80 Weight Loss Ideas

[SierraMtns]

Sub. Happy Easter everyone.

 

[jvazquez53]

x3...not much you can do to worsen or improve the mileage on these tanks.

The 80 is a "special application vehicle" intended for "other than daily commute".

Part time kit would help, but $$$...shedding those 315's for the stock 275/70's would save 200 lbs in rubber alone, but who wants to do that?

Here's my original sticker. Note the city and highway mileage ratings.

And that's the BEST it ever got!!

Yikes! Now that I see the sticker, mine is not too bad. With the big tires/wheels, suspension, bumper and desmoged, I'm getting 9.6 MPG, driving @ 60 mph.

 

[JCruse]

We thought we were on track to save 500 lbs of weight by cutting, removing doors and hatch. By the time we added back a roll cage, diamond plate bed, sliders, tube doors, bumpers, 315's, etc, we were right back to stock weight or more. We get about 8 mpg running up and down hwy 50. Now that it is winter, we will put back on the doors and hatch to add more weight! L.B.

You should put the windows back on. Keeping them rolled up saves gas.












.

 

[PKP80]

If you are cutting weight to gain MPG as it has already been said, you REALLY have to drop 1000+ lbs and I don't know how you do that while keeping the 80 a nice, neat, DD. NOW, if you are talking about cutting weight b/c you want to wheel your rig then if you ask me every pound removed counts as well as centering your weight distribution. Here is what I've done thus far:

- Cut out and removed rocker panels
- Cut out roof
- Cut out from C-Pillar back (Quart. windows, rearr hatch)
- Remove tailgate
- Remove AC unit, condenser, pump, and all lines
- Remove ABS
- Remove all brackets, bolts, parts (rear tire), etc. that are no longer in use (you'd be amazed at how much you save)
- Remove rear seats (obviously 3rd row was long gone)
- Remove all carpet and fabric
- Cut out all front inner fenders
- Cut Rear Frame 6" to tuck the bumper
- Cut front Frame 4" to tuck the bumper
- Relocate Dual batteries to inside the cab behind the center console
- Removed Numerous wires, cables, etc. not being used.

If I remember my numbers correctly, with ALL of the above, I had slimmed down by ~975lbs, but 40"tires, armor, roll cage, etc. added most of it back. My ideal loaded weight for the 80 once I am done (what ever that means, lol) is between 5000-5500lbs.
Cheers

 

[wspastorbryan]

The problem with bobs to is they aren't going to drop much weight if you are just welding hatch back on and keeping the tailgate. Plus when you do that, you don't get to sell your parts to pay for the new materials. Mine is losing some major pounds. The sunroof is gone, door panels and motors are out. Soon to go are the hatch, tailgate, and a lot of glass and metal. I should be adding a couple hundred pounds in tube, but that shouldn't be that big a deal with how much is going.

 

[jvazquez53]

These are 6000 pound bricks, in order to loose a good amount of weight, you have to get rid of the body and make one out of tubes ( a bit extreme). Like the window sticker shows, these are not fuel efficient vehicles. Replacing the full time 4WD will give you probably 1-2 MPG if you don't mind spend $700 plus labor.

 

[Orangeanger]

These are 6000 pound bricks, in order to loose a good amount of weight, you have to get rid of the body and make one out of tubes ( a bit extreme). Like the window sticker shows, these are not fuel efficient vehicles. Replacing the full time 4WD will give you probably 1-2 MPG if you don't mind send $700 plus labor.

Agree.. Or just chop it up and make it a fugly pickup

 

[jvazquez53]

Find a shop that makes Funny Cars bodies, that will chop some weight off. Another option convert to diesel, $$$ but you will get awesome fuel efficiency. Some people say that a small block V8 will improve fuel efficiency.

 

[dsycks]

Just read through all of this as I am digging into all of the things I would like to consider doing to gain performance.

Weight is without question the enemy. Every pound you save is one that your tires don't have to find traction to support. Any of that weight you save means less wear, more reliability, better performance overall.

But the game of getting weight out can also go to far. These trucks are incredible in stock for but they just won't be as light as a Cherokee and thats ok.

 

[SpenserAK]

As mentioned earlier in the thread, any realistic weight savings from the little things you can afford to remove are completely negligible. And if you are in a position where you need ultimate traction for whatever reason, I can’t imagine you are driving around in a stock rig in the first place. It all seems like a totally moot point. To me, it’s the same concept as someone installing a part-time kit just to save money on gas. The reality is, these things one does for a virtually unmeasurable gain actually cost more than doing nothing, over the life of the vehicle.

Some of the things people are removing are so light they may as well not exist either way. If one believes a vehicle/80 is that sensitive, take a leak & a crap before you drive. Wear lighter/less clothes. Lose weight. Don’t keep your wiper fluid full. Etc...

