Six pound floormats!!??

[FrugalFloyd]

The 6 lb. floormats may be beneficial in reducing road noise.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Also consider that 6 pounds includes the weight of the box and any packing material, and if a package is 5 lb 1oz it ships for the 6 pound rate. The mats could actually be 3-4 pounds.

[theholycow]

If you wanted to use the low fuel weight loss strategy, here's how it works:
1. Fill only a few gallons at a time
2. Every 5th (or whateverth) time, fill up
3. At that time, add up all the previous small gas receipts to the current fill and divide miles since the last complete fill.

It's not something I've ever bothered with because I haven't had any of the rare vehicles that respond to small (<20%) weight loss. I think my Buick may actually be a candidate but there's probably plenty of other weight removal I can do it first...

As for knee bolsters, plastic bits around the steering column, etc, I can't even begin to guess unless you post photos and diagrams so I know what you removed from where, but I'm not a safety expert; I just know that I've often questioned why some stupid piece exists only to find out later that it does something meaningful for safety. Maybe it directs your knees under and a structural piece up, maybe it braces something laterally, maybe something totally different.

Really, just think logically about weight removal. If something weighs a couple ounces and you don't know why anyone would bother to install it then it may be worth keeping. For mere ounces, wouldn't it be worth going to the bathroom before you leave, or wearing lighter clothes, or losing some of your own body weight?

[trollbait]

I've done the partial fill with Prius by filling it up to 1/2 once a week, and completely filling it once a month. I had notice fuel economy seemed better on the last half of the tank before. I doubt it was the weight reduction. I suspect it was a combination lower column pressure and squeezing from the bladder. When full either/or could have been pushing a little more fuel through the pump than was needed.

[Ms.V.X.]

SentraSE-R...good thought, but that was not the combined shipping weight with box etc., it was JUST the weight of the front and rear floor mats. I do think that they might help reduce road noise a bit, though.

On a similar note, I saw an older Ford pickup today driving around with the bed FULL of firewood and a hand painted sign on the tailgate: "WOOD for SALE" and a phone number. Geez, and we are worried about a few pounds of weight in the trunk affecting FE! Hopefully, he was just out to make a delivery and not driving around like that as a way to advertise...

[Dr. Jerryrigger]

Okay, I guess I should do something about my car soon. If your worried about mats; I should get the 6lbs of pennies out of my ashtray, 14lbs of junk mail, the 80lbs of books, the 30lbs of acorns, the 15lbs of trash, 7lbs of wood scraps, the 23lbs of sand under the seats, 45lbs of tools, and the chainsaw out of my car. I should really do that as a safety thing too... I need to go to the dump tomorrow anyway...
I've never noticed a difference in FE with weight, but I know I drive very gently when I'm sitting in a sea of shifting trash and sharp things.
I like to have stuff with me in the car, for instants I always have some basic tools. Some people take out their spare tire, and rely on AAA if they get a flat. That's just not for me.
Also, remember weight can be your friend in the snow.

[trollbait]

Also, remember weight can be your friend in the snow.

As long as it's in the right place. I wouldn't be surprised the wood hauling truck keeps a load in the bed for that purpose.

Of course there's the extreme opposite. An acquaintance's father, or friend of father, stationed in Alaska. He'd rescue people in stuck 4x4's by riding his old Beetle over the snow instead of through it.

[Ford Man]

On the subject of weight reduction I've noticed on my '88 Escort that it actually gets better mileage on short fills than it does if I run it to empty which is just the opposite of what you would expect. I've checked it both ways several times always having the same results.

The knee guard you were referring to may help protect from some of the metal bracing behind the dash, that is the case with my '88 Escort. There are several sharp pieces of metal underneath it which could leave some pretty nasty cuts or puncture wounds in the event of an accident without in in place.

I could definetly stand some weight reduction in my Escort since I'm hauling around things in it now from where I moved from NC to KY and took things out of my garage in NC to bring to KY but the person I'm getting to build my garage hasn't been able to get out and get started on it yet because the weather has been so cold we are afraid the concrete might freeze and ruin the concrete if we try to pour the floor slab right now. I'd love to see about 2-3 weeks of warm weather so he could get the garage built and I'm also going to have him put a new roof on the house.

[theholycow]

You do have to wait for the foundation, but if he wants to do the roof don't make him wait...roofers starve when it gets cold even though they can do their job (carefully because the shingles are brittle).

[JanGeo]

Interestingly with more weight in my xB I end up coasting further and not loosing speed better then when I am light. For stop and go lighter is always better however.