The '99 WS-6 that Dave Shotz drove to 2nd place at nationals last year weighed 3460 lbs without driver (530 lbs more than Bob Tunnell's car). In a lengthy cross examination I had with him, he concluded he could lose maybe 50 lbs from the car.

Here's the reader's digest condensed version of that discussion.

Dave Shotz: I had the A/C in the Car, and ran a Full Tank, battery was relocated to the rear (where the Spare Tire was originally located). The problem is the only place to take off weight is from the front... and after the A/C... there is nothing left to remove. You need the weight on the rear to plant the tires.

Jeff Winchell:- Take out the radio, speakers, wiring, and antenna.
Dave Shotz: My car was a 1LE... so it did have a radio, but with the minimum 4 speakers. So maybe 15lbs when all said and done.

Jeff Winchell: Convert from power doors (locks, windows, mirrors) to the manual versions.
Dave Shotz: my car was a 1LE, no power anything!

Jeff Winchell: Find a way to drive my car on nearly no gas vs the full tank
DS: this will save weight, but take from the area needed!

Jeff Winchell: Performance Distributors sells a 13.5 lb battery, which is about a 20 lb savings.
Dave Shotz: once relocated to the rear, it is where you want the wieght.

Jeff Winchell: Change the front seats for racing seats. Tunnell's weigh 13 lbs
Dave Shotz: I did that with the Drivers side seat, the passenger had no power anything, and only weighed 23 lbs... so that is 10 lbs heavier than a race seat, no a big deal.

Jeff Winchell: FMS sells a light-weight starter, but that may be stock on my car.
Dave Shotz: GM, has a small starter with the LS1 motor.

Jeff Winchell: I heard that SuperTrapp mufflers are alot lighter than stock mufflers and tail pipes.
Dave Shotz: weight from where you need it, however, I only ran a single 3" exhaust... so I doubt I could get any lighter.

Jeff Winchell: the foglights and attaching harware and harnesses.
Dave Shotz: Fogs don't even weigh a pound on the Late mode F-Body's.

Jeff Winchell: Which hood is lighter?
Dave Shotz: WS-6 Hood is lightest made, composite from the factory, so no savings there.

Dave Shotz: The Challenge you have when you reduce my rear weight by almost 150 lbs...is now I cannot accelerate as early out of the turns. Auto-X, is carrying speed... and with a car that is that nose heavy, you will never make it up in the little bit of straightline acceleration. Look at what cars are winning Jeff... Not the HP cars... it is the cars that are very well balanced. You can try to get down to their weight, but then you completely upset the balance of your car. Balance to me, is more important than weight. The weight differences you are talking are at the most .2 at a 1/4 mile dragstrip... where you are going in a straight line, and lifting on and off the throttle. In an auto-x the car must handle, and unfortunately for a live axle car, that also means, be able to put down the power. With that weight split your car would be loose under braking, and either push horribly out of a turn, or have wheel spin.

Jeff Winchell: I thought you could get this back through spring rate changes, weight jacking, tuning sway bars, shocks, panhard rods,etc
Dave Shotz: Sure... you would have to lift your front end about 40 inches to get the weight transfer right! (Joke intended ;-)

If you cannot take weight off the nose (legally) you are wasting your time. That is the only way you will be able to handle as well as the Bimmers.