The back seats are seriously heavy so unless you carry passengers in the back really often, I would consider removing them and refitting as and when needed. Only takes a couple of minutes. Mine haven't been in mine for a LONG time now.

I've been considering removing my rear seats for a while, does it make any difference to the handling having so much weight at the front and not alot at the rear?

Thanks

It will increase lift off over steer i guess.

Taking out the seats and spare looses over 60kg from the Furbies fat rear end. Handling wise it reduces understeer a little and makes the back end a little twitchier

How often do you open the rear windows? Couldn't you remove the mechanism and fix them in place or is the mechanism light anyway?.

Could you then move a rear winder to the front or is it completely different?

You could replace just the rear windows with perspex (to aid in fixing them as well) like you said and fix that in place? Couldn't you also use one piece and remove the rear door quarter-light then?.. would look good too Would a bit of tint film hide the fact it's perspex?

Just brain storming

Use polycarbonte windows instead of perspex. Perpsex is too brittle and you will find polycarbonate is the norm these days as its got a much better impact strength and not much more expensive, haven't seen any sets for a Fabia though.

As previously mentioned there is a lot of weight to be saved in sound deadening (much more than you would expect) and if you do the whole car this has the benefit of removing weight over the whole floor pan. Redistributing the weight is something importnat to keep in mind whilst removing things.

It depends how hardcore you want to go. Remove the carpets and sound deadening completely and just have mats? You could replace the windows (doors and the tailgate) with polycarbonate which in turn would enable you to remove the window mechanisms from all four doors (since the polycarb windows would be fixed). Go a step further and remove all the central locking and also the door trim - maybe replace with a carbon one? This list goes on and on.

If you want to keep most of the creature comforts then the places I would look at would be a fibreglass bonnet and tailgate combo (sprayed to match the car) as its much cheaper than carbon. The panels will be from moulds though so they may not be a perfect fit and again, I haven't seen any for a Fabia yet.

Someone mentioned previously about unsprung weight and if you can lower this then its very benefitial. Look at lighter brakes (two piece discs and lightweight billet calipers) and wheels (Team Dynamic Pro Race or magnesium ones) - if you can afford it!! Not really 'cheap' as you wanted :(

Taking out the seats and spare looses over 60kg from the Furbies fat rear end. Handling wise it reduces understeer a little and makes the back end a little twitchier

Sounds like fun for a track day

remove the arial!

replace the lights with stickers like in nascar

replace the steeringwheel with a racing one!

no seatbelts!

no wingmirrors!

no rear view mirror!

no parcelshelf!

no bonnet! show off that pd130!

no undertray

replace airbox with pair of tights!

remove the 5th wheelnut from each wheel!

just remove every other bolt in the car. that would save lots of weight! just maksure the one left in has some locktight

no undertray

I know this is meant as a joke but;

what areodynamic differnece would removing this have? How is it likely to affect speed, handling and fuel consumption due to drag?

I'm one of the few that I know of that has done the carbon bonnet thing. Weight difference is staggering! Also, removing my A/C has gone which has saved loads, mainly in the A/C pump and the rad. Battery in the boot does help with the lift off oversteer thing, and I also do keep a 14" steel with narrow tyre in the boot... Just in case.

I like to think, in terms of where the weight is in my car, and where it has been lost, make's it pretty much the best set-up of most fabias out there.

I hear Briskoda Stickers are worth 30BHP each....

I hear Briskoda Stickers are worth 30BHP each....

So that's where my extra 60hp has come from.

So that's where my extra 60hp has come from.

you've been rumbled - the mongrel is all a con!!! :thumbdwn:

here we are thinking theres a massive turbo, water/meth, and all the other gubbins and all you've done is slap a few stickers on

Right, sorry to drag this up, but Im on a mission.

Ive done some lightning and getting rid of some drag resistance in in the pipeline too.

Also, ive had a bit of a trim. (just had my toncels out, things I do for speed hey?).

Ive been trying to find somewhere that sells Carbon bonnets, or Fiberglass. I know someone on here has got one, cant remember who.

Does anyone have any ideas where to get one? And maby a boot lid?

Or does anyone know where I could get them made up? and a rough price?

Dave

Edit:

Found this http://www.2fastconcepts.com/product_info.php?products_id=12660&language=en

but dont want the grill covered. Just a standard bonnet.

Dave

Edited 16 March, 200917 yr by Lofty86

If it's any help I've made some basic models in FloWorks to see where the Fabia makes the most drag and frontal pressure.

do tell more/show etc

The drag I was thinking of is the rear bumper acting like a parashoot. Thought about a defuser.

FloWorks? not tryed that, will investagate further.

Would be nice to see some results/photos?

Dave

I'll re-render some tonight, I also have a nice model of a Polo.

Fabia model has vanished but the polo is a very similar shape.

Hello

Just remove anything that will not make your care unsafe or road legal.

Why not sell the car and buy a faster one, saves time and money ???

Ian. 21/03/2009

Out of mine so far.....

• Parcel Shelf
  
• Rear Seats
  
• Carpets throughout
  
• All floor sound deadening
  
• Tailgate Trim
  
• Rear door cards
  
• Centre console (ashtray, cog lighter etc)
  
• Gear kn0b gaiter
  
• Rear Seatbels and anchor points
  
• Spare wheel and toolkit
  
• Interior sill trim
  

Next will be front door cards and whatever else I can find

Out of mine so far.....

• Parcel Shelf
  
• Rear Seats
  
• Carpets throughout
  
• All floor sound deadening
  
• Tailgate Trim
  
• Rear door cards
  
• Centre console (ashtray, cog lighter etc)
  
• Gear kn0b gaiter
  
• Rear Seatbels and anchor points
  
• Spare wheel and toolkit
  
• Interior sill trim
  

Next will be front door cards and whatever else I can find

Pretty much what I also have taken out, did you take out all the dash or just the centre consol? Looked at the air con? That weights abit too!

What about speakers front/rear and HU?

I thought about weighing everything that comes out, just out of cureiosity.

Will be taking out my sound deading soon, as its suprisingly heavy.

Ive worked out the power to weight, and its not pretty chaps...

HP per Ton = 98.86 bhp

Torque per Ton = 275.34 Nm

= 174.14 lb-ft

Need to loose 320ish Kg to get it to the official power outputs of the fabia vRS engine. haha.

Buying a faster car for me is not only cheating, but not do-able, as I do alot of miles, so weight shed would help for handling and mpg.

Dave

Pretty much what I also have taken out, did you take out all the dash or just the centre consol? Looked at the air con? That weights abit too!

What about speakers front/rear and HU?

Just centre console. Speakers and HU still in as I cannot be without music on my daily drive

I suspect next will be glove box and rear window mechanisms if I can sort a way to fix 'em shut then possibly rear wiper assembly..........

....Or buy a Caterham

fill the tyres with helium, then she will float