# How to lose weight



## IcedECO (Jan 17, 2011)

Hi all, longtime member from being an original 2011 Cruze owner and just this week bought a 2018 hatchback. I've been scouring the internet but haven't been able to find much. Are there any ways to reduce the weight of the vehicle? This is a commuter car for me and rarely will have my family in it though the need may arise so I need to keep it legal and safe for four passengers so removing seats is out (if that's even legal). Anything I can do to shed some weight?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Empty the hatch area, including the spare tire (if it has one) and associated equipment.

Personally I don't think it's worth the effort. My 2012 ECO MT didn't show any reduction in MPG (city and highway) when I added the 30 lbs for the spare tire.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

obermd said:


> Personally I don't think it's worth the effort.


^ This.

Holding steady speed, most of the fuel burned is overcoming drag (which is independent of weight). 

Fuel consumption spikes when accelerating, and when climbing hills. So avoiding jack-rabbit starts will probably save way more gas than any weight reductions.

As for climbing hills, you get back some of the uphill fuel burned when coming down the other side.

As for removing weight, I'd much prefer to have a spare tire than trying to save 2 bucks of gas on a cross-country run.

Doug

.


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## IcedECO (Jan 17, 2011)

I'm with both of you that I'd rather leave the spare tire in the car. It MIGHT save a couple pennies a month at best to take it out. Just wondering if anyone knew of anything that could be done. My internet searches haven't turned much of anything up so I'm guessing there's not much I can do. Bummer.


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## TheNightFallsGray98 (Aug 4, 2020)

IcedECO said:


> I'm with both of you that I'd rather leave the spare tire in the car. It MIGHT save a couple pennies a month at best to take it out. Just wondering if anyone knew of anything that could be done. My internet searches haven't turned much of anything up so I'm guessing there's not much I can do. Bummer.


Have you thought about wheels that weigh less? I don’t know which wheels you have, but some of the styles weigh 25-28 lbs. Or you could go a different route. If you can’t reduce weight, you could always increase power.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

Yes. Stop eating. Come back when you get your g tube.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Yep. Go on a diet.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Wheels and tires can make an appreciable difference, when it's time for tires look at weights, a tire that's 3, 4 or 5 lbs lighter will result in better fuel economy and typically s nicer ride. Your hatch is already lighter than your Gen1 though if you got a 1.4 hatch. Probably 200lbs lighter.


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## Zero2Cool (Aug 11, 2020)

Snipesy said:


> Yes. Stop eating. Come back when you get your g tube.


Reading the title I was thinking maybe ya should hit up 'CycleTalk' or 'RunTalk' if you're trying to lose weight. 

As for my car losing weight, I just kick out all passengers. Kids are young, they can walk!


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## yt400pmd (Apr 29, 2017)

Look at drag racers and motorcycle racers for inspiration! 

Remove speakers and associated wiring
Remove door panels
Light weight rims
Light weight tires
Light weight lug nuts
Only run enough fuel to get you to where you are going
Run oil 1/2 quart to 1 quart low
Use under drive pulleys
Use a 4 rib belt instead of a 5 rib belt
Drum brakes in the rear

Remove carpet and sound deadening
Remove the electric motors for the Windows 
Replace glass with Lexan or sheet metal
Gun drill the half shafts 
Belly pan


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Don't run low on oil, it only holds 4L to begin with.


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## Iamantman (Sep 24, 2018)

Yeah I mean what yt400 said is all accurate but if you want a daily driver most of that is immediately off the table. Those are race car tricks.

I'd look at light weight wheels which would probably be your biggest gain and remove the spare and grab a can of fix a flat. Mechanics everywhere will hate you when they need to remove that tire filled with goop, but you'll save 50 pounds in one fell swoop by removing the spare, jack, and foam.

The issue you'll run into shopping for good quality light weight wheels and tires is that they're incredibly expensive so it might take years of fill ups to get that savings back.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Removing the belly pan actually increases your frontal area for air resistance, reducing high fuel economy.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Take the motor and trans out. That's good for at least 1,000 lbs.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> Take the motor and trans out. That's good for at least 1,000 lbs.


Sadly...more like 600lbs max. Not really worth the trouble 













LOL


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Ma v e n said:


> Sadly...more like 600lbs max. Not really worth the trouble
> 
> Cars weigh 4,000 ish pounds.
> 
> ...


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Lighter wheels and low rolling resistance tires if not already equipped. Anything else really is not worth it for a daily driver to save gas.


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## Shroomie (Jan 16, 2017)

IcedECO said:


> Hi all, longtime member from being an original 2011 Cruze owner and just this week bought a 2018 hatchback. I've been scouring the internet but haven't been able to find much. Are there any ways to reduce the weight of the vehicle? This is a commuter car for me and rarely will have my family in it though the need may arise so I need to keep it legal and safe for four passengers so removing seats is out (if that's even legal). Anything I can do to shed some weight?