If it’s not about saving gas, but purely performance, swap the engine/etc. Removing seats - or whatever - isn’t gonna do it. I have no rear seats... truck drives the same and isn’t better on gas. Sometimes I’m a little loaded - hardly a change. Only time I feel a real difference is towing my 18ft boat.

Keep your lubricants & parts up to date so it’s healthy and reliable, but that’s also how you’ll get your best mileage, along with driving habits. Build the truck (or don’t) for your use, and just keep it healthy. Unless you have a problem that’s causing it to eat extra gas, just run it as-is and be happy if you’re in the normal range for an 80.... which is low.

 

[dsycks]

"As mentioned earlier in the thread, any realistic weight savings from the little things you can afford to remove are completely negligible.. The reality is, these things one does for a virtually unmeasurable gain actually cost more than doing nothing, over the life of the vehicle."

Out of curiosity, have you modified your rig? Or any other car? Ever? I ask this because you raise a valid point. There are VERY few modifications that are actually universally beneficial. This is likely more true today than at about any time in automotive history as systems and designs are getting more and more sophisticated and focused. As such I agree.

But then again you are wrong. Perfect should never be the enemy of good. In addition, what is valid or good for you is likely not the same as what is valid or good for me. Even more importantly we may have very different specific uses and design goals based upon any number of individual desires or whims. Right?

As such, I am not sure why you are so seemingly fired up to shout down this topic. For me, I am motivated to seek the input of people who have more information than I about what works for this chassis for specific applications. Part of that is knowing where the dead weight is at. Literally. If its not there and this truck is doomed to be 5000# that is fine. If it can be 4500#, that is a significant improvement.

So what is possible to remove easily? What is possible to remove with effort but does not hard performance of function? And lastly, what are folks doing to get more biblical?

 

[SpenserAK]

Hey, we’ll said. I also agree with you. I’m not fired up at all, but understand that it could appear that way via text. Yes, I have modified - not in an extreme fashion, though. And you are spot on with this, which says it all - “what is valid or good for you is likely not the same as what is valid or good for me. Even more importantly we may have very different specific uses and design goals based upon any number of individual desires or whims.” - that said, I was more specifically referring to some of the folks who are removing things very unnecessarily... tiny things whose weight is simply irrelevant.

 

[jvazquez53]

People want to lose weight on their rigs and ironically these are some things they do: swap the OEM tires/wheels with significantly larger and heavier, replace the OEM bumpers with aftermarket ones, add a winch. I have all of those on my two trucks and since I knew that 4x4 vehicles in the Land Cruiser category are NOT fuel efficient , I went and did the changes and fuel economy was not a major concern. Not adding these or removing those factory items, will do any significant change. At the end of the day, they still will be gas guzzlers.

 

[SNLC]

Ultra light weight build my buddy started back in 2014.

Builds - The M-80: A Ultra 4-Stock Class-Go Fast Build

Land Cruisers are in my blood, and so is desert racing, combine the two and you get the M-80, A 1993 FZJ80 Go Fast Build. I am going to build a FZJ80 to race the Every Man Challenge for Ultra 4 racing series. For those of you who are unfamiliar the website it is located here...

forum.ih8mud.com

Cheers

 

[mudgudgeon]

Wear lighter/less clothes.

I always remove my clothes, throw them in the backseat, and drive my 80 nekkid.

Mileage is so much better!!

 

[BILT4ME]

I always remove my clothes, throw them in the backseat, and drive my 80 nekkid.

Mileage is so much better!!

Do you do the Swimmer's Shave beforehand so you're more aerodynamic?

 

[mudgudgeon]

Do you do the Swimmer's Shave beforehand so you're more aerodynamic?

Yeah, shaving gets a another mpg or so.
And tucking gets another mpg. Gotta keep the bar work down and out of the wind.

 

[Outsane]

I have been thinking about replacing the sunroof and motor with a piece of acrylic and seal with a latch to open like a tank.

I never use the sun roof..

 

[Azca]

I have been thinking about replacing the sunroof and motor with a piece of acrylic and seal with a latch to open like a tank.

I never use the sun roof..

I removed mine when I started my refit and my first thought was damn, this thing is heavy. Thinking of welding sheet steel over it and painting the rig. I really do not use it much and removing that much weight (relatively) from as high as it is on the body, is intriguing. I am not worried about shaving weight after everything I have or am adding but most of that weight is pretty low.

Anyway, the hatch has merit. It will cure wind noise and leaks that develop over time. It also would be a hell of a lot cheaper than painting the whole rig. Keep us updated on this if you choose to produce these.

 

[dsycks]

I have been thinking about replacing the sunroof and motor with a piece of acrylic and seal with a latch to open like a tank.

I never use the sun roof..

We do this on endurance racing cars. As an example, most BMWs have come with sun roofs for decades and the resulting weight and loss of head room is a big pain.

There are a few ways to do it but its so popular and common any more that the plugs are now mass produced.