J.Tan

I've updated the first post to reflect the current state of the car.
Current curb weight of the car with 3/8 tank of fuel is 3018lbs.

Hello fellow 997 owners. I've owned my Arctic Silver 2006 C2 since late February, 2020. I'm been slowly modding it to be a lightweight fun street car.
I've posted some stuffs here and there on the 997 forum and I've been asked a few times about the things I've done to it. So I figured that I might as well start a thread.

Mods with weight savings:
rear seat, user manual, tools removal - 33.8 lbs
gutted trunk and amplifier removal - 14 lbs
rear subwoofer removal - 14.4 lbs
radio delete - 5.3 lbs
draining washer fluid (left enough fluid to prevent low fluid warning light) - 6 lbs
MRG titanium wheel studs kit - 2 lbs
Fortune Auto coilovers (weight saving mainly from front struts) - 8 lbs
MoMo Mod 07 steering wheel - 3 lbs
Antigravity 30Ah lithium battery - 43.6 lbs
Recaro Pole Position ABE seats - 51.8 lbs
Bumperette delete - 2.125 lbs
Augment Wheel Company forged magnesium wheels - 35.6 lbs
Rear side speakers removal - 1 lbs
glove box CD holder removal - 0.5 lbs
passenger airbag removal - 7.25 lbs

Mods that added weight:
Third radiator - 13.4 lbs

The total weight removed as of September, 2021 is 214.975 lbs.


Here's the link to the Google doc spreadsheet that covers all the things I've done to the car with some more details. There's more that I've done to the car than what's listed above.It was more for personal record keeping but I have no issue sharing it.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...-ew/edit#gid=0

I not only put in the pricing of the items, but also link to the product page and or page number in the workshop manual to perform the job. There's also a weight saving $/lbs column to show how effective the mod is in terms of money spent.

And if you have any weight saving ideas that you want to share with people. Feel free to do so in this thread too. I'm always open to ideas. Although the 996 CLR project that I was following pretty much covers all the possible weight saving options without completely gutting the interior of the car.

Here are some photos of my car.

slowslowcar

you could remove that lip for free and .5lbs

DesmoSD

That's a very cool interior shot. Dig the seats and steering wheel. You've dropped a lot of weight but have one of the heaviest wheels available for the 997. lol What's next to get removed? OEM Porsche lightweight windows?

Front 8.5x19 is: 24 lbs and 2 oz.
Rear 10x19 is: 26 lbs and 13 oz.

KJR50

Rear bumperett delete, ~5lbs.

J.Tan

Thanks for your advise. I actually added that lip. I'm willing to trade some added weight to make the car more suited to my taste.

Yes, I'm fully aware how heavy the wheels are. They are around 106.75 lbs for all four wheels based on the information I gathered. AWC magnesium wheels should save around 45 lbs. I thought about polycarbonate rear and rear side windows but decided against it for now.

Yes bumperett delete is planned. Although the weight saving is more around 2.2 lbs based on people that have done it. I won't mind it being 5 lbs though.

Aclmin

You’re ok with 10” rear wheels? That’s all Augment offer in magnesium (in 19”)

Great thread!

J.Tan

Thanks! I've talked to AWC's owner Dan. 19x11 is not an issue.

southbay

Do you still have an audio hookup without the radio? If not, did you remove the speakers? Carbon fiber hood? I’m sure the GT3 guys have ideas for weight reduction.

Aclmin

Interesting - I called them last year and they said it was not an option. That’s good news, and probably something they should update on their site.

jamesinger

I like how the frunk looks gutted!

andino

CF rear decklid will save you some 20ish lbs as well. Could be a similar for a fiberglass decklid. Could save more if you're going ducktail vs gt3 style

J.Tan

I do not have a audio hookup. I was planning on getting the door speakers, rear side speakers and rear seat belts removed. But there's so much plastic trims and mounting tabs involved. I don't feel like risk breaking them and possible introduce more rattles or squeaks in the cabin. Carbon fiber hood is not very effective for 997 as the stock aluminum hood is already pretty light. It's 18.7 lbs for the aluminum hood vs 14.3 lbs for the carbon fiber one. The weight saving is too small for the cost.

I hope Dan didn't miss the wheel specs I sent when he said he could do it. I also have Titan 7 T-S7 as a backup option. They do a 997 narrowbody specific fitment.

I like it way more than the cheap looking plastic trims. It also frees up some more volume in the frunk too.

A ducktail is planned but it's very low priority due to poor dollar per lb saved value. I also quite like the wingless look.

msequence

Neat thread and cool breakdown with $/lb. saved. I plan to do a few complimentary weight savings mods as I start on the car in the spring so this thread is neat. How does the car feel with the removed weight? Noticible difference? Do you hit HPDE's with it at all?

Petza914

Very cool.

When you need new front brakes, get a 2-piece rotor setup and the aluminum hats will save you some weight over the iron hubs. Might be able to do the same in the rear. Ideally, you'd go to a full PCCB setup and save a ton of weight while improving the braking, but that's a high-dollar spend close to 5 figures for a full PCCB setup with the rotors and calipers.

I have a set of very light, forged Champion rs171 wheels with usable tires for sale in a NB fitment that's an 11.5" wide rear so you can run a 305 or even wider tire. They've even a couple pounds lighter than my current Forgelines. Had them on my GT silver 997 so you can see what they'd look like on your car too. Custom polished and clear powdercoated for zero maintenance to maintain the shine. $4,250 shipped.

benznotmercedes

Glad you decided to make a thread! When my battery died last week I noticed the Porsche OEM battery is 59lbs per Rennlist. I replaced with a NAPA Legend which weighs 46.5lbs. So that's a 12 and change pound savings you can do whenever you need a battery anyway. I think sticker on those things is $169 and they're good batteries.