With my second GX 470 in hand, it was time to remove anything unnecessary in the goal of saving as much weight as possible.
In this episode, I take it to the scales to get a starting weight, then start pulling out the air bag compressor, factory ride controls, 3rd row seats, and all the accompanying hardware (including the seatbelts!). All in, I saved 132.8 pounds. Here’s how it happened…
Why remove weight from my vehicle?
Most overland vehicles are loaded to the gills with the gear we need for off-grid travel. That stuff adds up, and many of our rigs are heavy and probably over their GVWR.
This stresses the suspension, tires, brakes, and more, causing things to wear out faster, reduce gas mileage, and potentially create unsafe situations. So, my goal with this Project GX470 is to upgrade intelligently, making it super capable and reliable, but minimizing weight where possible.
Read our complete guide to GVWR here
The other goal is to integrate components as seamlessly as possible, creating a sleeker, stealthier appearance while still gaining functionality from lights, racks, bumpers, suspension, and more.
I’m keeping a running tally in this Google Sheet if you’d like to see how it all adds up.
How much does a GX 470 weigh?
Starting weight for my 2005 GX 470 with all factory equipment installed, stock rims and tires, and a full tank of gas and 190lb driver was 5,080lbs, as certified on a CAT Scale.
GVWR for the Lexus GX 470 is 6,200lbs, so the stock vehicle with 3rd row seats and everything leaves 1,120lbs for a build-out.
That seems like a lot, but by the time I add bumpers, winch, roof rack, bigger tires, lights, etc…and load it for a weeks-long trip with food, clothing, tools, etc., it’s easy to use up that weight and then some. So, here’s how I cut as much starting weight as possible…
Air Suspension Compressor & Accessories
The air compressor system for a GX 470’s auto-leveling rear suspension has a lot of parts. Mine already had the air bags removed and replaced with coil springs, so I don’t know the weight of those. But the rest of the parts (L to R in photo above) removed were:
- Compressor tank
- Compressor motor
- Mounting bracket
- Leveling sensors
- Cover plate & mounting hardware (bolts, etc.)
- Wiring (explained below)
All of that weighed 17.0 pounds. Removing it also freed up space behind the rear driver’s side tire, inside the bumper, which could potentially be used for something else (small water tank, 3rd party compressor for tire inflation, etc.).
IMPORTANT: This information is for your entertainment only, and any modifications you make to your vehicle based on this information is at your own risk and you are solely responsible for the outcome.
Regarding the wiring, there’s a LOT of it, mostly running through that plastic cable cover (above the coil spring, with red tape on it). Here’s what I removed:
- Power & control wires to compressor
- Air hoses & lines from compressor to air bags
- Power and control wires to rear leveling sensors
- Rear leveling sensors
- Ride control wires to factory shocks (front and rear)
IMPORTANT: These wires run near and alongside wires for your brakes and other critical equipment. I followed the wires very carefully, triple checking, to ensure that I was ONLY cutting things used for the air compressor and leveling system.
Also worth noting that my model year does NOT have auto-leveling headlights, but some later (newer) GX models use the rear leveling sensors to signal the headlights to adjust their aim.
All of the wires use for these combined systems (air compressor, shock control, leveling) ran through this cable bundle with the red tape on it. It runs above the gas tank (left image) and into the vehicle’s interior through a port under the 2nd row seats.
IMPORTANT: Other wires merge with this bundle near the back of the gas tank, and I didn’t want to drop the tank to separate them and risk cutting something I shouldn’t, so I stopped above the rear coil spring:
I peeled back the cable tube, snipped all wires, taped them off to seal them from moisture, then tucked them back into the cable tube and left it clipped into the frame above the spring. This keeps it tucked out of the way.
Not shown here (it’s in the video, though), the front struts had also been replaced with aftermarket units that lack the Sport/Comfort ride controls of the factory shocks. But, they left the small servos that control the compression adjustment knob on the factory shocks dangling near the suspension, so I cut those off and trimmed back as much wire as I could on both sides.
Running Boards
Running board steps are usually the first to go on overland vehicles. They hang low and are likely to get ripped off or heavily damaged the first time they take a hit, and they’re easy to remove.
Couple of notes to make the job easier:
- Remove the mounting brackets from the frame, not the step, and they’ll come off in one piece.
- Tape off the wiring bracket and tuck it into the vehicle’s frame
- You can trim off some of the plastic left under the frame behind the front wheel for a cleaner look
My running boards with all hardware weighed 15.2lbs and 14.6lbs, for a total of 29.8lbs saved.
Third Row Seats & Hardware
Third row seats are another easy one that most overlanders do immediately. Mine weighed in at 29.6lbs and 31.0lbs, for a total weight savings of 60.6 pounds. But there’s more you can do…
Unless you’re adding an aftermarket accessory like Diek’s Wall Boxes, there’s no need to keep the mounting brackets for the seats.
Which means there’s also no need to keep the mounting hardware for those brackets. And if you really want to maximize weight saving and tidy up the rear cargo area, there’s really no need to keep the three seatbelts and their hardware, either.
Fair warning, removing the seatbelt tensioners is a bit difficult and there are more bolts than you think (which is a good thing), but it’s worth the effort:
Seat mounts, seatbelts, and all related hardware totals 11.8 pounds removed.
Other things I removed
While I was back there, I also pulled out the cargo area floor mat (5.4 pounds) and…
…then removed the engine cover plates and related hardware (8.4 pounds) from the engine bay.
Total weight savings:
Total weight savings from removing all unused hardware and parts is 132.8 pounds. That’s equivalent to a small human, or a road trip’s worth of food, water, and clothing.
Most of this stuff was easy, but it took a few hours each for the third-row seat hardware & seatbelts, and for the air compressor system. But those two added up to more than 21% of the total weight savings, so it’s worth it.
But then I added bigger tires…
If you recall the first GX I purchased (My Biggest Mistake, Ep. 0), it came with Toyota SR5 wheels w/ black hubcaps and slightly larger Goodyear A/T tires. These looked way better than stock, so I moved them to this GX.
Stock wheels and tires weighed 61.6 pounds each (246.4 lbs/set), and the A/T wheel & tire combo is 65.2 pounds each (260.8 lbs/set). This added 14.4 pounds back to the vehicle.
Even with this addition, my Payload Capacity increased by 118.4 pounds, giving me 1,238.4 lbs to play with.
Next up: Stereo Upgrades!
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