Browsing through their offerings, it looks like this is the best bang for the buck:

https://www.braillebattery.com/index...atteries/b3121

Not sure how much the OEM battery weighs, but this Braille probably drops 20-30 lbs for less than $250. Cost goes up a ton for extra weight loss beyond that.
Only thing I'm really worried about is the AH rating. The Odyssey direct replacement (PC1350) weighs 60.4 lbs but has an AH rating of 95. The Braille B3121 weighs 21 lbs, but only has an AH rating of 31! Three times the weight, but also approximately three times the AH and RC (195 vs 75 minutes). So my main concern is about whether or not the B3121 can handle the job.

 

I'm liking the idea of a lightweight battery, so I got in touch with Braille. This is what the rep said about a lithium-ion batttery:

The drop-in replacement would be our I49CE at 14 pounds, so you are looking at a savings of 45-50 pounds. This is the same size battery for both models. The CE is our lightweight version. You are looking at $1999 for it and would bolt in.

Not only is lithium lighter, but they are superior electrically as they provide a higher, cleaner voltage which means: quicker starting, improved engine management performance, less HP draw from the alternator due to efficient charging (5 times faster than lead) and last 3-5 times longer. This why nearly every OEM runs our lithium in their factory race cars and is a factory option in the BWM Alpina cars. You won't have an issue with capacity as long as you use a charger if it's going to sit for more than a week. In a regularly driven car, it won't be a problem.

Here's the battery he's referring to:

http://www.braillebattery.com/index....atteries/i49ce




This is what you wrote in 2013 under "Tasteful ways to lose weight"

 

Holy crap I forgot all about that thread!!

Here's the battery:
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....duct_group/i49

Thanks for bringing it back to my attention! Everything's coming full circle

And that thread:
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...8-vantage.html

 

While I'm at it..
According to Tire Rack's info:

Potenza RE050, 235/40R19, 26 lbs
Potenza RE050, 275/35R19, 30 lbs

Michelin PSS, 245/40R19, 25 lbs
Michelin PSS, 285/35R19, 28 lbs

So even going to larger tires, I've dropped 6 lbs (and in key areas!)

If my wheels weigh as much as the OEM ones, I've lost about 60 lbs overall.

 

I say go extreme..GT4 dash with no A/C option!! About 100lbs ripped off..then again you might add back the 100lbs in sweat!

 

Not sure about that, I still believe it's an option..I have a 2014 built GT4 sitting on 1 of my lifts, car has the Hot Climate package and No A/C is fitted

 

Definitely not doing anything extreme lol

Seats, battery, maybe some carbon fiber trim (the door handles look pretty heavy, and I've never liked the shiny shifter surround trim piece - thinking matte carbon for all those).

 

I love that shiny shifter surround (and hate decorative carbon, but that's me). Meanwhile, this makes me think of other parts you might consider, depending on your level of commitment and tolerance for making your beautiful car less so:

Grill. This is pure decoration, how much does it weigh?
Strakes. Same as above.
Speakers. Yes I'm serious. You know the magnets in any decent size speaker can be 5#+. Would you compromise your audio system (2 speakers used to be plenty)?
Gasoline. Again, serious. When you want to drive for excitement, make sure you have 1/2 a tank or less. Our gas tanks are huge, so even a 1/2 tank is lots of heavy liquid.
Wiper fluid. Just don't carry any.

Thoughts?

 

I don't mean to hijack, but I know a local guy with carbon strakes for sale..New in box, almost giving them away from what he paid. Pm me if your interested

 

I agree, weight reduction can be a "waste of time, money and effort", unless you address rotating mass in the driveline, or you make it a hobby (Tellum's tinkering) which is fun.

Rotating mass
- 007 and I found the Vantage V8 has at least 4.5# that can be removed from the FEAD (front end accessory drive) crank pulley. Has anyone looked into the application of the Jag pulley or machined off the nose of the OE part? I will if I ever have to service that section of the car.
-Stuart's VelocityAP is now offering a twin plate clutch (smaller diameter than OE) and light weight weight flywheel (machined from billet steel with integrally cut ring gear teeth and a conservative "swiss cheeseing"). Kit will save 17#.
-He is also selling a 2 piece (Aluminum hat, cast iron friction surface) rotor kit. I bought and installed it with a set of Michelin Pilot SS tires at the same time, saving a total 26#.
-Telum changed his wheels from 19" to 18"(and tires). Shopping for wheels and tires with weight reduction in mind can be rewarding.
- AM used to offer unbelievably expensive titanium lugnuts. Marketed as an accessory, they saved about half the weight of each nut. Dealing in grams here, but multiplying by 20.

Apply multiples of, or all of the above and your car's performance will change. You will feel the improvement in virtually every dynamic measurement, stopping, acceleration, handling. Plus the car's powertrain and chassis will become more durable and capable. Their tasks have become easier to perform.

