killerkane wrote: The 370z was lighter than the 350z by a few hundred pounds if I remember right, it's a trend I like to see!
How i wish that were true. Curb weight was about 100lb difference, but scale weight says that a base 370z is heavier than a base 350z.
donalson wrote: I seem to recall the body panels of the 80's Japanese cars being so thin you could bend em with a good sneeze... good for weight... not good for door dings and people leaning on your car :-/ but lighter weight + modern engine = good
Lol! That was my ex girlfriend when she decided to lean her 5' 96lbs frame on my old beater 85 civic SI. She was like "oh my god! i'm so sorry I dented you car! I'm so sorry I'm so fat!"
The R56 MINI is slightly lighter than the R50/53 version. Not by a lot (under 100 lbs difference), but still bucks the typical BMW trend.
mmosbey wrote:
That's not a Nova. It's a Corolla with a Chevy badge. My ex, who very much liked her '71 Nova, used to call these 80s versions the Chevyota Novarolla. 
And the Mustang II is a Pinto. And the LeMans is a Daewoo. So I don't really consider these examples of models becoming lighter. They're badge engineered to look like they are.
Different story with the more modern examples. I'm all in favor of adding lightness.
The third-gen RX7 (I think that's an FD for the platform nerds) was lighter than the previous model from what I recall. I don't think the extra weight of the NC Miata is all in the wheels and brakes, it's a physically bigger car. It does make much better use of the metal in the structure, however, it's a much stiffer platform. We'll see what the next generation looks like.
Asking for a new car to be lighter than the old one is like expecting a new version of Windows to be more efficient than the old one...
KATYB wrote: well a zx2 had airbags and pretty much all the same stuff.....
Two airbags vs seven plus the added crash protection. My point really was that in 11 years, the car didn't gain weight as has been the normal practice in the past.
Keith wrote: Asking for a new car to be lighter than the old one is like expecting a new version of Windows to be more efficient than the old one...
Vista to Win 7. BOOM! 
HiTempguy wrote:Keith wrote: Asking for a new car to be lighter than the old one is like expecting a new version of Windows to be more efficient than the old one...Vista to Win 7. BOOM!
WINNING!
miata 2350 versus 2410 60 lbs from wheels and brakes that are significantly bigger ya ill buy it.... and if using the zx2 as an example. then compare to focus since thats the same class car. the fiesta is a replacement for well the fiesta and aspire.
bravenrace wrote:novaderrik wrote: i bet they are making them lighter because lighter = less material used to build the cars = less material costs per car, which means they can still build to the same price point without losing any profit margin.Usually it ends up costing more to make a car lighter.
in the short term, yes.. but spread the costs out over several model years and apply lessons learned across all the different vehicles they make, and it starts to become cheaper for them. they figure out the costs over time and build the vehicle to a certain price point.
I know I mention the LS400 a lot, but the 2nd gen LS400 was bigger, more powerful, and lighter than the 1st gen! It went from about 3760 lbs to 3650 lbs, gained about 6" in wheelbase and rear leg seat room, and added 30hp or so.
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