I want to lighten up my cooper and am seriously looking into removing the AC, I dont really use it that much just roll down the windows. Does anyone know how much weight can be saved?

 

I belong to a board for late model Chevy trucks ... one guy removed the AC system and only got 30-35 pounds from it. IMO, not enough to warrant it.

 

Unless your planing on drag racing it alot, DON"T DO IT.
If you do make sure you save everything for later when you wish to sell it.

 

For a second, I was going to pull my AC out. But, there is no way in Arizona (hell) I'm gonna do that right now. Maybe when I move back to Salt Lake City. Have fun with that. BTW, 35 lbs. is a good chunk of weight to save but there are other parts I would pull first. That is like the last part I would pull. I.E.- I just bought a Deka EXT14 battery (11lbs instead of 36lbs). There's the weight of the AC unit. We will see how long the batt lasts since I should have gotten the EXT20L version. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Not sure if it's identical to what's in the MCS, but if so, it's been documented (GRM) to be 23 lbs. That much off the front the car is a nice score for those looking to shed weight, and retain balance...

I rarely use mine, and since she soon will be only used in the Fall & Winter months, it's just a matter of time before I do this.

You might want to check-out the Racing forum here as there is an older thread about this topic, with pretty good info. Heck, I think I started it!

 

Whoa, step away from the took kit . . .take a couple of deep breaths and meditate on lighter, forged rims, light weight battery, goint on a diet/exercise regimen, removing rear seat . . ."

 

Not that i'd remove my AC unit (so. cal +wife would kill me), but according to the on board milage estimate, the parasitic drag on your motor with ac on is aproximately 1.5 mpg difference. I think they have it clutched so it doesn't have much much parasitic drag when it is off. With the serpintine belt, you'd have to mount some sort of place holder for the pulley. When it is on, you can safely assume it is robbing hp from your car to operate. Of course driving with the windows down also creates turbulance and drag (probably less of a difference on a car with the aerodynamics of a brick, moreso than other models).

Just thought i'd expand the subject a bit.

 

There's another thread going-on now (I forget where), but the impact through testing is about 7% loss in power, at least on an MCS - 12 or so hp. The weight penalty alone, is about 1.5 hp...

 

Just curious, have you already taken out your back seat to save weight? Isn't that about 50 pounds? The front passenger seat is about 25 pounds, if you don't need that. And do you drive around without the spare tire and tool kit? All this probably adds up to close to 100 pounds. Will this make a noticeable difference? Will it make about as much difference as an exhaust and intake?

 

battery is a great idea. rear seats arent that much. spare aint that much either. keep the gas tank at 1/4 full and remove the windshield washer rservoir, front and rear wipers and motors.....

 

According my notes, the rear seat, with corresponding hardware and belts was like 47 pounds...

 

Don't do it! You also use the a/c compressor to clear the fog off your windows on a rainny day.

 

Thanks for confirming that! I either asked earlier in this thread, or another one and never got definititive answer. I think in the Racing forum...

Maybe lose everything else, but the compressor, if the savings is worth it. It would be nice to have better flow through the radiator...

 

I removed the AC on a Neon I used to race as well as on my Miata. It will affect resale value and it will make defogging the windows easier. I've chosen to live with those "consequences" in the past though. On the Neon I lost 30 lbs (I removed 500 lbs total with the diet I had the Neon on), the Miata was closer to 35 lbs for the AC. I may do it eventually on the Mini, but for now I have to leave it on to be class legal for autocrossing.

You can save close to 20 lbs by using a lighter battery, around 30 lbs with the spare tire, the MyMini exhaust is worth 10 lbs of weight reduction, race seats in front would save at least 40-50 lbs, and lighter wheels another 10-15 lbs.

-Keith

 

Keith, to clarify what you said... Removal of the A/C will make deffogging of the windows easier? Maybe you meant the opposite...

Resale is no concern for me. It's part of the family...

The MINI's battery is 35 lbs. I have a 11 pounder now, so 24 lbs is possible there... Stock 16's with runflats are like 42 pounds each. My current 16x7s and tires weigh a tad less than 30, so about 48 total.

 

Sorry, I didn't proof-read my reply, not having AC makes defogging the windows more difficult in some circumstances. The weight loss figure for wheels was compared to the 12 lb "holey" wheels that come standard on Minis. If the starting point is much heavier 16 lb or 17 lb wheels, than of course the weight savings would be much more than 10-12 lbs total.

-Keith

 

Keith, I sort of thought you meant that. Thank you.

I need to revisit the idea of removing the A/C, or at least a way to surgically remove parts of it, still allowing for defogging abilities...

 

One of the blokes I used to crew for had a factory TRD Celica running in GT. TRD left AC in the car and it saved his butt on many occasions running around in the great wet north (OVR SCCA area primarily), unfogging one's windows can be worth far more than the somewhat meager weight savings in a race...

My .02 cents to support what others already noted.

 

good stuff, this is what i thought when i read the OP

 

Let's see, you'll need the compressor, condenser and tubing. I think that's everything.

 

Eric, I was sort of hoping the condenser could be discarded as I always just thought of it as a heat-exchanger, like the radiator, or IC, etc...

My hunch appears to be right, and that I'll need to keep it. Drat. If I was going to be using this car during the hotter months, then I wouldn't even entertain the idea...

 

Around here a car without AC is considered defective.

 

Actually it is during the hotter months that the AC is most needed for defogging, particularly when it is raining or very humid. When it is cold, turning the heater to defrost typically clears the windshield just fine. If the only reason you're considering not removing the AC is because of ts defogging capabilities, I'd say go ahead and remove it. Real race cars typically don't have it (of course there always exceptions, but they are very few), and people drove cars without AC for decades and lived to tell about it. My daily driver (the Miata) doesn't have AC, and I manage to keep the windshield clear and stay safe to drive.

 

Keith, I appreciate the follow-up. Very interesting...

Here in CA, rain just doesn't happen after May, up through October (Spring & Summer bascially). We just got our first precip in many months a couple weeks back...

When I get fogging next, I'll experiment with the heater's impact on clearing it up! Thank you again.

 

I believe that the factory defrost/defog system automatically switches on the AC whenever you turn the switch to the defrost position. Maybe you could electronically disconnect the AC system (pull a plug somewhere) for a month or two so you are only using the heating system and blower to defog the windshield and see what level of success you have.

Some things that I've found that help an AC-less car defog the windshield:
-never leave the recirculate button on, always pull in outside air
-sometimes leaving the windows cracked a bit helps
-always make sure that the inside of the windshield is very clean
-try full hot or full cold to defog the windshield, depending on the temperature and humidity, sometimes one works better than the other

-Keith