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Thread: DIY: Removing the rear seats (turn your Mirage into a mini cargo van)

  1. #21
    I'd think you'd have to find JUST the right person to be able to re-sell a cargo-ized Mirage down the road.

    I'd try to hang on to the seats, etc, so you can put it back together. You can advertise how clean they are.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  2. #22
    Senior Member MightyMirageMpg's Avatar
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    Little FYI

    If you take the seats out you can hear the fuel pump whine and i found it really unbearable. Also road noise and any pebble rolling around on the tin floor is amplified.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by bzacon View Post
    Awesome info guys, Definitely thinking about doing this, just not sure where to store the seats or if they're even worth keeping. I wonder how a cargo van conversion would affect resale value of the car down the road...
    Also, anyone want to bounce ideas for a cargo cage? I carry a lot of tools in my mirage and don't want them killing me in the back of the head if I were to get in an accident. This car has serious potential as a miniature service van.
    definitely keep them. someone out there will want to buy them. If you lived in my town I would even consider making an offer on them. My Rottweiler has not been kind to my rear seats
    2014 White SE with CVT

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by bzacon View Post
    Awesome info guys, Definitely thinking about doing this, just not sure where to store the seats or if they're even worth keeping. I wonder how a cargo van conversion would affect resale value of the car down the road...
    Also, anyone want to bounce ideas for a cargo cage? I carry a lot of tools in my mirage and don't want them killing me in the back of the head if I were to get in an accident. This car has serious potential as a miniature service van.
    I might be looking into something to stop stuff from flying around in an accident. Has anyone tried a cargo net or divider in these cars? I wonder how something like this https://www.amazon.com/Walky-Adjusta...PVEVKXA146GEN8 would work. Looks like you wouldn't be able to adjust seat once it's installed. This https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZBSGJZ...&pd_rd_w=nHKrj might work better?
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  5. #25
    Senior Member MightyMirageMpg's Avatar
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    I wouldn't trust anything That's not welded or bolted in an accident. Maybe a well secured (non bungee) cargo net. It SHOULD be on my mod list too, honestly

  6. #26
    Senior Member Cani Lupine's Avatar
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    So I ended up pulling out my seat backs, and they weigh about 34 pounds (larger one 23, smaller one 11). Not sure how much the bottom weighs yet, left that one in.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 49.2 mpg (US) ... 20.9 km/L ... 4.8 L/100 km ... 59.1 mpg (Imp)


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  8. #27
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    I never use my back seats. Ever. And for competition, the class I'm in does allow removal of the rear seats. I'd love to do it and save about 50 pounds. But, I don't want my car to sound like a "race car". I don't even like driving around with the rear cargo cover out because it adds so much road noise!

    So, how much weight am I going to add back in by making the rear cargo area flat/usable/attractive, and sound deadening? I'd guess at least 20 pounds. Which brings the weight savings down to maybe 30 pounds. Still worth doing, I guess. 1.5% of the weight of the car is the same as 1.5% more horsepower. Hard to pass that up, especially when it's free or near free.

    I'll have to give this some more thought.

    Of course, the other problem is that I really don't have a good place to store the seats if I remove them. I guess I could wrap them in plastic and stuff them up in the attic...
    Simplify and add lightness.

  9. #28
    Know what? I recently gutted my 2000 Metro (down to the sheetmetal) behind the front seat. I did this even after reading more than a few accounts of how unbearably loud it makes the inside of the car (call me stubborn).

    I also did it for performance reasons! (MPG performance ... every ounce counts!)

    1) They were right. It was annoyingly loud.

    2) What surprised me is: I got used to it.

    Either that or my hearing has been irreperably damaged, so I no longer notice.

    The upside? Riding in any other car -- eg. my friend's 10 year-old Kia Rio -- now feels like pure luxury!

    I think I would revert to stock if not for the facts that:

    1) I rarely drive on gravel roads. (That would be super noisy);

    2) I rarely drive on the freeway, so don't often go over 55 mph (meaning wind noise isn't horrid).

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Loren (06-04-2018)

  11. #29
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    We gutted the FASTiva behind the rear seats and put a crazy stiff suspension on it. It wasn't "unbearable", but it was louder than I'd want to drive around every day. Really, I guess I could live with it. But, my wife wouldn't ride in it!
    Simplify and add lightness.

  12. #30
    I solved that problem by removing the passenger seat, too.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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