There is a huge difference riding with a full tank when compared to riding with a quarter tank. Since I use AAA, I decided get rid of the spare, the jack and the tow hook. I think I'm going to drive with 1/2 tank or less as the car seems so much quicker.

 

Much quicker I am sure.You can now get your 0-60 time down to 5.35 from 5.4.I am sure you can feel that difference.

 

So if you have anything other then a nail in your tire they have to tow your car?

Man that is some smart thinking.

You should take the seatbelts out next.

 

And how are they going to tow your car without a tow hook?

 

Hehe. If I have a flat, I'll have AAA use the flat fix kit and take it to the nearest Toyo or Bridgestone tire dealer. If necessary, I'll have them tow. I'm a AAA+ member so tows up to 100 mi are free.

A tow truck would never use the tow hook. They would mount either the front or back wheels.

Hehe, sounds like you guys have never had a break down before.

Actually, I don't know whether it's a .05 difference in not. What I do know is, it definitely feels like the engine is having to do less work to get the car moving. Say gasoline weighs in at 20 lbs for 5 gallons. 10-15 gallons Equals 40-60 lbs. The tire and extras weigh in at another 45 lbs or so. That about 85-100 lbs.

100 lbs does make a difference. The seatbelt I think I'll keep.

 

Oh, thought I'd get accurate:

WEIGHT OF COMMON PRODUCTS
. PER PINT PER GALLON PER CUBIC FOOT
WATER 1.042 LB 8.333 LB 62.335 LB
GASOLINE 0.769 LB 6.152 LB 46.020 LB
DIESEL FUEL 0.933 LB 7.462 LB 55.826 LB
KEROSENE 0.603 LB 4.822 LB 36.071 LB

1 Gal of gasoline = 6.152 LBS. 10 gal = 61.52, 15 gal = 92.28. Dump the tire, jack and tow hook and you're at 106.5 lbs to 137.28 lbs assuming 45 lbs for tire and equipment and 1/2 to 1/4 tank.

That's the equal to the weight of your date assuming you have a nice lookng girl. Try a quick 0-60 with a passenger and without and let me know what you think.

 

hfm,

Do you have the 18" chrome wheels that look like the regular 18" performance rims? Do you have any pics? I wish the rims looked like the show car instead of being painted.

 

so ummm, what happens when you break down and you cant get cell phone service? that must suck. 30lbs that the spare weights wont kill me, there is not a noticable differance, and I gaurentee that you could increase your time by even more if you worked on your shifting.

 

hmm.... sounds like its pretty risky to me. the spare shouldnt even make that much of a difference in performance. if you want to make ur car lighter then lighten the front as it is a 53/47 distribution and less weight to the rear could mean spinnning the tires easier.

 

light weight battery relocated to the rear? that would do the trick, then go on a diet, between the 2 I bet 40lbs is within reach.

 

I am new here, but it's never been my style to hold back. People are giving HFM a hard time, and I am generally a more practical person than most. I actually agree with him. The spare tire is nothing more than a serial port on the back of a computer, there to make you sleep well at night, but it is not really necessary for someone with roadside assistance. Combine that with living in a big city and it's even more useless. If HFM was some product rep or something, and did tons of driving, or lived in nowheresville Montanna, ok, maybe it'd be silly, but I am guessing he doesn't. Weight is a very untapped performance category. I think some people might just be more sensitive to this kind of stuff, and I think people should leave it at that. I am personally very sensitive to this stuff. My girlfriend put some things in the trunk of my Eclipse and I didn't know it. I pull out of my apartment complex and immediately felt like something was up. Sure enough when I get to where I was going I look in the back and see the stuff. If you all can't tell the difference between a female passenger and no passenger than I'd be surprised. I had a motorcycle dealership try and say I couldn't tell the difference between 10hp on a bike they sold me that turned out to be a CA model sold to me in Virginia, and it's total BS. When you drive/ride a lot, you can tell these little things.

So anyhow, I'm with you HFM. If you're ever in Austin, TX and get a flat, call me up

 

Everytime I use AAA it takes them AT LEAST 1 to 1.5 hours to have a tow truck driver onsite, this is in Orange Co. CA (City of Irvine and vacinity).

I can change the tire in 15 mins. or less.

Can't get back lost time.

Lugging the spare tire works for me.

 

I guess part of it might be where you live also, and more specifically what kind of roads you frequent. I'm 25 and in almost 10 years of driving I have had one flat, and that was on a rental car because they had nearly bald tires on it.

 

weight is a performance category, but performance is for the track, there is no good reason to decrease your weight on the roads unless your doing things well beyond legal amounts. take it out at the track, but 30lbs for normal driving doesnt have a purpose. I mean seriously, when driving during the day, do you do 3000RPM launches from lights? and take turns with the tires on the edge of traction? god I hope not, but these are the only realms that losing 30lbs could help.

 

HFM, I run at a 1/4 track here in Arizona. I have run both with and w/o the spare, etc. Although it was on different Saturdays when I removed/left it in, I can tell no difference according to my time slips. In fact, I am contemplating running with the spare in order to help my weight transfer and being able to hook up just a little better than without it.
Bottom line? That small amount of weight alone (approx. 30lbs) does not effect MY 1/4 times. Regards, Jim

 

Actually you are wrong about this. First of all, never use anything but a flatbed tow truck for this car if you want your facisa to survive.

Second, the tow hook is not used to tow the car, but to winch the car up on to the flatbed! You don't want your car being hauled up the flatbed ramp by its aluminium suspension parts!

So before you start telling people they don't know what they are talking about, be sure you do.

 

This had been discussed many times when I had a E36 M3 and in the BMW forums. The spare tire help weight distribution as well as safety. The weight savings in minimal when you're talking about a 3000 lb car.....that's 1%. When you're rear ended, the spare tire actually absorb a lot of the impact and may safe your life. OK, may be not, but time waiting for a tow truck....and safety is much more important.....

It honestly doesn't matter what we say, you'll do what you want anyway......good luck!

 

I've been driving a lot longer than I care to admit and I have never had a flat! So the chances of ever needing the spare are very low....

 

The 18" chrome are slightly different that regular 18" performance. There are some pics here (it's the 16th post by Audiopat): https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....&highlight=hfm

When polished, they really shine.

 

I do virtually all of my driving in LA. Not worried about being able to get in touch with AAA.

Great minds think alike.

They usually show up in 1/2 hour for me. And, I'm not saying what I'm doing is what anyone else should be doing. It works for me, it wouldn't work for everyone.

I drive fast. I drive canyons daily. Did I mention I drive fast?

Yes, good point. This is what I'm experimenting with. I need to confirm if I can launch effectively without the spare without losing grip. I'll tell you what Jim, can you try this:

1) Get to track with 1/4 tank or less and take out the spare. Do a few runs.

2) Go to the gas station, fill up, put the spare back. Do a few runs.

I'm very curious as to the result. Regards, HFM.

Dude, you're probably right! I would prefer a flatbed over a tow. However, I doubt AAA uses them often, usually see tow. But, based upon your post, I'm going to put the tow hook back in. Thanks for your comment.