Breather Venting, weight reduction and other ramblings.
04-03-2009, 04:19 PM
#151
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Jeff (or others), did you swap out your stock heavy battery for a lighter weight racing version ?
Seems to me to be a quick way of losing 10-20kg in one hit, albeit at the front of the car, not the rear where its most crucial.
The problem seems to be most of the lighter weight batteries are low amp and probably not upto the job of running a regular road use cars requirements with alarms, hi-fi, central locking etc.
I can see our stock batteries are 12v/72amp/h and the RS has a 12v/36amp/h battery, so i was thinking we could get away with something around the 36-50a/h.
Has anyone here actually replaced their battery for a lightweight version and if so what model/make ?
I know there are varley red tops, Odyssey etc but i am thinking we need one of similar dimensions to fit the current cradle? My stock battery measures 27x17x18dp cm's.
Is it a feasible weight loss idea or am i barking up the wrong tree?
Seems to me to be a quick way of losing 10-20kg in one hit, albeit at the front of the car, not the rear where its most crucial.
The problem seems to be most of the lighter weight batteries are low amp and probably not upto the job of running a regular road use cars requirements with alarms, hi-fi, central locking etc.
I can see our stock batteries are 12v/72amp/h and the RS has a 12v/36amp/h battery, so i was thinking we could get away with something around the 36-50a/h.
Has anyone here actually replaced their battery for a lightweight version and if so what model/make ?
I know there are varley red tops, Odyssey etc but i am thinking we need one of similar dimensions to fit the current cradle? My stock battery measures 27x17x18dp cm's.
Is it a feasible weight loss idea or am i barking up the wrong tree?
04-03-2009, 04:28 PM
#152
Race Car
Yup, I got the 25lb Odyssey. Almost went the 15lb route but many say they have to be too dependent on a battery tender with those...my friend could barely start his car between rounds at the track last Fall, so I got the 25 pounder and so far, no issues. 
Yup, saved me 21lbs as my BIG Odyssey was 46lbs.
Yup, saved me 21lbs as my BIG Odyssey was 46lbs.
04-04-2009, 10:04 AM
#153
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what spec/model number is that 25lb Odyssey Jeff ?
Put my home-made track mats in yesterday, 5mm ply sprayed matt-black and got rid of all that naff thick s/proofing...hurrah !
Taken about 46kg out of the car now already through stealthy removals, a lot further to go to make a real difference though i guess, but every little helps
Just realised from reading other threads that different front seats were fitted to various 964's. I appear to have the sport seats
...anyone know what they weigh in comparison to the 'comfort' seats ? I take it they are lighter ?
Regarding the aircon (which i never use) are there any heavy elements to it that can safely be dismantled and removed from the car without causing problems? Bits that i can always retro-fit if ever the day comes that i sell the car on.
Put my home-made track mats in yesterday, 5mm ply sprayed matt-black and got rid of all that naff thick s/proofing...hurrah !
Taken about 46kg out of the car now already through stealthy removals, a lot further to go to make a real difference though i guess, but every little helps
Just realised from reading other threads that different front seats were fitted to various 964's. I appear to have the sport seats
...anyone know what they weigh in comparison to the 'comfort' seats ? I take it they are lighter ?Regarding the aircon (which i never use) are there any heavy elements to it that can safely be dismantled and removed from the car without causing problems? Bits that i can always retro-fit if ever the day comes that i sell the car on.
Last edited by Mark J; 04-04-2009 at 10:42 AM.
04-05-2009, 05:10 AM
#155
Drifting
what spec/model number is that 25lb Odyssey Jeff ?
Regarding the aircon (which i never use) are there any heavy elements to it that can safely be dismantled and removed from the car without causing problems? Bits that i can always retro-fit if ever the day comes that i sell the car on.
Regarding the aircon (which i never use) are there any heavy elements to it that can safely be dismantled and removed from the car without causing problems? Bits that i can always retro-fit if ever the day comes that i sell the car on.
I just removed everything (brackets, bolts etc) except for the evaporator behind the fuel tank (it's just 1,3 kg but a lot of work!). The total weight of all this was +/- 23 kg.
04-05-2009, 09:07 AM
#157
Burning Brakes
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so far i only have the compressor out, rear pipes out. I have the rest to take out sometime soon, maybe sooner now i know how heavy it all is!!!
04-05-2009, 10:13 AM
#158
Drifting
No I haven't done a guide for this one but it's pretty straight forward. I started at the front and worked my way backwards. Remove everything you see on your way! But there are some issues:
1 The connections into the evaporator. You need to remove the firewall to reach those bolts if you want to come as close as possible. Have a look and you'll see what I mean.This means you have to remove the fuse box which sits in the firewall.
2 You have to remove the left door sill/side skirt becuase the pipes runs through the sill. This means you need some new clips because some will break when you remove it.
3 If you really want to do it nice and clean you also need to cut of half of the big alu bracket that holds the compressor. This is what it looks like on cars without A/C. The problem is that you have to remove it from the car to be able to cut it off, and to do this you have to remove the crank pulley because the bracket is locked behind the pulley (a very stupid design). The pulley bolt is tightened to 235 Nm so you should use some proper tools for this. I managed to borrow the factory tools from a workshop. If you want to keep the bracket as it is, then just skip Step 3.
So aside from step 1 and 2 it's an easy job but it's a bit tight in some places so be patient!
1 The connections into the evaporator. You need to remove the firewall to reach those bolts if you want to come as close as possible. Have a look and you'll see what I mean.This means you have to remove the fuse box which sits in the firewall.
2 You have to remove the left door sill/side skirt becuase the pipes runs through the sill. This means you need some new clips because some will break when you remove it.
3 If you really want to do it nice and clean you also need to cut of half of the big alu bracket that holds the compressor. This is what it looks like on cars without A/C. The problem is that you have to remove it from the car to be able to cut it off, and to do this you have to remove the crank pulley because the bracket is locked behind the pulley (a very stupid design). The pulley bolt is tightened to 235 Nm so you should use some proper tools for this. I managed to borrow the factory tools from a workshop. If you want to keep the bracket as it is, then just skip Step 3.
So aside from step 1 and 2 it's an easy job but it's a bit tight in some places so be patient!
04-05-2009, 10:46 AM
#159
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thanks Thomas, so there are no issues with removing the compressor? I dont need to get the system de-gassed or anything? Same with the condenser and fan etc?
I can literally un-bolt and remove? (DIY novice!).
I can literally un-bolt and remove? (DIY novice!).
04-05-2009, 01:54 PM
#160
Drifting
ooops, sorry! should have mentioned that but I thought it was obvious. You have to empty the system before you unplugg anything!
When it's empty you can just undo everything you want safely :-)
When it's empty you can just undo everything you want safely :-)
04-15-2009, 10:40 AM
#161
Race Car
Mark J, sorry, saw your question via Blackberry, was travelling...I have the PC925T from Odyssey...you can go 10lbs lighter but I've seen people pulling their hair out when it's hot and they need their car to start at the track...and they left their traqmate/video system running and it was just enough to kick the battery's **** so the car won't start. 