Fixed mass
Fixed mass weight reduction may better fit the waste criticism of Karl and Ibis, but Telum and I and others I am sure, have made it a game, a hobby.
I submit it's less wasteful than a whole bunch of activities we might indulge in...watching TV, drinking, chasing women, getting a sun tan, etc.
It is akin to putting the driver on a diet, or having just a half tank of gas.
-We removed the folding sound barrier shelf, minus 10#.
-I removed all the windshield washer solvent, minus 11#
-I fabricated a new cover for that space right behind my seats, covers the battery and tool kit. Made it from foam core illustration material and leftover luggage compartment trim on a Mustang. A 4# OE part was replaced by one weighing less than a pound.
-I deleted the tire repair gizz from the OE kit but kept the pump. Added a plug kit from an auto parts store. Net save 2#.
-Our Vantages have a disappointing number of stamped steel brackets where lighter materials could of performed the same function. An example is the rear license plate bracket. I deleted it and replaced it with double back tape.

There are many opportunities, a lot at minimal to no cost...how aggressive do you want to be?

One with significant cost currently that has a good chance of becoming a bargain is the lithium ion battery. Weight saves vs current technology should be 30 to 40#. As I remember our current battery weighs 53#.
Facilities are being built for significant numbers of hybrid and electric cars but the market seems to have peaked at 3% of industry. Does everyone who wants an electric car already have one? A whole lot of lithium ion battery capacity may need a home. A logical commercial application, replacing today's heavyweights. I was offered a hand made lithium ion battery to fit my car by a credible builder for $500. No thanks, I will wait for a commercial application.

Weight reduction a waste? I think not. Powerful light weight cars are a lot more fun to drive than powerful heavy weight cars. Colin Chapman would be proud.

 

Some great points!

I don't think the shifter surround weighs much, but I'd imagine the door bars do. If I did the shifter surround, it'd be for looks. I'd do the door bars for weight. And I'd do them all at the same time so everything matches. Might do the door sills while I'm at it.

Exterior carbon fiber would be the same - I'd want to do it all in the same go so it matches. A couple bits of carbon here and there looks tacky to me. There has to be enough of it in sight to make it look like it belongs. So it'd be a front lip, side sills, strakes, and rear diffuser. But... that's a crapton of money and I doubt the weight difference would be worthwhile. For cosmetics, yes I want to do it. But it's not high enough priority right now.

Speakers... It's definitely a good place to lose weight but I love the Premium Audio. And my goal is for a balanced, dual-purpose car. Taking away from the stereo (or any other creature comforts) would push it too far toward track car and away from a street car for what I want.

Right about the fluids, too. There's tons of weight there. I usually keep my tank between 1/4 and 3/4 full (I rarely top it off... remnant fears of stalling due to the torn fuel vapor vent hose lol).

I reached out to Odyssey about a couple of their batteries, the PC925 and PC950. Larger than the PC680 but still drop 30-35 lbs compared to the OEM battery.

And I've emailed a couple vendors about the seats I'm looking at. So at least the ball is rolling!

 

It's definitely just for fun - like Flinder said, a fun tinkering game. And no one thing will make a car-defining difference, but it all adds up.

With everything done to my car, I've noticed that it's a lot more responsive to my inputs. Canyon carving is a LOT more fun. I can throw the thing around and be perfectly confident in it. The one thing it needs improvement in is weight. Back-and-forth weight transfer is where this thing feels like a porker.

If I can drop 180 lbs total, that's 5% of the car's overall weight. And a chunk of that is rotating mass, unsprung weight, etc, which has a greater effect than static weight like the battery and seats.

Btw, there are still companies offering titanium lugnuts. I think they run $600-800/set. I didn't even think of those

 

Got a list? PM me, I'm scheming

 

Probably the worst #/$ ratio of all options so far. Yes they're unsprung and rotating but the rotation is rather near the center so the payoff is largely in the unsprung end of the equation.

I may be wrong. I often am. Reminds me of the Ti nuts and bolts craze on bicycles. Which reminds me...you could strip the paint off the body! Talk about unnecessary cosmetic weight.

 

Telum asked for a list of steel brackets.

Telum, there is no list, in fact attacking each part could be labeled a "waste", as there is little to be gained. But an AM management edict, "No steel brackets", could go a long ways towards eliminating them altogether or at least forcing an evaluation of alternatives to each steel proposal. Best to be stated at the start of a new vehicle program.

But if you have a will, grab a magnet, drill, new set of bits, center punch, and have at it. Make swiss cheese.

Someone brought up, paint elimination, Ibis? Years ago, probably during an oil crisis, an airline did it. Reduced plane weight by hundreds of pounds with the goal of saving a whole bunch of jet fuel. Don't remember an accounting.

And right on cue, yesterday, TiKORE, a sponsor, said they wanted to be in our game. They will start by measuring our OE nuts. Look forward to their retail pricing.