Weight in trunk

[wheelhaus]

[quote=industrial;1886603]You can do whatever you want, I just don't understand why people like you buy this car. It's obvious you would have been better served by a 370z, genesis coupe, mustang, 135, etc. You want a muscle car by the classic definition, small car with big motor. They all come with big wheels, big power and usually big sound systems.

I understand what you're saying and agree for the most part, but there's no need to make assumptions and bash him with negative stereotypes. Maybe his mod list can be tweaked a bit (I also think 9.5 is a bit too wide, but I'm not gonna fly off the hinge and start berating him how every choice is retarded and he needs another car because of it). Let him do what he likes with his car, and looking to mitigate some of the problems he's encountering. Not everyone has the same taste.

Originally Posted by sluflyer06

Have you thought perhaps about some kind of custom molded enclosures that might fit under the seats? You'd easily get away with 10's under each seat since they'd be in the cabin and not the trunk. There is or was a guy on NASIOC that used to build them for the WRX/STI's, you'd take the seat out, install the box and then put the seat back in.

You'd lose weight and move the CG of that weight low and center...just an idea.

Do you have a link to the nasioc thread? I've had the rear seats out, and the seats are really thin in the centers... I don't see how anything would fit without raising the seat. Even with the Imprezas, the seat would have to be raised or the foam cut out...

[CBR600RR]

Originally Posted by moojpg2

My wheels are not going to be heavier than stock I should be close to same weight with the lighter volk wheels and larger tires.

Lets say your new wheels are a pound lighter than the stock wheels. Unfortunately since they are 18x9.5s most/more of the weight is focused on the diameter of the wheel. Rotational force and inertia (the added weight around the diameter) will make the wheels more difficult to spin than the stock wheels, making it feel like you have added heavier wheels, when you may not have.

[sluflyer06]

[quote=wheelhaus;1886868]

Originally Posted by industrial

You can do whatever you want, I just don't understand why people like you buy this car. It's obvious you would have been better served by a 370z, genesis coupe, mustang, 135, etc. You want a muscle car by the classic definition, small car with big motor. They all come with big wheels, big power and usually big sound systems.

I understand what you're saying and agree for the most part, but there's no need to make assumptions and bash him with negative stereotypes. Maybe his mod list can be tweaked a bit (I also think 9.5 is a bit too wide, but I'm not gonna fly off the hinge and start berating him how every choice is retarded and he needs another car because of it). Let him do what he likes with his car, and looking to mitigate some of the problems he's encountering. Not everyone has the same taste.


Do you have a link to the nasioc thread? I've had the rear seats out, and the seats are really thin in the centers... I don't see how anything would fit without raising the seat. Even with the Imprezas, the seat would have to be raised or the foam cut out...

I'll try to find it again, but they fit under the front seats not the rear.

[wheelhaus]

[quote=sluflyer06;1886944]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

I'll try to find it again, but they fit under the front seats not the rear.

Ahh ok, that makes more sense. The Impreza front seats have a good bit of room, but the 86 seats sit a LOT lower and are tilted back, so there's only an inch or two of clearance near the rear of the seat, I had two small amps under the seat of my last STi, and they're only 2" high. There was no hope of fitting them under the BRZ seats.

[Dadhawk]

@moojpg2 remember that the further from the Center of Gravity you put the weight along the "arm" the higher impact it has. That amount of weight will significantly move the CG towards the back.

Think of a see-saw/teeter-totter and how you can adjust the fulcrum so that a 40lb kid and a 250lb Dad can use it together. Same idea.

In small planes the battery is often moved into the tail to offset the entire weight of the engine.

Moving the weight forward will definitely help, but it will still have an impact both front to back and top to bottom.

[DAEMANO]

Originally Posted by moojpg2

Been a lurker here for a while, running a stock (for now) 2014 BRZ I've had since february. I like loud music so I went overkill and installed two 12" subs in the trunk, along with the other associated audio upgrades and dynamat, etc. Now it feels like my car is pregnant. I mean it literally feels and handles like there's a dead body in my trunk and my subs and box only weigh maybe 40-45lbs. Now I'm looking at upgrading the car and I've ordered a set of volk ce28rt 18x9.5's and kw v1 coilovers. Think they will be able to dial out the lead butt feeling of the car with my stereo? Or is there a way I can cut some weight from the back of the car to make up for what I added?