Buy a Cruze diesel, probably the best commuter car money can buy


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

It depends on your commute also. 

When I first got my cruze. I was averaging 34. Work was 7 miles one way.

At the beginning of the year I moved in to an apartment. Waiting for my house to be built. The commute jumped to 9.5 miles. Average jumped to 36.

Now I'm in my house. 27 miles. Started at 41. Non ethanol bumped it up to 42. New air filter and we're 42.4 so far. Oil is almost due. I don't know if I'll continue non ethanol 88 octane or go back to 91.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

Shroomie said:


> Buy a Cruze diesel, probably the best commuter car money can buy


Until it breaks horribly and a crappy mechanic lobotomizes the EGT sensors.


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## Newjo (Aug 21, 2020)

200.000kilometera here.. No problem so far...


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## IcedECO (Jan 17, 2011)

Iamantman said:


> Yeah I mean what yt400 said is all accurate but if you want a daily driver most of that is immediately off the table. Those are race car tricks.
> 
> I'd look at light weight wheels which would probably be your biggest gain and remove the spare and grab a can of fix a flat. Mechanics everywhere will hate you when they need to remove that tire filled with goop, but you'll save 50 pounds in one fell swoop by removing the spare, jack, and foam.
> 
> The issue you'll run into shopping for good quality light weight wheels and tires is that they're incredibly expensive so it might take years of fill ups to get that savings back.


New rims would never pay for themselves with fuel economy savings but as you and Maven suggested, if I were to ever look at new rims/tires, I would just make weight part of the criteria.

Thanks everyone. I had found a carbon fiber hood and decklid for the first gen Cruze (but never got one because they were too expensive for the minimal weight savings). I love my cars being really light and nimble but it seems I'm functionally as light as this will get, and yes, it is about 250 pounds lighter than my first Cruze. Thanks all.


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## TheNightFallsGray98 (Aug 4, 2020)

I forgot to mention this, but there is a hood made out of fiberglass that a company sells for the second gen Cruze. Not sure how much it weighs, but I’m assuming it’s a lot less than what we have now.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

TheNightFallsGray98 said:


> I forgot to mention this, but there is a hood made out of fiberglass that a company sells for the second gen Cruze. Not sure how much it weighs, but I’m assuming it’s a lot less than what we have now.


The gen 2 hood isn’t aluminum already? If so that’s kinda ridiculous since the rest of the GM fleet has aluminum.


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## HBCRUZE2017 (Jan 25, 2018)

keto diet i lost 60lbs on it lol easier than losing 60lbs off your car


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

HBCRUZE2017 said:


> keto diet i lost 60lbs on it lol easier than losing 60lbs off your car


Just poop before the race.

On a serious note anorexia sucks and you never recover fully. Unfortunately I know this personally.


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## HBCRUZE2017 (Jan 25, 2018)

i poop daily and now im carnivore instead of keto nothing but meat cheese eggs and butter


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

HBCRUZE2017 said:


> i poop daily and now im carnivore instead of keto nothing but meat cheese eggs and butter


That sounds tasty...but not the best way to complete nutrition. LOL. I love me some Fogo de Chao though....unlimited meats and cheeses. Haha. People are designed to eat fruit/veggies and grain too....arguably the butter and cheese are the least evolutionarily appropriate foods for us.

I am gluten free unfortunately, but eat however I please otherwise. But tend to like Paleo style stuff. And avoid anything artificial or processed as much as I can.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Quoted myself somehow....LOL


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## HBCRUZE2017 (Jan 25, 2018)

i take alot of vitamins and i workout alot so it works for me just fine!


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

HBCRUZE2017 said:


> i take alot of vitamins and i workout alot so it works for me just fine!


Supplements are key to a meat and dairy diet.


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## Victorysnap (Oct 22, 2019)

My Boy Scout training has me lugging around a trunk full of "counter measures"...including a considerable amount of spare ammo...but I'm getting on average 31 MPG in my '18 Redline RS hatch...the very same average I experienced in my '13 & '15 gas sedans...try driving in L instead of D as I have done since I left the lot last October...I almost never allow the car to shift into 6th gear (overdrive) unless I'm going 50+MPH...always depends on the terrain...allows for placing less strain/torque on the motor...car "breaths" easier...another benefit???...driving in L defeats the awful Auto Stop feature that originally had me reluctant to trade in on a Gen2 Cruze to begin with....


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## radio_davio (Dec 28, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> Take the motor and trans out. That's good for at least 1,000 lbs.


And push the car, you both lose weight!


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