There is the possibility that the weight reduction is allowing him to run the stock drivetrain...but I have a hard time accepting that a 400 lbs. weight reduction would allow him to get an extra 1-1.5 seconds from those weak-ass parts.
It does provide a glimmer of hope for me...Ive been putting my Talon on a diet the past couple days. I pulled all the interior trim from the hatch and scraped all the sound deadening also (no carpet spare or jack either). Pulled the rear seats and panels. I also pulled all the carpet padding and floor sound deadening material from the passenger side and the driver side is soon to follow. My car rides noticeably higher now (a friend even commented about it at the Sat. street races).
Hopefully by dropping a few pounds I can get the stock drivetrain to last a bit longer. Maybe I can manage a 12 on pump gas too...that would be very nice.
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John
90 Talon TSi AWD (2KW K4U)
91 Galant VR-4 (1574/2000)
http://tampabay.dsm.org