What does weight distribution mean to me?
11-08-2003, 02:44 PM
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What does weight distribution mean to me?
Our cars are 50/50. So is an RX8 and S2000
WRX sti is 58-42
Evo is 60-40
and 911's of different variations are around 40-60 i think
50-50 sounds balanced and desireable, but what is so important if major sports cars are not anywhere close?
WRX sti is 58-42
Evo is 60-40
and 911's of different variations are around 40-60 i think
50-50 sounds balanced and desireable, but what is so important if major sports cars are not anywhere close?
11-08-2003, 03:46 PM
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Weight distribution is only one measurement and is often used as a yardstick or benchmark to compare one car to another. But it is a very narrow measurement and does not neccesarily predict any particular handling characteristic. More accurate measurements include polar moment, center of gravity, and the like.
wt bias merely measures the weight placed on the front wheels in relation to the wt on the rear wheels. where the mass is located in relation to the wheels is not measured and is clearly more important to the vehicle's handling characteristics. For example if you place 1000# dead center between the wheels each wheel will carry 250# with a 50/50 bias. I fyou take that same wt and place 500# 2' in front of the front wheels and 500#' 2' behind the rear wheels the same load is placed on each wheel. but this would yield a mass that is harder to control when it rotates and hence a less well behaved vehicle.
does that help?
wt bias merely measures the weight placed on the front wheels in relation to the wt on the rear wheels. where the mass is located in relation to the wheels is not measured and is clearly more important to the vehicle's handling characteristics. For example if you place 1000# dead center between the wheels each wheel will carry 250# with a 50/50 bias. I fyou take that same wt and place 500# 2' in front of the front wheels and 500#' 2' behind the rear wheels the same load is placed on each wheel. but this would yield a mass that is harder to control when it rotates and hence a less well behaved vehicle.
does that help?
11-09-2003, 03:57 AM
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Originally posted by Honkity Hank
Weight distribution is only one measurement and is often used as a yardstick or benchmark to compare one car to another. But it is a very narrow measurement and does not neccesarily predict any particular handling characteristic. More accurate measurements include polar moment, center of gravity, and the like.
wt bias merely measures the weight placed on the front wheels in relation to the wt on the rear wheels. where the mass is located in relation to the wheels is not measured and is clearly more important to the vehicle's handling characteristics. For example if you place 1000# dead center between the wheels each wheel will carry 250# with a 50/50 bias. I fyou take that same wt and place 500# 2' in front of the front wheels and 500#' 2' behind the rear wheels the same load is placed on each wheel. but this would yield a mass that is harder to control when it rotates and hence a less well behaved vehicle.
does that help?
Weight distribution is only one measurement and is often used as a yardstick or benchmark to compare one car to another. But it is a very narrow measurement and does not neccesarily predict any particular handling characteristic. More accurate measurements include polar moment, center of gravity, and the like.
wt bias merely measures the weight placed on the front wheels in relation to the wt on the rear wheels. where the mass is located in relation to the wheels is not measured and is clearly more important to the vehicle's handling characteristics. For example if you place 1000# dead center between the wheels each wheel will carry 250# with a 50/50 bias. I fyou take that same wt and place 500# 2' in front of the front wheels and 500#' 2' behind the rear wheels the same load is placed on each wheel. but this would yield a mass that is harder to control when it rotates and hence a less well behaved vehicle.
does that help?
Also relevant handling characteristics are diagonal weight distribution. When setting up a car for the track, balance is more determined by the weight of the diagonal wheels opposed to each other (LF+RR : RF+LR).
Weight distribution is only the begining of handling characteristice, but it can sometimes give a clue as to how or how well a car will handle. For example, you stated the WRX to have 58-42 wt. dist. and the Evo having 60-40. Although both of these cars are AWD, they both understeer, or "push" into corners. I have yet to drive an Evo, but have first hand experience of WRX understeer. And to further complicate the vehicle dynamics issue, both weight distribution and handling characteristics can be changed
. For example, you can get the tail end of a WRX to come out if you push hard into a corner (causing it to understeer) with WOT early, then lift off before the apex and the car will slide sideways (oversteering to a four wheel drift).-Kevin
