joatmon wrote:You can try
http://www.car-part.com/ to search nearby junkyards for a replacement hood.
haven't heard much about them here lately, but there was a time when some were looking at carbon fiber hoods A google search for Pontiac Vibe carbon fiber hood turns up some pictures and some sites that might still be selling them. There are also some aftermarket ram air/hood scoop hoods for Vibes out there, would need to be painted. Non-metal hoods probably need hood pins. Don't imagine weight savings from going to a non-metal hood would affect performance in these cars.
There are also some places that sell cheap plastic tape on fake air scoops, can't imagine anyone getting those.
Going to have to completely disagree on the performance aspects. Our stock hoods are incredibly heavy for what they are. Besides, you should consider weight savings over multiple objects removed or replaced instead of wondering how much little weight removing one cig lighter will save
.
Given it's fwd, any weight you can remove from the front end is incredibly important to improving the handling of your vehicle and absolutely noticeable. Remove the hood, relocate a smaller battery to the back, remove a/c equip, etc. It all depends on how much you're willing to do. When I removed my back seats, spare and all the lower compartments (I still have all the plastics in the back and sides, etc.) and added it all up, it was just a smidge over 130lbs. Let me tell you in a car relatively light and with a tiny engine, you do notice when the weight of an entire person has been added or removed. I wish I could recall the weight saving from the hood and battery, but it's surprising. It all quickly adds up and in a torqueless car that's relatively light, it is, once again, absolutely noticeable.
Hell, one day when I no longer need this as a fun daily, the sunroof and all the crap that goes with it along with it, will be gone. Count that rear hatch being sold, too. Adds sooo much weight. And it's all up top, too. Gotta get the CoG down.