REMOVING BACK SEAT

[otterhere]

Does this actually improve mileage?

[BEEF]

That one is very debatable.

Generally speaking, if you reduce weight, you get better mileage. The question would better be "Is it noticeable?".

Many times, our driving style and traffic conditions cause so much noise (fluctuation) in the mileage figure that you may not see the difference in mileage tank to tank. In theory, yes, you should get better mileage with lower weight. In reality, it may be only a tenth (or a few tenths) MPG difference.

I would personally keep the back seat for flexibility in passenger capacity and give up the small savings in MPG for that. There are other things you can do to improve mileage that won't affect seating capacity and will probably give you better gains in MPG as well.

I have been a member of gassavers.org for about 5-6 years now. It is a good site for MPG type questions and there is a lot of information there.

[otterhere]

I was sold on the idea since I never use it, but the mechanic talked me out of it, saying it would be negligible in terms of the total weight of the car...

Thx!

[tk-421]

Every little bit helps. And this is not exactly a little bit. :wink:

Sure, it may not make a noticeable difference under certain driving conditions, but at least you have a fighting chance of getting better MPG figures if that's what you're aiming for. The less weight, the better potential mileage. Period.

BTW, having reduced weight also helps when braking and accelerating, particularly on smaller engines. So I would do it just based on that metric alone.

[BEEF]

I didn't think the back seat actually weighed that much. I think there is a significant weight difference between the solid bench vs the 60/40 split seat.

if you absolutely never use it, then yea, take it out. you can always put it back if you're not comfortable with it. just a few bolts.

[ilikerice]

I took mine out a couple times when I ran SMF instead of STF at autocross. I will say that mother forker is heavy as monkey balls. I have the 40/60 bench and each side was a pain in the anus to take out. Bolts wise, it was easy, but trying to pull it out at the awkward angle and its weight was aggervating.

[xbr3akd0wnx]

Honestly, for me, when I removed the backseats, I felt that my car started off a bit faster when I pressed the gas. Also, when I came to a red light, I felt that I was able to break with a more firm grip. I don't know.

It was just t3h feelz.

[otterhere]

However slight the difference, getting that weight out has to help SOME, and it may also give me more room back there for loading the bike, kayak, dog crate, luggage, etc. What do people do with the HOLE that's left; any ideas for inserting a storage compartment there? Thank you for the replies, all...

[CTScott]

However slight the difference, getting that weight out has to help SOME, and it may also give me more room back there for loading the bike, kayak, dog crate, luggage, etc. What do people do with the HOLE that's left; any ideas for inserting a storage compartment there? Thank you for the replies, all...

There's a thread where someone built a nice flat floor. The easiest way to do so is to work off the lower frame from a rear bench (which weighs nothing).

[WeeYari]

This rear bench conversion project has got to be the most ambitious of them all

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=984

and the most recent one

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38925

[padre1964]

I removed it on my 09 hatch and didn't notice any mpg improvement but i sure noticed an increase in noise level. So i built this platform (see link below ) which was really nice but probably weighed as much or more than the seat i removed. Have just left the seat in my 2012 hatch i own now.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosbypadre/sets/72157625137084085/

[Golddeenoh]

the biggest gain from removing the seat will be road noise. the interstate drown was so bad that 20 minute trips would give me head aches.

[Bluevitz-rs]

I removed the entire backrest portion of my back seat in my '05 including the cross beam that bolts to the floor and the buckles for the seatbelt. Total was about 40lbs. I left the bottom in to keep the floor flat and that part only weight maybe 4-5lbs. It's just foam. It also keeps the car a lot quieter. It does make a noticeable difference in acceleration and without the hump for the seat being folded over, lets me get more stuff in the back easier.

[JimKellyfan]

Yeah, I thought about it because I have projects at lowes/home depot and buy wood here and there, but also have a dog. But, road noise and actual seat weight and handiness to have has made me leave em in. I just gotta buy a truck too, for the 4x8 sheets. I can fit 8 foot lumber in, no problem with current factory set up....road noise has to be awful with em out...another thing was weight distribution, we need to have weight in the back for balance.....BMW did this for a very long time with most cars being 50/50 weight distribution. I know ours isn't, but I wonder what it is...newer mustangs tried to emulate bmw weights too.better handling.....I say, leave em in...nice mods when done though, did look...thx...

[roxy1]

bumping this to see if anyone has done the following on a 2012+ yaris. it looks to me that if one put the cargo shelf in the lowest position (probably need to take the spare out), then remove ONLy the backrest portion of the back seat, you would have a pretty flat/flush situation and gain a good amount of cargo space.

if no one has done it, I may ive it a try.

[Septembersrain]

I've considered doing this myself but not so sure if it'll really help gas mileage.

[Bluevitz-rs]

I've considered doing this myself but not so sure if it'll really help gas mileage.

It depends on your driving. If you do a lot of start and stop, then yes, less weight will help you get more MPG. If all you do is drive on the freeway/highway, then aero mods and speed play a larger roll.