Cornerbalacing is the cornerstone of creating a good handlng car , so why is it we have to spend 1000s to buy one, why cant we just make one out of bathroom scales.
they go up to 440bs and cost only around 20 bucks each. you buy 2 per corner, put a 2x4 between them and make small.

wood wedge rams up and down so you can go up and get off them easily.
if you mark the 2x4 between them so that the tire is near exactly in the middle of the two scales, the weighs should be near the same or you can average.
Now, you can see what your cornerweights are and make adjustments

 

LOL

 

actually, you could make a dummy scale on one side, to make sure the scale only reads half actual weight. now we are talking a 80 dollar corner scale system.

 

 

"Cornerbalacing is the cornerstone of creating a good handlng car " Id might replace 'good' with 'under the right circumstances and chassis preparation, consistent'

But that's too many words, and full of nuance....

A good driver can drive a ****box faster than Avg Joe with a "balanced" car..

Which is, for my time and money, develop the driver at all costs to fortune and fame. So much more there than corner balancing.

Doesn't hurt I spose, but..the level of talent and chassis development required to see benefit is significant.

 

Heres that solution

 

The challenge with any of the lever multipliers is that you MUST have the wheels at EXACTLY the same distance from the base if you want anything like a worthwhile result. Plus you need to eliminate the flex in the arms so the tire pads remain at the same height as load is added and removed at each wheel.. Think along the lines of what MA shows, but with heavier tubing to minimize the flex. Put a crossbar at the middle of where you want the tires to sit in the lever, and put a rocker plate with a single pivot bolt there. Tire sits on the rocker plate, force applied only at the pivot bolt even if you miss a little. The ends of the arms need to have similar sharp contact points with the floor if you want decent results. Ramps to get the car on the rockers plates are essential, as accuracy can be affected slightly by lateral loads on bathroom-style scales.

Shop carefully for scales, as many electronic/digital readout scales rezero between uses, and only maintain a display for a short while after weight is added. You get to run around a record the weights before the display shuts down.

Or find a racing friend that has a set of scales you can borrow or rent. A flat floor is essential, as is the ability to adjust the spring loads without lifting the car. Even then, the adjustment process will be iterative, just as ride height adjustments are. You'll want to drive and resettle any adjustments for 75-100 miles before you verify that your adjustments will stay consistent.


In the wayback when I was involved at the LBGP as FA, F5000 and F1, we used platform shipping scales with sliding-weight beams under each wheel to post-race tech the leading cars. Those are very reliable and repeatable. Several teams rolled their cars onto the scales during practice to check/verify weight and balance.

 

Will someone hold my beer?

 

Yes, that was a "lot of words" yes, chassis tuning helps you get that 10-10ths out of the platform and many use band-aids such as new tires and power to mask issues to not getting to max potential of the car. but, even moderate drivers can appreciate a well tuned machine. its the reason that Tony at TCdesign has such cars and his drivers develop faster than most. my car was a mess at the runnoffs , worse than any set up ive ever had. all that shock pulling and no cornerbalancing, gave me a car with 100lbs diff , front corner to front corner and bad counterweights . you probably couldnt make it any worse, BUT, with a lof of effort especially as the tires went away, and a very technical track at Sonoma, it wasnt handling as well as it could at the edge. a lot goes into set up.... cornerbalancing is part of it, shock and swaybar settings are another. there are more.......but those are the ones that matter most. and yes, most good drivers can drive any Sxxt Box well, but it's always a lot less work and faster to drive one that is set up well.

 

thats why ill have the scale at the outside, and a 2x4 between the scales with a ramp to go onto the 2x4. that way it will be easy to replicate. Plus i have just come off the scales and have the values to calibrate which is most important.. looks like ill buy a 4 of the scales and build this set up.

now, dont count anytime soon of adjustments of ride height of the car on the scales or ground. impossible to turn those ride spring perches. and with the racing type shocks and springs you dont have the settling issues as you have with the stock 928 stuff.

thanks

mk

 

Waste no time with a "bridge" made with a 2x4. Seriously.

 

Google "Ruggles Scales". I bought a set off ebay years ago. I have them in my attic and will post some pics next time I'm up there.

 

The very first thing one learns when they first purchase a set of corner balancing scales is that any car with any rubber at any suspension pivot can not be lowered onto a set of scales and get anything except total weight. Complete waste of time, for corner balancing. The suspension must be settled and the car must be driven straight on....turning a corner just before driving onto the scales will affect the corner weights.

On a race car with monoballs at every suspension pivot, it is possible to get accurate corner weights when lowering a car onto the scales, but only if the scales can slide enough to allow the correct camber settings. "Grease plates" are required.

That's why Longacre sells an aluminum structure with ramps.....the cost of the scales is only a percentage of what is needed.