Take out the backseats?

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evboy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2015
Messages
198
If I wanted to take out the backseats and make my sparke a 2 seater go cart, how much would this entail. I would store the seats in plastic and put them back in if i ever sold the car. what kind of gains would I get in range and speed.
 
No measurable gains in either range or speed. You would only be removing 50-75 lbs. from the car.
Taking out the back seats would also let in quite a bit of road noise.
 
If it really did reduce the vehicle's weight by as much as 75 lbs and that weight was taken primarily off the rear it could reduce the 0-60 by almost 0.2 seconds for two reasons, lighter vehicle (by ~2.4%) and a slightly higher percentage (by ~2%) of the vehicles weight being over the driving wheels.
 
I wouldn't bet on that calculation - .2 sec is a lot, and 40 lbs. is probably closer to the Spark's seats anyway.
 
http://mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3656&p=14221#p14221

Taking out the back seats and all the junk in the trunk that isn't required (tire pump, level 1 charger, foam support, carpet, etc.) will cut about 70 pounds. It does result in noticeably better acceleration and increased road noise. I built a flat floor for the rear, which added about 20 pounds back (so about 50 pounds weight reduction), but made the rear space much more useful and appreciated by the dog.

http://mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3656&start=60

Bryce
 
Nashco said:
http://mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3656&p=14221#p14221

Taking out the back seats and all the junk in the trunk that isn't required (tire pump, level 1 charger, foam support, carpet, etc.) will cut about 70 pounds. It does result in noticeably better acceleration and increased road noise. I built a flat floor for the rear, which added about 20 pounds back (so about 50 pounds weight reduction), but made the rear space much more useful and appreciated by the dog.

http://mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3656&start=60

Bryce
i have no interest in taking out carpet foam or anything that will increase road noise. If i just took out the rear seats and left the rest would that still increase the road noise, and how hard is it to take just the seats out. the charger isnt in my car. that thing was heavy and pointless to be in the car. what would a body shop charge me to take out the seats.
 
Be warned this weight reduction strategy doesn't always yield good results. I applied this method to my 'racing snail' and surgically removed his shell to make him go faster, but if anything I've made him more sluggish.
 
PhilPen said:
Be warned this weight reduction strategy doesn't always yield good results. I applied this method to my 'racing snail' and surgically removed his shell to make him go faster, but if anything I've made him more sluggish.
To the punitentiary with you! :lol:
 
Fold the rear seats down and the noise increase is obvious, basically the same as removing them. Try that to see if you can tolerate the sound. The seat backs remove in a few seconds once you figure out the process. You have to tilt the seat down, push the seat back towards the outside of the car, and lift the pin out of the slot next to the door. Very difficult to explain, easy to see when you do it. The seat bottom isn't worth the hassle to remove for weight only, it's a pain and only about 10 pounds.

SparkE said:
What is "noticeably better acceleration" ? (specs, please)

10-60 mph acceleration reduced by > 0 % and < 3 %, +/- 1%.

Bryce
 
Nashco said:
SparkE said:
What is "noticeably better acceleration" ? (specs, please)

10-60 mph acceleration reduced by > 0 % and < 3 %, +/- 1%.

Bryce

The Spark EV has a 0-60 time of 7.6 seconds. 1% of that is 0.076 seconds. 3% would be 0.208 seconds. Personally, I wouldn't spend any time on mods to make my car accelerate to 60 only .2 seconds faster, especially if it made the car noisier.
 
SparkE said:
Nashco said:
SparkE said:
What is "noticeably better acceleration" ? (specs, please)

10-60 mph acceleration reduced by > 0 % and < 3 %, +/- 1%.

Bryce

The Spark EV has a 0-60 time of 7.6 seconds. 1% of that is 0.076 seconds. 3% would be 0.208 seconds. Personally, I wouldn't spend any time on mods to make my car accelerate to 60 only .2 seconds faster, especially if it made the car noisier.

I was being a wiseass. I didn't measure it. I race and hot rod many of my cars. If you add up a few small improvements in performance, it adds up to a big change that absolutely improves the driving experience...for me.

My "noisy" Spark EV is quieter than any ICE car I've ever owned. ;)

Bryce
 
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