Who has stripped their car, removing absolutely everything possible including the rear seats, spare tire, trunk upholstery, etc., in an attempt to get better mileage? What has been your result?

 

Huh?
With all due respect...if someone wants to get great mileage they should consider car pooling, taking mass transit, riding a bike, jogging or staying home.
Other ways to improve mileage, put it in neutral and push it, start at the top of a mountain and let it coast down to the bottom, on a windy day open the doors and let them act like sails. Call AAA and have them tow the car (the truck's mileage wont be great, but yours will!)
Sorry for the sarcasm.
One more tip...buy a ticket on the auto-train. You get on in Virginia and use no fuel until you get to Orlando, Fl.

 

Hmmm....spend 30K , then shred the car.

I guess if I had that much coin to spend, I could car less about the $$ on gas.

 

OK first time poster. More stuff like this and you'll possibly get labeled a troll.

 

Wow, maybe I should leave the group then if I'm just going to immediately be the subject of pot shots.

I was asking a serious question, about weight reduction and fuel economy which I did not think would raise alarms on this board. I do not think removing items from the trunk like the spare tire and carpeting is outlandish.

Maybe I should look for another board that is more tolerant to open discussion.

 

Weight affects mileage, but removing the rear seats? Driving without a spare? Removing trunk upholstery, that's got to weigh 15 pounds, at best (I can lose 20 by going on a diet).
Who will do that in the name of improved mileage?
If you want a stripped down car to improve mileage, the Prius, with less bells and whistles is a smaller car that might make more sense.

 

OK fair enough. You can be the first and report your findings. I'd be curious how much "value" you throw away to save (how much?) in fuel cost savings. Gut feeling is you'd save more just getting a loaded Prius and leaving it stock.

How about filling the trunk and passenger cabin with helium filled airbags. That would reduce the weight (but not it's mass) and save you mucho buckos?

 

It is an easy experiment. Drive a tank with a 100 pound weight in the trunk and see how much the weight reduces your mileage. Then weigh the items you are intending to remove and calculate the potential savings.

 

Actually I visualize what a TCH would look like as a NASCAR Race Car. Gutted with just a rollcage.
A NASCAR TCH? Oxymoron?
Maybe it would have some advantage if it didn't have to pit for fuel the entire race?

 

The new TCH shows to be 100 pounds lighter than the earlier models. The Corolla is down by 100 pounds including the Ford Focus. I'm sure there are others but I have not looked.

Lighter is a little quicker and best of all saves gas. It will be interesting with these high gas prices to see what the auto manufactures plans are.