Weight distribution
Discussion
dsl2 said:
I always set mine up with equal front weights for sprints & hillclimbs use & can't recall getting beaten much!
Same for me, the part of equal front weight, not the other bits.I have LHD with C20XE engine and moved Battery, alternator, Starter (obviously), oilpump, fire extinguisher, sumptank, fuelpump to the RHside of the car to balance it a bit more against the driver.
Edited by harry b on Friday 13th January 22:10
When I say equal fronts to be honest I actually tend to put up to 10 kg more on the drivers side front as I raced a Radical too (winning two championships in two years) with most circuits predominantly turning right, from memory i(ts a few years ago now) the rear weight difference was close on 20kg heavier drivers side with the drivers side front heavier 8 to 10 kg's.
dsl2 said:
When I say equal fronts to be honest I actually tend to put up to 10 kg more on the drivers side front as I raced a Radical too (winning two championships in two years) with most circuits predominantly turning right, from memory i(ts a few years ago now) the rear weight difference was close on 20kg heavier drivers side with the drivers side front heavier 8 to 10 kg's.
OK So it is not possible to have left and right on both front and rear perfectly matched then
So i am on a good path,
I will let you know where my cornering weight will end up
Hi all so here is a little update on my set up
I am aiming for 70-75mm under the sump and 20-25 rake then optimised by even front distribution and the rear as close as possible
All this is easy to achieve but i cannot get the weight off the driver's side.
This is a LHD car.
My current set up without me in (since still testing and adjusting) is :
Front LHS(driver side) 129kg, Front RHS (pax side)126kg
Rear LHS 149, Rear RHS 136kg
Ride height is 135mm front (L&R) and 160Rear (L) 155 Rear (R)
How can i lighten up the Rear LHS and make it lighter than the Rear RHS to compensate my weight when in the car ?
Already the LHS is 13kg heavier than RHS and this is without even me in!
Cheers
May be worth mentioning,
The car has the green antiroll bar in front but not antiroll bar at the rear.
Does that matter?
I am aiming for 70-75mm under the sump and 20-25 rake then optimised by even front distribution and the rear as close as possible
All this is easy to achieve but i cannot get the weight off the driver's side.
This is a LHD car.
My current set up without me in (since still testing and adjusting) is :
Front LHS(driver side) 129kg, Front RHS (pax side)126kg
Rear LHS 149, Rear RHS 136kg
Ride height is 135mm front (L&R) and 160Rear (L) 155 Rear (R)
How can i lighten up the Rear LHS and make it lighter than the Rear RHS to compensate my weight when in the car ?
Already the LHS is 13kg heavier than RHS and this is without even me in!
Cheers
May be worth mentioning,
The car has the green antiroll bar in front but not antiroll bar at the rear.
Does that matter?
Edited by sdio on Saturday 21st January 17:02
The centre of gravity is always the same (unless you move things) so you can not transfer weight to the left or right. It pivots at the C of G, so removing weight from one wheel will also remove weight at the opposite side of the C of G (mainly the diagonally opposite wheel).
In theory, the best balance for grip (cornering) is obtained when the weights are balance across the diagonals . But as has been said, theory is not always best and competition cars that use full brakes (1G plus force) may want to balance the front at the cost of the rear (where the 0.5G traction force is much less than braking).
Edit to add
I can't understand why the front ride heights are equal but not the rear. If you are on a flat floor then they should be the same, or the chassis is bent. If the floor is not flat then 5mm is a big weight and the accuracy of your measurements will be off.
In theory, the best balance for grip (cornering) is obtained when the weights are balance across the diagonals . But as has been said, theory is not always best and competition cars that use full brakes (1G plus force) may want to balance the front at the cost of the rear (where the 0.5G traction force is much less than braking).
Edit to add
I can't understand why the front ride heights are equal but not the rear. If you are on a flat floor then they should be the same, or the chassis is bent. If the floor is not flat then 5mm is a big weight and the accuracy of your measurements will be off.
Edited by DCL on Saturday 21st January 18:47
Hi
So i tried again on a flater surface and different set of scales and after several adustments i ended up with following which i think is good enough for now.
Ride height 133/155
Sump clearances 70
Weight distribution without me 72kg
122fwd left 128 fwd right
142 rear left, 124 rear right.
With me in it the figures should change to something like this (to be confirmed during final adjustment)
138-136
174-140
I think it is good enough..
So i tried again on a flater surface and different set of scales and after several adustments i ended up with following which i think is good enough for now.
Ride height 133/155
Sump clearances 70
Weight distribution without me 72kg
122fwd left 128 fwd right
142 rear left, 124 rear right.
With me in it the figures should change to something like this (to be confirmed during final adjustment)
138-136
174-140
I think it is good enough..
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