...by driving with my 130 lb subwoofer box in the trunk? The beast has 2 15" woofers in it, and is 2.0 cubic foot per side. I could probably save .2 down the 1/4 mile if I lost that box. It really puts much weight on the rear of the car, away from the drive wheels. Ontop of that, I can't get to the spare tire, so I really dont know why I even carry one (it is extra weight!) Also makes the rear of the car sit kinda low. I'm going up to the track this friday most likely, and I was thinking about taking it out, but that would be a pain in the ***, cause I got amps and wires underneath. You might ask why I have it... its worth the bass and attention :-)

 

No more than hauling around your girlfriend, just think of putting an extra person in the car.

 

I have heard that 100 lbs amounts to about 1/10th of a second in your quarter mile times.

 

This "rule of thumb" applies more to musclecars that are making big hp and huge torque. The Maxima (compared to musclecars) doesn't make much tq or hp, therefore added weight is more of a factor. A 130lb subbox and 50lbs for a spare and jack will probably take .3-.4 off your et and about 2mph from your trap speeds. For reference, running on 45lb 17" wheels vs running on 39lb 15" stockers made for a difference of .4 of a second and 2.5mph under the same conditions. Just something to think about.

Dave

 

I also dont know how accurate those "rules of thumbs" are either. There are simply too many variables, even the positioning of the weight in the car. If my sub box was where my center console was, it wouldn't affect traction as much as it does being in the trunk. So it is not like carrying another passenger in the vehicle. And yes, I prefer my girl friends to be 130 lbs or less :-) The trunk is probably the worst place for these subs on a front wheel drive car, it really adds to that front/rear weight transfer on take off.

I am probably going to remove the spare and take my chances. After all, I cannot get to it anyway without taking out the back seat of my car, and loosing the sub box in the middle of the road. Carry a can of fix a flat and a cell phone. I might take the sub box out, just to see what my car does run. I might be in the upper 14s now, as I hit 15.1 last time without Y pipe or ram air shopvac intake and with that subwoofer box.

I wonder if there is alternative to the box I have now. Don't get me wrong, I love my 2 15" woofers, but that extremely heavy box has just gotta go. The rear of my car (stock springs and struts so far) is really starting to sag down from them. I broke in a pair of intrax springs (higher in the rear) on my old camry in no time with that sub box.

As for the tires, tires and rims are considered unsprung weight, as they are not supported by the car's suspension. Unsprung weight is harder to overcome then supported weight.