I'm not too familiar with suspensions on basically any car but my concern right now is '92-'95 civics. I want to know how much the suspension components weigh on the Civic '92-'95 sedan or coupe and if
1. Are there lighter aftermarket parts available and
2. what kind of weight savings would I see by switching the components out for aluminum ones?

I believe that the suspension weighs a lot simply because it has to support a car. I want to reduce the weight of the car as much as possible (this is a car I don't own but hope to). The reason I mention any of this is because I read somewhere that on the VX, some mount somewhere is replaced with an aluminum counterpart, probably to save weight.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by imzjustplayin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm not too familiar with suspensions on basically any car but my concern right now is '92-'95 civics. I want to know how much the suspension components weigh on the Civic '92-'95 sedan or coupe and if
1. Are there lighter aftermarket parts available and
2. what kind of weight savings would I see by switching the components out for aluminum ones?

I believe that the suspension weighs a lot simply because it has to support a car. I want to reduce the weight of the car as much as possible (this is a car I don't own but hope to). The reason I mention any of this is because I read somewhere that on the VX, some mount somewhere is replaced with an aluminum counterpart, probably to save weight.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Poring over weight savings for a production car is a lost cause, for the most part. You can spend an obscene amount of money for a negligible real return on investment.

There are over 60lbs of suspension components at each rear corner of a stock double-wishbone Civic or Integra, and over 110lbs at each front corner.

Suspension doesn't necessarily "weigh a lot because it has to support a car"; it's simply designed to be durable and to withstand the force of large hits from road irregularities and hazards because production cars are intended to be driven daily on public streets, yet be affordable for the masses and profitable for the manufacturer. If stout build and inexpensive materials end up being heavy, so be it. There's a reason Honda only equips aluminum steering knuckles on their $50,000+ vehicles (which happen to be incredibly expensive to repair as well as purchase).

The best way to approch this is to first of all ask yourself why you need to save weight in certain areas, and more importantly, how much are you willing to spend for what may be a marginal improvement (or possibly detrimental)?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Poring over weight savings for a production car is a lost cause, for the most part. You can spend an obscene amount of money for a negligible real return on investment.

There are over 60lbs of suspension components at each rear corner of a stock double-wishbone Civic or Integra, and over 110lbs at each front corner.

Suspension doesn't necessarily "weigh a lot because it has to support a car"; it's simply designed to be durable and to withstand the force of large hits from road irregularities and hazards because production cars are intended to be driven daily on public streets, yet be affordable for the masses and profitable for the manufacturer. If stout build and inexpensive materials end up being heavy, so be it. There's a reason Honda only equips aluminum steering knuckles on their $50,000+ vehicles (which happen to be incredibly expensive to repair as well as purchase).

The best way to approch this is to first of all ask yourself why you need to save weight in certain areas, and more importantly, how much are you willing to spend for what may be a marginal improvement (or possibly detrimental)?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ok, well here is another question, would my money be better spent replacing the hood, doors and trunk with carbon fibre counterparts and replacing the glass with lexan like windows or replacing the suspension components, and what ever kind of components I can with lighter weight counterparts? Or maybe a little of both? A light weight car would be far better at just about everything assuming nothing is lost in terms of rigidity or safety.

Though now that I think about it, I'd have to imagine lighter weight windows and doors+trunk+hood may be a better than a lighter suspension as it would make the vehicle more top heavy (relatively speaking). Hmm....

 

Weight reduction up high makes more of a difference than it does down low. One of the most effective weight reduction items you can do is remove your sunroof and all its components and replace it with a fixed insert (metal or CF). That's the highest point on the car, which is the farthest from the car's center of gravity.

 

If youre not tracking the car then weight reduction not really worth it. Money would be better spent on engine/suspension.