Saw this on that show "Horsepower" on Spike tv. Where the spare tire/jack sit inside that sump on the body, cut that out, run a thick beed of silicone, & replace with flat sheet metal. Then paint it w/e color u want to protect from rust. If u wana go a step further, toss ur stock gas tank, & get a 8gl fuel cell, & mount it on top of the sheet metal. This way ull cut lots of weight+have much better air flow under the car.....

what u guys think? 0r

 

For a race car maybe, but in my daily driver no ty.

 

it would be cool for any race car that is allowed to cut factory sheet metal

but the only advantage i would see is better aerodynamics i bet the weight loos from that hump is very minimal

 

i couldnt imagine doing that to my daily driver.

it's bad enough my car is completely gutted.

good thing for weekend racers (not so daily driven cars) or strictly race cars.

 

Cut it out and replace with fiberglass. Probably similar weight savings without losing the spare tire well.

 

Sounds like an idea.

 

I did this on my crx.I cut the trunk area out and replaced it with aluminum sheet metal. Scraped off the rubber under coat under the trunk jack area Almost no weight savings at all.Hes right fiberglass would be best for cost and weight saving.But this mod is not worth it IMO even on a race car. Just scrap off the rubber undercoat and spray it with a light coat of black paint to prevent rust.Those rednecks on that show are funny as hell. Better off going underneath the car and unbolting the tow brackets and bolts and any unused brackets or if your serious take the rear metal support bumper off and just bolt the bumper cover on that will save you 20lbs alone.

 

This is a really bad idea for a street car . You will lose regity of your car and weaken everything in the rear suspension . I can't believe they would air a show like that . It's unsafe and not worth the wieght for your safety .

 

What if u bolt on a rear strut bar... that should give it plenty stiffness. As for taking off the rear or front metal bumper support, thats what protects u!!! Ive thought of it, but if u get into even a low speed 25mph accident u could have sum major damage... but its cool on a race car.

 

why not just leave the spare tire well there. that adds a decent amount of stiffness to the car. and you really aren't going to save too many pounds by putting in a flat panel

just mount a light fuel cell in the spare tire well. help move some weight farther to the back and balance out the car

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sik94hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What if u bolt on a rear strut bar... that should give it plenty stiffness. As for taking off the rear or front metal bumper support, thats what protects u!!! Ive thought of it, but if u get into even a low speed 25mph accident u could have sum major damage... but its cool on a race car.</TD></TR></TABLE>

a rear strut bar will not even give it the stiffness back. the only situation i could ever see anyone doing this with is having a full cage in the car. and even then, alot of those people may have to already add more weight to be legal.

 

Just an FYI:

When cars are tested for impact ratings, they are tested WITH the spare tire in the vehicle. Sometimes it can make the difference between the car passing or failing.

Secondly, the rear bumper support directs the impact to the crush zones on the car. Without that integral part of the safety feature, you are risking serious injury. Ask yourself this, is 20lbs now worth a broken neck/back for the rest of your life?

Finally, a combination of these methods is asking for death. Its unfortunate that people even condone this but then again not everyone is as intelligent as we'd like.

If you want to lighten the car, take out he interior, ac, power steering, abs, sunroof, glass, hatch, and replace with the proper race parts. These are all SAFER ideas, however anytime you change the structural makeup of a vehicle, you risk affecting the original impact safety.

Just my 0.02.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lovitalracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This is a really bad idea for a street car . You will lose regity of your car and weaken everything in the rear suspension . I can't believe they would air a show like that . It's unsafe and not worth the wieght for your safety . </TD></TR></TABLE>
well the guy who made this thread probly didnt post everything the guys said in the show, so dont blame them....they probly did it to a huge muscle car that was made for weekend work at the track..."sik94hatch" probly had a vision in his little ricer head ....