Just curious if any of you have height figures for your cars after a corner balance.

I realize all cars are going to be slightly different but since I'll be paying $100 / hr I'd like to get the car as close as possible before getting it to the shop for the final balance.

Andy

 

I don't have the height numbers per se, but here's a photo for reference



it was corner balanced with the rear 1/8" higher than the front to account for the rear engine placement (doesn't look too saggy in the rear under load - balance it out). on the M3, the front gap was a little higher in the front.

but i guess it'd all depend on the look you want as to the height and then your tech should be able to keep it in the ballpark from there. sorry i can't be of more help. i didn't have my vendor print out the corner balance specs.

 

Andy,
I don't think measurments will do you much good. It's a pretty precise process. They should instruct you to arrive with 1/2 a tank of gas. (maybe it's 3/4) They will put weight equal to your weight in the drivers seat and will inflate your tires to their optimal hot PSI. They will then set the ride height you want and from there balance the car. So unless you get someone to do all of the above, and you do the same, the measurements won't mean much. Even then, I don't think they will help.

Good luck but don't expect much. Corner balancing is the right thing to do but it's very very unlikely you will notice a difference.
Jim

 

jim, totally. CBing is... i guess i really don't know why i even paid the extra $100 to get it done when all i really wanted is the rear lowered a bit

 

I appreciate the feedback. I'll set it to GT3 height specs per the manual and let them do what they do from there.

Andy

 

I assume you have an adjustable suspension?

Jim is spot on. It does no good to get others numbers since a corner balance is specific to a specific car.

 

Jim, as a former motorcycle roadracer, doing my own motor and chassis tuning over an 8 year racing span, your post struck a chord with me. I hear a lot about corner balancing and alignments for every track, etc. Is this necessary or really a benefit other than psychological?

In my experience racing, it was about 85% rider and 15% machine. A great rider could still kick a** with an inferior or ill tuned machine, whereas a marginal rider on the best tuned, fastest machine was still mid-pack at best.

When the fastest riders were racing in a pack, then machine prep, and super tuning made more of a difference.

 

Nick,
I agree it's all about the driver (see plenum thread) but 996s are highly tunable once you've added adj coilovers, sway bars, etc. To me that means you can really screw them up. If you don't set the car up right, they can be downright undrivable on the track. On the other hand, they can be tuned to near perfection. A bit of a double edged sword I suppose.
Jim

 

So assuming we don't track the car, but lower/mod the suspension, is it still necessary to do a corner balance? Ok, I know you won't feel the difference driving on the streets, but what about high speeds, tire wear, etc? Will an alignment be enought for street use after a suspension mod?

 

I think it's a good idea to have a corner balance done when you lower the car. We rebalance race cars all the time but once should be good for a street car unless you change the ride height. Don't get too worried about it though. Think about what adding 80 lbs of gas and a 200 lb passenger does to the car's balance.

 

Ok, Thanks JimB! (I was actually wondering about that, gas and passenger which could come in various weights.)

 

Which is why I only date thin women.

The real value of your corner balancing is getting the diagonal weights equal. This is akin to adjusting the legs on a chair so it doesn't wobble.

Good luck,
Jim

 

you guys do realize that your 911 wasn't corner balanced from the factory right?

 

jim my man, you KNOW that the effect isn't nearly as bad not even close

 

Actually given that the chassis and the suspension are both built within pretty tight tolerances and aren't adjustable you can assume it comes from the factory pretty well balanced.