To answer your question:
1. Remove the tools and spare tire, that'll drop about 40-45 lbs
2. Switching to an aftermarket exhaust (from header to muffler) can save up to 50 lbs depending on how much you're willing to spend.
3. Don't know if it's possible but if you have an MDF box, replace it with Fiberglass.
4. A rear seat delete will save something like 25-30lbs (if you want to do this)
5. Pay special attention to the weight of the tires your chose for your Volks, this can make a huge difference. (3-4 lbs per corner). Tirerack has specs.
6. Re-think two 12" subs for one 12" sub. They're heavy and the amp is heavy. I can see not going down to 10" because the bass is "different" but going from to two 12"s to one 12" will take you from stupid loud to only outrageously loud. Re-think how much you really need, if the extra weight is making you not love the reason ppl buy this car (the way it drives).

[markm7]

carbon fiber rear delete kit!

[Shankenstein]

I feel your pain. To have a top-quality audio system, it's not easy to keep the car light.

Things that help:

• Amps with switching-mode power supplies like Class D (adds noise and limits upper frequency range)
• Amps with minimum amounts of power headroom (adds noise, runs warmer)
• Speakers with Neodymium magnets (costs quite a bit more)
• Reduced driver count (requires more EQ and adds intermodular distortion)
• Reduce wire gauge and length (adds resistance and current draw)
• Minimize sound deadening (more road noise and rattles)
• Run compact, high power subs (less cone area and low frequency extension)

Many of us 86ers appreciate that the car is light and fun... but we also recognize that music is a priority worth compromising for. Not everyone has this opinion, and I can respect that.

That said, my SQ setup is going to be pretty stinkin' heavy. Even if I can design a removable box and quick-disconnect amps... it still adds significant weight.

7" woofers = 5 lbs/side
2" midranges = 1 lb/side
1" tweeters = 0.15 lb/side
10" subs = 22 lbs/side
4-channel amps = 21 lbs x 2
mono amps = 10 lbs x 2
infinite baffle = ~15 lbs
wire = ~20 lbs

Total = ~150 lbs (121 lbs removable)

Weight-to-power (stock): 13.81 lbs/hp
Weight-to-power (w/stereo): 14.55 lbs/hp (5% increase)

This is still better than a Civic Si, Mini Cooper S, and Mazda Miata... for some perspective.

[Cope52]

I took the spare tire, jack, tools (31 lbs) out and the handling felt odd. Then I had 80 lbs worth of wood pellets in the trunk and the car felt like it was less than an inch from the bumps stops and if I hit a bump they would bust thru the tops of the shock towers. I think this car was designed to feel right as is.

[moojpg2]

I have scales so I'm hoping I can corner balance and dial it out with the coilovers and raceseng front and rear top mounts and removing the spare. The cf driveshaft will save me 12lbs or so. I need to keep the rear seat. I'm not sure what the greddy cat back weighs but it must be lighter than stock.

Shankenstein is 100% right in that decent audio in this car is a royal pain. The stock head unit is tolerable but the rest of the system is horrible beyond belief.

[Griever423]

I'm about to go down this route myself. 2 10" subs and dynamat in doors and trunk/rear deck area. I try to think of it has having a girl in the car with me except it's a little better because this car is front heavy anyway.

If you're an audiphile and you need good sound then to me it's worth it. The 3% time where it matters when I'll be on track I can just take the sub box out of the car and shed 50-60 lbs easily. For the 97% of the time where I'm on the street cruising the killer sound will be much appreciated.

As others have said tho, a light muffle savs quite a bit of weight as also does a 1 piece aluminum driveshaft which is half the weight of the stock one. get some light wheels to go with and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

[Element Tuning]

One of the question I ask our clients when we are custom valving suspension for them is if they have audio equipment in the trunk. Subs and amps can easily add 100 lbs to the tail of the car. As long as we know this we can add more spring rate and valving to the rear suspension setup to make the car feel balanced again. We have made many people very happy over their previous coilover setup.

Now if won't fix the fact that you're asking your car to accelerate 100 lbs heavier than it was. I will tell you that if there is any place you would want to add weight, it's over the rear axle. If you have AAA you can ditch that spare tire, the jack, and the muffler to get most of your weight negated. Unfortunately it's not easy to loose weight off the nose of the car.

[boredom.is.me]

Why not make the sub enclosure removable?

[moojpg2]

It is easily removable I just have to unhook the wires from the amp and take the fuse out of the amp power wire so it doesn't short on anything. I ditched the spare and it made a world of difference. It goes to show how well setup these cars are that a lousy 30 lbs is that noticable in the setup.