's not "daily drive-ability" to most, and it doesn't matter how fuhraze one says they are. Eventually it gets old.

I wouldn't touch the A/C system could ruin the resale value IMO.

Based on my original post all we are looking at was removing stuff behind the driver (rear seats, sound deadening, trunk items, etc). The seats can be put back of course since we wouldn't want to always have it out and only in special ocassions (track days, autocross, etc.) All the carpeting, door panels, wiring, etc. are still in tact.

The whole point of this thread was to remove unecessary items from the car without taking away the E30s civility.

[Nick_S]

Back seat is super light. It's almost entirely foam as it clips into the body. Just leave. Over the winter I pulled the following out of my car.

-sub box with 12"
-spare
-jack and tools
-A/C and lines
-powersteering pump and lines
-windshield washer
-IS trunk spoiler
-SRS air bag system

Removing all this shaved about 180 lbs off the car. If I go on longer trips I'll toss the spare, jack and lug wrench back in quick but most of the time I'm within 50 miles of my house and I have 100 miles worth of free AAA towing. It certainly made a noticeable difference as the car feels more nimble and responsive.

[Todd Black 88]

Umm.........removing anything isn't going to make any change in driveability unless you are driving aound at 9/10ths of the cars ability. If you are driving it like that on anything but a track, you are an ass.

It's just going to make it less comfortable and noisy.