How heavy are they and would you save any weight by going to lexan instead of glass? Is a lexan rear window still street legal? If you were to do so would it be a good idea to relocate some weight to the back of the car to get a better weight balance? Just looking at diet ideas.

Thanks

Bill

 

I don't know about the street legal part, but, if you want a demonstration of how heavy those things are just disconnect the struts that hold it up, that thing weighs a TON. (don't let it fall on you). I would think that maybe a battery relocation would help with weight distribution if you change the hatch to lexan.

 

I still run a glass rear hatch mainly because I still need to open it to access the fuel cell and batteries. If you convert to Lexan you'll have a few disadvantages.

1. Loss of weight over the rear. Third gens are very nose heavy. Although you'll have a good weight reduction, it's at the wrong end. You want to have a weight balance close to 50/50.

2. Loss of access to the rear. Lexan isn't the same as glass. Since there's no framework around the window, when you convert to Lexan you won't be able to open the rear hatch since the Lexan needs to be secured to the body.

The actual weight savings is only half the total weight. A windshield is 20 pounds and one made from Lexan is only 10.

You could shave off a few pounds by using a fiberglass trunk lid. How "street legal" do you want to keep the car? There's lots of ways to remove weight but most people are reluctant to take off safety related parts.

 

I plan to keep this car street legal. What that means I have to keep the emmisions equipment (to bad though) and I don't want to remove safty braces from the car. I will pull the AC, power steering, etc....

I should be getting some cash flow in the next few months I am not opposed to replacing things with lighter equivelants. What accessories can be replaced? Starter? water pump? what else

Thanks for the information so far.

Bill

 

I was putting something in my trunk, the hatch shocks decided to crap out, and the glass smashed me in the back of the head. Ouchy

 

Yeah, I've had it fall on my back.

 

Yeah, one of my shocks pupped off one time when I had my arm in there. Damn think knocked me on the ground and bruised up my entire upper arm. Hurt like a bitch!

 

A fiberglass hood and moving the batt. to the rear is a better step in the right direction. lose weight in the front and move it to the rear. till you got a 50/50 49/51

 

Yeah you want to loose weight in the front first........then the back.......

 

Lexan is the stuff used to make the headlight assemblies on most modern cars. Is more resistant to shattering than glass, but when exposed to the sun's uv radiation it becomes a brownish yellow color with many hairline cracks.

 

When I first got the car the shocks were dead, but they worked if you threw the hatch all the way up when it was really hot outside, but only for a little while. I was connecting some wires in the back and bam, it fell right on me.

Leave that thing back there for now unless you've lost a lot of weight upfront.

 

I think the hatch weighs 75 pounds. I know it is less than 100.
I changed mine twice.