A lighter S13 fuel tank?

[speed_demon]

I'm curious to know if there are any commonly used O.E style fuel tanks to replace the factory steel tank in an S13?

I have noticed that many newer vehicles have plastic fuel tanks, which one would think to be considerably lighter than their steel counterparts.

A 10 gallon plastic tank to bolt in as a replacement would be sweet. Maybe something out of a miata might work? Replacing the spare tire indent with a flat sheet is not a problem.

Or are there any fuel cells available that could be modified to be safely used as a replacement?

[speed_demon]

Bump. Any anecdotal evidence or thoughts on this?

I know a fuel tank swap isn't exactly practical, but I am curious nonetheless.

[Robertftw]

Best bet would be fuel cell.

[Def]

This would probably be pretty hard, as almost ALL cars after the S13 era used mid-mounted saddle tanks. Nissan was honestly pretty late on the game on that one.

[brn12345]

I am also looking for a smaller and lighter oem fuel tank for the s13. I am currently looking and some of the honda tanks to see if i can fit them. Would be awesome if somone finds a smalle lighter oem replacement.

[knate]

I've never had the factory tank off, anyone know what it weighs? I thought a fuel cell would weigh about the same.

[Matt93SE]

fuel cells have much thicker steel walls than the OEM tank. the only way you'll get a lighter tank is to go to a smaller one that uses less metal. the stock S13 tank isn't that heavy, all things considered.

if you mount a cell, you'll have to go to something like a 5 gal one and make all of your cover panels and such out of thin aluminum to be close to the weight of the stocker. and then you'll have to open your trunk to put gas in it every time.

[speed_demon]

Light weight "poly" fuel cells are available. And I have seen some well made pro-street style cars that kept the O.E style fuel filler with a cell.

It all depends on how much money and time you are willing to spend. A well done setup isn't going to be cheap, and it isn't something you can do in the driveway over night.

But a drop in smaller/lighter replacement tank could be done easily, and as long as you keep your head about you it could be just as safe and functional as the stock unit.

Just my 2 cents.

[Def]

Just from feel the stock S13 tank is about 25-35 lbs. Plastic tanks are way lighter.

[Matt93SE]

Plastic tank may be, but then you have to securely mount it, stick a pump in it, cover it, and plumb it.
you're not goign to save that much weight when you're done.

[Def]

Plastic tank may be, but then you have to securely mount it, stick a pump in it, cover it, and plumb it.
you're not goign to save that much weight when you're done.

Well the whole point of this thread is a lighter stock replacement to the stock S13 tank.


Just saying, tank to tank, the stock metal tank is heavier than it looks compared to say the later S14 tanks which are probably lighter even though they hold more fuel.

[Biggie™]

Most sanctioning bodies wont allow the cheap plastic cells. And the expensive ones will need to be recertified every 5 years. Your best bet is to look into weight reduction in other areas.

[knate]

I can't find what they weigh, but I see you can get aluminum fuel cells. Summit Racing even has their name on some.

Edit: ATL publishes weights, and for their 'BANTAM' lightweight cells a 17 gallon weighs 20 lbs and an 8 gallon weighs 10 lbs. 17 gallon is about $1800.

JAZ doesn't publish a weight, but you can get their plastic fuel cells SFI rated (for an additional $50) and the cells are in the $200-300 range.