Weight Reduction Specifics

IronTerp

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Bought a new scale for work a couple of weeks back and brought it home this past week for a little weighing.....The scale is a professionally calibrated commercial model made in Germany.

I'm always looking for some simple weight reduction mods that won't compromise the comfort/appearance of the Cobra and/or can be temporarily removed relatively easily for drag day duty. Here's what I found:

03' COBRA DRAG STRIP WEIGHT REDUCTION
Spare tire...................................-26.4 lbs
Jack/crow bar..............................-6.6 lbs
Trunk pad...................................-6.0 lbs!
Mott bar (under diff).....................-7.8 lbs
Front sway bar/brackets................-12.4 lbs
Rear seat bottom.........................-11.0 lbs
Rear seat back.............................-25.6 lbs
Rear seat head rest.......................-5.6 lbs
Rear seat bottom support bar..........-5.0 lbs
Rear deck amplifier.......................-23.0 lbs
MAC LT's w/ OR Prochamber...........-10.0 lbs (stock mid pipe/manifolds=52.8, MAC LT's/Prochamber =42.8)
Odyssey battery/bracket................-22.2 lbs (stocker=37.6, Odyssey=15.4)
Front 15x3.5" Bogarts/ET Front........-53.2 lbs (OEM Chrome w/ F1's=49.8 each, Skinny setup=23.2 each)
Rear 16x10" Bogarts/Hoosier FS.......-26.8 lbs (OEM Chrome w/ F1's=49.8 each, Rear setup=36.4 each)
UPR K member kit.........................-65.0 lbs
Front Passenger Seat.....................-43.0 lbs

Total......................................-349.6 lbs!!!

Notes:
-I run a cardboard rear seat delete at the track (tacky I know....), but be careful with the weight of the rear seat delete kit you may buy. Some are 12+ lbs.
-Didn't get to weigh my Off road H pipe (it's on the car!), but can probably only deduct 1-2 lbs for one....The Magnaflow catted X is light: 22.4 lbs lighter than the factory H pipe!
-Interesting info: OEM Chrommies w/ Nitto 315's = 52.4 lbs, OEM polished w/ MT 275's = 53.4 lbs.....

Thanks to ALMO, JRS BLOWN SNAKE, & Antex, among others, for sharing weight reduction ideas with me........
 
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CobraBob

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Definitely great information. I am going to check the numbers against what I have on my FAQ page and edit my info as needed. Thanks Dwight!!
 

IronTerp

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CobraBob said:
Definitely great information. I am going to check the numbers against what I have on my FAQ page and edit my info as needed. Thanks Dwight!!
Yeah Bob, I've just seen so many different weight numbers for the same part that I wanted to find out exactly what the weights are. I'm going to do a Round 2 here in a few months with LT headers/stock exhaust manifolds, aftermarket K member & components, and possibly more.
 
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KingCobra03SVT

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Great info! I have always wondered how much things of that sort weighed and little minor weight reductions I could do. Thanks :thumbsup:
 

IronTerp

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Cam99 said:
how much lighter is a solid rear vs. the irs?
There's been various opinions on this and originally 125 lbs appeared to be the magic number. But some folks just recently did some weighing and looks like 108-110 lb reduction is more accurate.
 

bpandolfi

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IronTerp said:
Bought a new scale for work a couple of weeks back and brought it home this past week for a little weighing.....The scale is a professionally calibrated commercial model made in Germany.

I'm always looking for some simple weight reduction mods that won't compromise the comfort/appearance of the Cobra and/or can be temporarily removed relatively easily for drag day duty. Here's what I found:

Spare tire...........................-26.4 lbs
Jack/crow bar......................-6.6 lbs
Trunk pad...........................-6.0 lbs!
Mott bar (under diff).............-7.8 lbs
Front sway bar/brackets.......-12.4 lbs
Rear seat bottom.................-11.0 lbs
Rear seat back....................-25.6 lbs
Rear seat head rest..............-5.6 lbs
High flow catted midpipe........-22.6 lbs! (stocker=36.0, High flow=13.4)
Odyssey battery/bracket.......-22.2 lbs (stocker=37.6, Odyssey=15.4)
Front 3.5" ProStars(2)...........-40.0 lbs (stock w/ F1's=49.8, ProStar Skinnies/spacers=29.8 each)
Total.................................-186.2 lbs!!!

