How light weight can a jimny get on a budget?

Daniel30 wrote:
How about starting with a soft top and strip it all bar the driver seat

You took the words straight out of my [strike]mouth[/strike] fingertips!

Lambert wrote: My Dreadnaught weighs 1160kg, that's without any rear seats and recaro seats in the front. I have calculated in round figures that if I were to really try I could lose another 200kg and still have a relatively comfortable car. Going full race car it might be possible to get another hundred or so retaining the 4x4, going 4x2 would save loads more..

My rigged car is almost 200kg more than Dreadnaught... But the winch is almost half of that increase ofcourse.. and then the 235 mud wheels. And then ofcourse, a heavy stereo system. I absolutely have a easy 100kg for removal if i want.

Where are you able to find another 200kg? Thats a huuge number.

Tow bar. Spare wheel. Stereo. Rear plywood deck. Additional footwell matting/sound deadening. Central locking modules. Electric windows. Air conditioning system. Conversion of rear 3 windows to bonded aluminium panels. That would leave me with a reasonably comfortable car. If you can live with full race car then all internal trims. Front doors gutted and fixed polycarbonate windows. "Speed holes " liberally cut into anything non structural. Full carbon fiber racing seats. Custom drilled forged wheels etc. It's a matter of what you are prepared to put up with when offsetting weight against functionality. Because of what I do with Dreadnaught I have to accept compromises that I wouldn't if it were just a toy car but that doesn't stop me from thinking my car is overweight! :laugh:

If it's a competition car how about a simplified transfer case that only has low range?
It all seems a bit futile when you are carrying a massive winch and presumably some pretty hefty batteries to power it. I'd concentrate on getting the weight as low and central as possible e.g. batteries in the rear footwells.

I guess it depends on your motorsport of choice but I agree with you that keeping the weight low and between the axles is a good place to start. Ooooh front mid engine Jimny! Keep the shell but move the engine and controls further back in the chassis. Squeeee! Anyone got a Jimny they want to donate to be butchered?