Weight Reduction: Removing the Headlight Spray Washer Bottle
Last Updated: 18-08-03

This is where the headlight washer bottle is located.


The washer bottle itself - much larger than I thought it would be!

Reducing the weight of the car is the easiest and cheapest way of making it faster. Of course, removing seats and all the trim is the most obvious way of doing this, but its amazing how much some of the little things can weigh.
For example, the headlight washer bottle. The GTE comes with headlight sprays - a rally type thing which enables you to clean the headlights whilst on the move. This seems a little rediculous for a road car (and many cars have these fitted), and must be there for people who never clean their car.
I removed the sprays when I got the car, and filled and smoothed the holes in the bumper, so this left the reservoir (located in the front left wheel arch) which I emptied.

Now, to remove the whole bottle.
As the reservoirs capacity is 6 litres, taking 1 litre of water to be roughly 1Kg, that is 6Kg, plus I reckon the bottle, pump, metal clamp (holds the bottle in place) and hoses is a further 1Kg at least, so I think this is a weight saving of 7Kg.
Also, this is all located near the front left wheel which bears a hell of a lot of load on roundabouts and right hand bends, so not only am I making the car a little faster in a straight line, it should also handle marginally better and reduce tyre wear (especially shoulder wear) which is very prevalent on the front left tyre.
Of course, doing this alone wont make any major noticeable improvements, but if I also move the battery to the boot and I guess the battery is about 12Kg, then thats 19Kg off the front wheel!!!! - And that is one hell of a difference!

To remove the washer bottle I jacked up the car and removed the wheel, undid the screw at the bottom, the other screw at the top, undo the plug to the pump and manouver the washer bottle off the clamp.

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