Notes:
-I run a cardboard rear seat delete at the track (tacky I know....), but be careful with the weight of the rear seat delete kit you may buy. Some are 12+ lbs.
-Didn't get to weigh my Off road H pipe (it's on the car!), but can probably only deduct 1-2 lbs for one....The Magnaflow catted X is light!
-Interesting info: OEM Chrommies w/ Nitto 315's = 52.4 lbs, OEM polished w/ MT 275's = 53.4 lbs.....

Thanks to ALMO, JRS BLOWN SNAKE, & Antex, among others, for sharing weight reduction ideas with me........
DRAG IT ALL DOWN THE TRACK. I CAN UNDERSTANG CHANGING K-MEMBERS FOR CLEARANCE OR GEOMETRY AND I KNOW THIS ALSO REDUCES WEIGHT BUT ITS JUST AN ADDED BENEFIT. RACE THE WHOLE COBRA. NOT JUST WHATS LEFT OF IT. YOU'LL FEEL BETTER IN THE END.
 

MVD

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bpandolfi said:
DRAG IT ALL DOWN THE TRACK. I CAN UNDERSTANG CHANGING K-MEMBERS FOR CLEARANCE OR GEOMETRY AND I KNOW THIS ALSO REDUCES WEIGHT BUT ITS JUST AN ADDED BENEFIT. RACE THE WHOLE COBRA. NOT JUST WHATS LEFT OF IT. YOU'LL FEEL BETTER IN THE END.

No I feel better when I can go faster with less horsepower.

I can see not stripping a car down to it's shell, but eliminating some unneeded weight is always a plus. Besides a lighter car puts a lot less stress on your drivline.
 

bpandolfi

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MVD said:
No I feel better when I can go faster with less horsepower.

I can see not stripping a car down to it's shell, but eliminating some unneeded weight is always a plus. Besides a lighter car puts a lot less stress on your drivline.
thats a statement i can agree w/ but anybody can reduce weight and go faster but once you've taken that last part off your car whats next.
 

IronTerp

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bpandolfi said:
DRAG IT ALL DOWN THE TRACK. I CAN UNDERSTANG CHANGING K-MEMBERS FOR CLEARANCE OR GEOMETRY AND I KNOW THIS ALSO REDUCES WEIGHT BUT ITS JUST AN ADDED BENEFIT. RACE THE WHOLE COBRA. NOT JUST WHATS LEFT OF IT. YOU'LL FEEL BETTER IN THE END.
Certainly respect your opinion, but you are in the VAST minority here......The purpose of my weight loss recipe is to maintain the luxuries of tha car while reducing certain items for performance. It can all be put back on the car in less than 2 hours when track day is over....

These are extremely fast cars we have here.....We're not talking about breaking into the 13's and maybe high 12's. We're talking about mid to low 11 second street cars with minimal mods and 10 second cars that are docile and streetable. Most all of the aggressive track folks are into weight reduction in one form or the other and that's who this thread is aimed for.
 

bpandolfi

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IronTerp said:
Certainly respect your opinion, but you are in the VAST minority here......The purpose of my weight loss recipe is to maintain the luxuries of tha car while reducing certain items for performance. It can all be put back on the car in less than 2 hours when track day is over....

These are extremely fast cars we have here.....We're not talking about breaking into the 13's and maybe high 12's. We're talking about mid to low 11 second street cars with minimal mods and 10 second cars that are docile and streetable. Most all of the aggressive track folks are into weight reduction in one form or the other and that's who this thread is aimed for.
OK IM WITH YOU ON THAT. HOW FAST IS YOUR CAR. WE RUN 1/4 MILE SO IM MORE FAMILIAR W/ THAT. WHAT ARE YOUR MODS.
 

IronTerp

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Well let's put it this way: I have an 11.30 car that's running 11.60's cause I'm an average at best driver. Running a ported blower, 16 lbs of boost, and all the normal goodies that go with it. But, the car is just as docile and streetable as it was the day it was drven off the showroom floor.......Hit an 11.61 at 124.35 a few weeks back in 90 degree weather and drove home with the AC going and stereo blasting.
 

bpandolfi

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IronTerp said:
Well let's put it this way: I have an 11.30 car that's running 11.60's cause I'm an average at best driver. Running a ported blower, 16 lbs of boost, and all the normal goodies that go with it. But, the car is just as docile and streetable as it was the day it was drven off the showroom floor.......Hit an 11.61 at 124.35 a few weeks back in 90 degree weather and drove home with the AC going and stereo blasting.
WHAT STAGE PORT JOB DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT OTHER GOODIES.
JUST CURIOUS. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUSPENSION WORK.
 

