Corner Weighting.. % front to back..?
Discussion
Hi All,
Having dropped the ride height on the car a bit yesterday, Studog kindly corner weighted it so we could see if we'd got the spring loads the same diagonally across the car.
The results were that the car is roughly 650lbs per corner at the front, and 450lbs a corner at the back, therefore giving a load of apx 60% front, to 40% rear.
I've heard that 55% - 45% is a better bet ? is this the case, and short of moving the battery to the boot I can't see many options for changing the weight distribution..
Comments please..
Cheers
Matt.
Having dropped the ride height on the car a bit yesterday, Studog kindly corner weighted it so we could see if we'd got the spring loads the same diagonally across the car.
The results were that the car is roughly 650lbs per corner at the front, and 450lbs a corner at the back, therefore giving a load of apx 60% front, to 40% rear.
I've heard that 55% - 45% is a better bet ? is this the case, and short of moving the battery to the boot I can't see many options for changing the weight distribution..
Comments please..
Cheers
Matt.
z_chromozone said:
The battery max about 30 lb, so it may make a small difference. Short of keeping the fuel tank full (just over 2 lb / litre). I cannot think of many ways of removing weight from the front.
Z
>> Edited by z_chromozone on Monday 21st June 09:53
More difference than you'd think mind you..(just got my calculator out) that would make around a 2.5% change..
Corner weighting doesn't change the weight distribution, all it does is take the torsion out of the chassis. Imagine putting bricks under two diagonally opposite wheels, you will have two wheels with too much weight and the other two with two little weight, the car will still sit more or less flat but the handling will be all over the place. This problem is what corner weighting fixes.
Pies said:
Pete whats a rough estimate on cost for that as i might get it done
Err.. just find a mate with some corner weight scales and do it together. It takes about 10 minutes to do the initial weigh, then depending on how far out things are you then just move the relevant spring seats up and down with a C-spanner... easy peasy.
The hardest part is finding somewhere flat to do the job..
apguy... not sure what you are going on about..!?
..as Pete says (and my stuff about moving the battery meant) you can't change the front-back weight distribution of any car without moving physical weight around. The Adjustable spring seats mean that you can corner-weight the car on the diagonals (as described) and I'm afraid different length springs wouldn't help you either if you had static spring seats (and you wouldn't need them if you had adjustable seats either). Cheers
Matt.
>> Edited by M@H on Tuesday 22 June 09:23
1. The corner weighting should be done with the appropriate driving condition. That means a driver/passenger and a typical amount of fuel. Corner weighting without this is a waste of time as the driver/passenger weight will dramatically upset everything. Instead of driving the car with ideal setup, the car will be driven with the wrong one.
The 520 is setup with the car in competition mode, me sitting in it and about 3-4 litres of fuel in the tank. That is what I want the set up to be ideal for. For a cruising car that might be tank half full with a driver + passenger.
2. The key is corner % not front to back. Front to back can only be changed really by moving things around which in most cases is not practical.
3. Make small changes and not big ones. Takes some time. TYpically a couple of hours depending on how bad it is and how much adjustment is needed.
The 520 is setup with the car in competition mode, me sitting in it and about 3-4 litres of fuel in the tank. That is what I want the set up to be ideal for. For a cruising car that might be tank half full with a driver + passenger.
2. The key is corner % not front to back. Front to back can only be changed really by moving things around which in most cases is not practical.
3. Make small changes and not big ones. Takes some time. TYpically a couple of hours depending on how bad it is and how much adjustment is needed.
..but ford never made a 2.8 Essex engine.. Yes I would reckon a couple of hours including making some level ground to work on. It takes me a little bit longer because I only have one set of scales so I have to swap them from corner to corner, but take your time and be methodical and it is an easy enough job to do. If you can find somebody who will lend you the professional kit it will be a lot easier and quicker, but my el cheapo DIY kit only cost about £20, I don't mind taking a bit longer twice a year to avoid buying a grand's worth of kit.
shpub said:
No cos I use Tower Views electronic scales that the wheels sit on and a computer calculates everything..
Somehow I should have guessed that the kit you'd be using would be a bit more hi-tech
I'm not too bothered about the marks but next time I'll put a small bit of wood or something between the "ball" on the gauge and the wheel.
The pressure on that point must be about 65000 lb/[]" !! 
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