Downgrading rims size for weight alone is pointless on a car like Aston, the car looks so much better with 19s. Sportspack wheels are 21.5lbs front, 24lbs rear, you will find its VERY hard to improve on that. Brakes again are #1, Tires #2. I forgot to mention the Vantage S already has 2 piece front Brembo rotors stock so you only have to do the rears on a vantage S. you won't feel 30lb drop from the exhaust.

DO NOT rely on Magnusson vs. Moss. First off it is NOT a legislative Act ... It is a local state court ruling, all it does is set a very weak case for legal precedent. There have been thousands of cases where that case did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, and the warranty was revoked. I guarentee you YOU WILL LOSE YOUR WARRANTY if you do a supercharger kit. More importantly, it's so easy to make power on these cars it's a waste of money to do one.

 

There is a good amount of steel to come out of the exhaust systems, cats/headers less so but still a good chunk worth dropping.

The OEM hood is pretty light already, unless you go to a super-thin composite hood which is going to be fragile & most likely will not fit well after heat cycling.

There is about 10lbs worth of insulation under the parcel shelf, many people pull this out just to hear the additional sound from the exhaust.

2-piece brakes drop a lot of weight and it is rotational unsprung mass which will yield much better results.
http://www.velocityap.com/ProductDet...PIECE-BRAKE-RO

 

This is very true Mikey, even stuff like the sill plates, everything in those cars is SOLID. Which is good in many respects. 140KG for the loom.... boggles the mind!

 

007 not trying to get in fight here so no reason to YELL when you reply. I have been modifying cars for a long time as well. I have done a full CSL conversion so I know the pains and tribulations involved with modifying. I also know how the Masgnusson Moss works. Been there done that so not a stranger there. The point is people can modify just be aware of what type of fight you will have on your hands.

As the topic of this thread was to see what options there were to tastefully lighten the car I think i have all the info now. The options listed were what I figured out on my own and had confirmed.

18's are lighter and better for performance which is why I mentioned them. Just like the GT4 it runs on 18's and to me looks clean.

So in summary to keep the car clean and tasteful we are looking at a most of 200lb of weight loss. Beyond that you are going into the extreme category.

 

Not yelling at all, just using all caps to emphasize. I have seen so many amateurs quote Magnusson moss and have no clue how it really works, and it's a complete false sense of security. Don't fall for those myths, 9/10 times it won't do anything to save you.

 

Understandable, try bold instead of caps as it is comes off reading it as yelling IMHO. I do agree people over use Mag Moss. My hope is on this forum, most of the owners have been there done that.

For comparison sakes, the GT4 street version is 3000 LB. So even in a "extreme" weight loss it is still a hefty girl.

losing 200ish lb off a 3595 lb (listed weight on Aston's site) car is not to bad.

 

Brakes and wheels/tires are where you will feel it. Being that it isn't a track car you may not notice 300lbs of sprung weight anywhere near as much as 100lbs total of rotating mass

 

You take off the crash bar protection around the car... they are quite heavy.

 

Cyclist here, sometime weight weenie too.

When the engine is your legs and lungs, we measure in grams...that and the fact that the entire vehicle weight is a fraction of the weight of the power plant.

Anyhow, the gm/$ ratio of many weight saving parts is obscene. So I'll join the chorus: Rotating mass, rotating mass, rotating mass. Then again, what are you lightening for? Faster 1/4 miles?
Faster hill climb?
Faster through chicanes?
Easier to lift out of ditches?

Body weight matters sometimes, and less other times. When we're talking about 5% to !0% weight reductions, where it comes from seems at least as important as how much comes.

BTW: Does any tire manufacturer make particularly light performance tires? In cycling, the gm are so important that tire weights are a big deal. I wonder that this isn't so true for performance cars.

 

Just find it funny that you think that changing the exhaust and the hood is "a must." RSC sells both, no? And as stated above, a lightweight hood does little, so definitely not a must.

 

another way to look at the reduction in weight is to manage how the car handles the weight that it has. look into suspension mods.

if not wider wheels (which generally add weight), get wheel spacers for a wider track.
lowering springs will drop your center of gravity.
a thicker rear sway bar might keep the rear end a bit more lively.

i have all the above, and the car handles amazingly, is very nimble, and feels lighter than it is.

rotating mass is very important to reduce, so a lighter flywheel (not too light, or it will ruin the way the car drives) and 2-piece brake rotors should make a noticeable difference.

none of these things will ruin the enjoyment you get out of your car.

 

OP, a lightweight battery is worth looking at. You can get a Voltphreaks lithium that weighs ~7 lbs. Probably cost you $1300 and you lose over thirty pounds. As far as $/lb it is one of the more effective ways to accomplish your goal.
I have no affiliation with them but I have been using a voltphreaks for almost a year. It's been a good product.

 

^^^How much of a compromise is a lightweight battery such as that in terms of cranking power, cold start reliability, etc.? Considered this before but have been concerned about how it would work in a road car with a big engine.

 

I do agree that the exhaust system is a worthwhile mod. Where I call b.s. is when you add aftermarket hoods as a "must." Seems like the salesman speaking there and not the "life long auto enthusiast." I don't want my fellow owners on the site being mislead.

 

You can try to now characterize your comments as being directed to aesthetics, but this is clearly not the case. You were referring to the hood mod as being a must for weight reduction.

You should chose your words carefully on the forum as people will decide whether or not to trust what you say based on those words.