IronTerp

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bpandolfi said:
WHAT STAGE PORT JOB DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT OTHER GOODIES.
JUST CURIOUS. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUSPENSION WORK.
Stage IV port w/ MafXtender, BAP, wire upgrade, AR CAI, full Magnaflow exhaust, Spec 3+ w/ steel flywheel, MGW shifter, and more...

Suspension includes MM FLSFC, QA1 12 way adjustable rear shocks, Billetflow Mathis brackets, & IRS subframe bushings.
 

Antex

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bpandolfi said:
DRAG IT ALL DOWN THE TRACK. I CAN UNDERSTANG CHANGING K-MEMBERS FOR CLEARANCE OR GEOMETRY AND I KNOW THIS ALSO REDUCES WEIGHT BUT ITS JUST AN ADDED BENEFIT. RACE THE WHOLE COBRA. NOT JUST WHATS LEFT OF IT. YOU'LL FEEL BETTER IN THE END.



To each his/her own, but I couldn't disagree more with your statement. So is it okay to port, switch pulleys, turbo, twin screw, solid, gears, auto, etc..but no weight reduction? What about slicks & skinnies? Are you completely bone stock including tires? If not..:nono:

I've been racing mine for the past 5 years - raced 'er bone stock on the F1's, unported, ported, twin screw, DR's/ET Streets, and now twin screw, boss330 motor, 200lb weight reduction (teksid block/UPR K member,slicks & skinnies) and I'm feeling fine...:burnout:
 
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bpandolfi

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Antex said:
To each his/her own, but I couldn't disagree more with your statement. So is it okay to port, switch pulleys, turbo, twin screw, solid, gears, auto, etc..but no weight reduction? What about slicks & skinnies? Are you completely bone stock including tires? If not..:nono:

I've been racing mine for the past 5 years - raced 'er bone stock on the F1's, unported, ported, twin screw, DR's/ET Streets, and now twin screw, boss330 motor, 200lb weight reduction (teksid block/UPR K member,slicks & skinnies) and I'm feeling great...:burnout:
LIKE IRONTERP SAID, DOSILE AND STREETABLE. LOOKS LIKE A RACE CAR TO ME. BUT WHATEVER. I HAD AN 03 COBRA W/ A 76 MM TURBO THAT WOULD RUN THOSE NUMBERS BUT WAS CRAP TO DRIVE DAILY. I DONT KNOW HOW YOUR CAR IS BUT THERE IS A POINT TO WHERE DRIVABILTY IS SACRIFICED.
WOULDNT YOU AGREE. BUT IN THE END WE ARE ALL SEARCHING FOR LOW ET AND HIGH MPH. HOW WE GET THERE IS TO EACH HIS OWN OR THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY SPORT IN IT.
 

IronTerp

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bpandolfi said:
LIKE IRONTERP SAID, DOSILE AND STREETABLE. LOOKS LIKE A RACE CAR TO ME. BUT WHATEVER. I HAD AN 03 COBRA W/ A 76 MM TURBO THAT WOULD RUN THOSE NUMBERS BUT WAS CRAP TO DRIVE DAILY. I DONT KNOW HOW YOUR CAR IS BUT THERE IS A POINT TO WHERE DRIVABILTY IS SACRIFICED.
WOULDNT YOU AGREE. BUT IN THE END WE ARE ALL SEARCHING FOR LOW ET AND HIGH MPH. HOW WE GET THERE IS TO EACH HIS OWN OR THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY SPORT IN IT.
Actually, Antex's Cobra is street driven often and is very similiar to mine in regards to street manners. Only difference is, he's running 10.14's and has the record for 60' time on an IRS.....1.38 seconds! Very impressive Terminator!!!
 
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DarkSnake

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My car has almost stock drivability except when you floor it!! Look, to each his own. Dwight is just posting his findings in a very scientific way. Guys like Almo, Antex, Dave King and Fatalbite all have gone along different paths to get where they are, but all have acheived awsome things and have added an immense amont of good, usable info to our database on this site and others.
 

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