Originally Posted by IndyRC_Racer

When running an older or heavier car, you often have to get creative to put the car on a diet. Getting rid of metal hop-up parts that don't really improve performance is usually a good place to start. A good example is getting rid of a motor heat sink and just use a cooling fan blowing directly on the motor.

If you are using a tub chassis shaft drive car and can't reach your target weight, it is a good idea to lighten up the drive-line components. If you can replace the drive shaft or dog bones with a graphite version, that can help the acceleration of the car. If possible, you can also try to lighten the diff with a lighter version. Often gear diffs can be heavier than a ball diff. You might not be able to get the car as light as you want, but if you make the drive line more efficient you might be able to lessen any disadvantage.

There are other areas for weight savings such as bodies, how much paint is used, and choosing a lighter battery. Weight varies a lot between lipo batteries, so don't forget to check the specs before purchasing which should include weight in grams. If all else fails, a good quality shorty lipo might be worth using.

But at the end of the day, have fun running what you got and beating people with newer and/or lighter cars because you drove a better race.