How can i make my 325i lighter?

[BM-DUB07]

I just bought my first bmw ever, a 1995 black 325i sedan, and i would like to cut some body fat off that bad boy, but im not sure where to start! I would also like to introduce myself because i am new to this forum and to BMW's in general, so hi im justin and i hope to learn a lot from the pros!

I have a few other questions, i need a new dash is there anyplace to find good ones? what would anyone suggest for my first upgrades?

 

[MrElussive]

Hey, welcome to the forum and congrats on the new car!

There are lots of options to lose weight, depends on what you want to compromise, how far you want to go, and your budget. Your use of the car also depends on what you can and cannot do.

Here are a few suggestions:
Purchase a new lighter/smaller car battery.
Lose the spare tire and replace it with a small air compressor and temporary tire patch kit.
Replace body panels with carbon fiber panels, such as hood and/or trunk.
Remove the back seats.
Purchase a set of light-weight wheels.
Purchase a lighter-weight aftermarket exhaust system.
Finally, go on a diet.

These are just some ideas off the top of my head. I personally wouldn't take some of these steps to reduce the weight of my own car and I know some of them might seem ridiculous, but they are all certainly options.

 

[Kirby]

Emile's suggestions are right on, depending on how seriously you want to lighten it. Beyond that, you get into "race prep" area, which you may not want to do on a street car!
- Remove carpet
- Remove all floor and trunk padding
- Remove inner door panels
- Remove all trunk liner materials
- Remove windows (haha)

This is what you see in a race prepped car and will drop another 75 - 125 lbs, but it will be a noisy ride. I doubt you want to go this far.

 

[B M W]

Besides removing stuff you can replace your front seats with lightweight racing seats.

By far, the best aid in weight reduction you can do is go with lighter wheels. They are upsprung weight and removing weight from them is similar to removing 10 times as much sprung weight!