Lightened Yaris

[Palmer812]

Literally drill them out. I think I used a 1/4" drill bit in a cordless drill. You put the drill bit in the center of the weld and drill it until you go through the weld and the floor of the car. Pretty simple.

[Idahotom]

Originally Posted by Palmer812

Literally drill them out. I think I used a 1/4" drill bit in a cordless drill. You put the drill bit in the center of the weld and drill it until you go through the weld and the floor of the car. Pretty simple.

Yes, pretty simple. Just start with a smaller bit and work up until the weld is drilled out. FIRST though stick your head underneath and eyeball what is there and the consequences if you shove that last and longest drill bit too far through the hole. There is plenty of room, but there is "stuff" (some kind of fuel related thing, looks like maybe a fuel vapor recovery box or something, whatever it was I didn't want to mess with it) underneath, just be aware of it before drilling, and you could always use a drill stop, a short piece of metal tubing or whatever so once you drill through the bit can't go any further, simple.

[HTM Yaris]

Weight loss is always good , but try to keep in mind center of gravity . Also by removing the the back seat your car is now more flexible and top heavy . I'm not complaining but just pointing out some safety concerns .

If ya want more weight saving ideas try these .
1. Switch to Braille battery - 20 lbs
2. Remove windshield fluid reservoir -10 lbs
3. Buy wheels that weight less than 11 lbs -15-20 lbs
4. Fill gas tank to halfway mark ( about 5.5 gallons ) -50 lbs
5. Remove front seat -40 lbs ( actually I think it weighs more )
6. Remove passenger side airbags - 10-20 lbs

Another downside to weight removal is that the Yaris has such a large cross section that wind or passing vehicles will greatly affect directional stability .

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by HTM Yaris

Weight loss is always good , but try to keep in mind center of gravity . Also by removing the the back seat your car is now more flexible and top heavy . I'm not complaining but just pointing out some safety concerns .

If ya want more weight saving ideas try these .
1. Switch to Braille battery - 20 lbs
2. Remove windshield fluid reservoir -10 lbs
3. Buy wheels that weight less than 11 lbs -15-20 lbs
4. Fill gas tank to halfway mark ( about 5.5 gallons ) -50 lbs
5. Remove front seat -40 lbs ( actually I think it weighs more )
6. Remove passenger side airbags - 10-20 lbs

Another downside to weight removal is that the Yaris has such a large cross section that wind or passing vehicles will greatly affect directional stability .

Now that's going too far. Side airbags could be the difference between life and death. Not worth saving $2 a year.

Losing the heavy gas seems like the biggest bang for the least sacrifice. People forget how heavy all those gallons of gas weigh.

[why?]

Originally Posted by HTM Yaris

Weight loss is always good , but try to keep in mind center of gravity . Also by removing the the back seat your car is now more flexible and top heavy . I'm not complaining but just pointing out some safety concerns .

If ya want more weight saving ideas try these .
1. Switch to Braille battery - 20 lbs
2. Remove windshield fluid reservoir -10 lbs
3. Buy wheels that weight less than 11 lbs -15-20 lbs
4. Fill gas tank to halfway mark ( about 5.5 gallons ) -50 lbs
5. Remove front seat -40 lbs ( actually I think it weighs more )
6. Remove passenger side airbags - 10-20 lbs

Another downside to weight removal is that the Yaris has such a large cross section that wind or passing vehicles will greatly affect directional stability .

The car weighs enough that you do not have to worry about center of gravity unless you figure out how to drop 1000lbs. A few hundred pounds will only allow the center of gravity creep closer to the driver, which is where you want it.

And removing the passenger side air bag is probably illegal in most states at this point.

Oh and if you are interested in Braille batteries, check out Deka. They make braille batteries, and you can get an off name battery that is identical for 1/3 of the price.

[HTM Yaris]

Let me clarify . The center of gravity I was referring to is in the transverse plane ( up, down ) . All of the mentioned weight removal is below the window line , thus making a top heavy car . A top heavy car with a large cross section on a windy , icy day will not be safe . When considering weight reduction all three planes( coronal , sagital , and transverse) must be taken into consideration .

Also I meant to remove pass. seat . So if you have no pass. seat ...no pass. airbags are needed . I don't know about legality , but I do now that I've never heard of anyone asking to see the airbags when being pulled over .

Thanks for the battery tip

[docB]

What has all of this weight loss done for the ride quality? Everything you mention, save the light wheels is sprung weight. Rotating parts are really good things to put on a diet. I light weight flywheel would cut the pounds and pep up throttle response. Don't forget to loose the plastic engine cover. I did not weigh it, but I like taking wt off of those front wheels.
doc

[why?]

Originally Posted by HTM Yaris

Let me clarify . The center of gravity I was referring to is in the transverse plane ( up, down ) . All of the mentioned weight removal is below the window line , thus making a top heavy car . A top heavy car with a large cross section on a windy , icy day will not be safe . When considering weight reduction all three planes( coronal , sagital , and transverse) must be taken into consideration .

Also I meant to remove pass. seat . So if you have no pass. seat ...no pass. airbags are needed . I don't know about legality , but I do now that I've never heard of anyone asking to see the airbags when being pulled over .

Thanks for the battery tip

i understand, but losing 111lbs does not make the car top heavy. The driver alone probably weighs that much, never mind the engine weighs that much, and the roof simply does not. At some point, yes, you would have to worry about the car being top heavy, but it would have to be a very significant weight loss because the roof simply does not weigh that much.

As for the airbags, in mass if the airbag light is on, the car will not pass inspection. Since the car comes with a passenger airbag, in my state it must be installed or you cannot drive the car on the street.

I'd be shocked if it wasn't the same way in most NE states, and the other states that seem to follow cali in lockstep. It is just worthwhile to check out the laws before doing anything like that to make 100% sure you can do it and still drive the car legally.

Originally Posted by docB

What has all of this weight loss done for the ride quality? Everything you mention, save the light wheels is sprung weight. Rotating parts are really good things to put on a diet. I light weight flywheel would cut the pounds and pep up throttle response. Don't forget to loose the plastic engine cover. I did not weigh it, but I like taking wt off of those front wheels.
doc

I don't think it has hurt ride quality, and it definitely makes the car more fun to drive.

[AGlobalThreat]

Originally Posted by HTM Yaris

2. Remove windshield fluid reservoir

Will there be any error codes or lights from doing this? Any negative side effects?