Neat 'trick' to boost power & mpg - for free!

[Basil]

Thanks to Dave (Shifty) for persuading me to try this out - removing the rear seats.

I've been put off in the past because I thought it would be a hassle to do and yield very little difference.

Took all of 5 minutes, first time. They weigh a ton.

Car feels lighter, tail is lighter but nicely so, and I really like the marked improvement of acoustics (I have rear parcel shelf speakers and a subwoofer in the boot). Left the carpet in and it looks quite nice. Carpet-covered shelf to toss stuff onto.

To remove in 5 mins flat all you need is a flatblade screwdriver:

lift up the front of the seats, tilt fwd, unclip by hand, remove.

fold the seatbacks fwd, look near the door edges you'll see a tiny spring-loaded clip - push it backwards with the screwdriver. Lift up the seatback and then pull outwards. POC.

Add to this removing the spare tyre and keeping a can of puncture repair and you're all set.

If you're usually alone in the car or with SWMBO only, makes sense to do I think...

Bas

[devonutopia]

Not had back seats in my car for AAAAAGES.

[BoilingPoint]

Bit drastic if you ask me. What's the point of 4 doors if your not going to use them.

[jonnycatbiscuit]

I tried it - my kids bounced all over the place and almost broke the back windows with their heads...

[dxg]

It gets better when you also remove the carpets and sound matting so you can listen to all the crud bouncing off the underside of the car along with the whine of the fuel pump. Don't ask me how I know...

[Basil]

I tried it - my kids bounced all over the place and almost broke the back windows with their heads...

Most people would agree that by removing the rear seats you aren't intending to have anyone at all in the rear - least of all children.:eek:

Anyway - put this up in case it is of interest for anyone who doesnt know about it.

[devonutopia]

No back seats makes carrying the golf clubs a lot easier Just chuck 'em in from the boot forwards - no worries. Same with shopping, although that's generally not thrown.

As I'm usually the only one driving my car it seems pointless carrying 5 seats, and the convenience of having a "van" style boot is ace. Also, the rear doors can still be used for access - just not for passengers unless I rebolt the seats in (oh, and the seatbelt buckles that I also took out last time )

[ultra_joel88]

I tried this but the net in the boot wasnt sufficient to hold down the baby.

[Chris GB]

Bit drastic if you ask me. What's the point of 4 doors if your not going to use them.

Just weld the rear doors up for shell rigidity improvements:D

Chris

[Babs]

I tried this but the net in the boot wasnt sufficient to hold down the baby.

:rofl::rofl:

[piggeh]

How much of an improvement does it make to economy? 5%? 10%? 50mpg+ every journey? Never have rear passengers, so could be an idea. Could maybe even 'pimp' it and put a goldfish tank in the back or something

[devonutopia]

How much of an improvement does it make to economy? 5%? 10%? 50mpg+ every journey? Never have rear passengers, so could be an idea. Could maybe even 'pimp' it and put a goldfish tank in the back or something

We're talking about 1 or 2% at most. It's just a weight saving thing, and the two bits you lean back on weigh a lot! Around 25kg the pair I think. The bits you actually sit on are featherweight in comparison though.

[piggeh]

I remember reading some article a while back on various economy gains from driving differently, tyre pressures etc (most were supposedly 3-5%). Would have thought removing rear seats would have made a bigger difference. 2% meh, I might try it for a week as it would give me a chance to give the seats a clean, and can check out what difference it makes.

['daiking']

If saving 25kg of mass yields noticable economy improvements I really need to go on a diet.

[devonutopia]

I remember reading somewhere that losing 10kg gives you an extra 1hp per ton, or something like that. So lose the rear seats and that's 2 hp per ton gained.

[sms]

you could take out the passenger seat, spare wheel, carpet, trim too!!

[jonnycatbiscuit]

you could take out the passenger seat, spare wheel, carpet, trim too!!

you could drive your car by remote control, thus savig the weight of the driver completely!

[chris_newell41]

you have made the centre of gravity that bit closer to the front of the car..for me it's the wrong way.

[ultra_joel88]

Or you could just buy a motorbike and retain the main attraction of a car - practicality.

[Joff]

Doesn't boost power, only performance :P

I've never been a fan of a stripped out interior for a daily drive - have always thought that if weight is that much of an issue then I should be losing it off my own **** rather than the cars

Good tip though for those that don't need the stuff in the back!

[devonutopia]

Just had a thought - if I've taken the seatbelt buckles out, why the f*** have I left the actual seatbelt units in?

Will be unbolting those later on to add to the buckles (in a box )

[spankyvr]

I tried it - my kids bounced all over the place and almost broke the back windows with their heads...

:):)

[devonutopia]

After looking decided not to remove the seatbelt units from the back. Bit of a pain as I'd need to remove the black plastic bits the rear speakers go in to, and the unbolt, unclip the seatbelt unit. Just decided to not bother in the end.

[viewer]

Ace. I'll try this as mostly I have the seats folded to carry junk anyway. Thanks.