powerstock56

The race rulebook states that my power stock race car must have a minimum of 3400 pounds total weight, and I can use only stock shock absorbers, this excludes using coilovers. I'm shooting for 57% of the total weight across the front, and 55% on the left side. I still need to distribute and secure the correct corner weight in order to achieve maximum traction on a 3/8 mile paved circle track. I'd like some advice about manually distributing weight to achieve maximum traction, while trying to maintain my crossweight before I secure it all down for the track. Thanks or your help! I'm learning something new every day!

jscott82

I don't think there is much circle track experience on this forum...

In road racing config, you want all weight concentrated at the center of mass of the car. If you build the car with that principle in mind and only move things as far from the center as required to function, then the weights are what the are. I.E. putting big chucks of lead at the corners trying to make the scale look good is not correct. Corner balancing is just getting the shock length balanced, you aren't moving real weight around. I betting that in circle track config you would move the weight left of center (you run counterclockwise, correct?).

Just curious what is Powerstock? what kind of car, what does it look like? I cant imagine a 3400lb car on "stock" shocks.

mark kibort

corner weighting is changing spring pressure on each corner. as far as "stock" shocks. he was contrasting it to "coil overs' which just means is a different suspension configuration. there are still springs and shocks. you adjust spring height (wedges, etc) to change corner weights. and yes, if you get the weight of the car low enough, you can then put weight in different corners to get the best weight balance.

you are not going to be able to change the weight distribution of front to rear or left to right, for the most part..... you will have to play with moving things around in the car to do that. cross weight adjustment is possible by lowering or raising the car.... or in stock car world, using wedges to adjust spring height. (which adds or subtracts weight from that corner at the cost of changes everywhere else.... think, balancing a table at a restaurant with napkins under a leg)
so, you will want much of the weight moved to the left side as possible, and depending how you want the car to handle... traction under throttle , or under braking, will determine the best cross weight set up for you . also to be considered, if you cant move weight around, you can play with spring rates and ride height to make the car act like it has more weight on one side vs the other dynamically during weight transfer. (body roll and mass center change)

Matt Romanowski

It's lots of trial and error with ballast. What chassis do you have? I've seen people never be optimal because of driver weight. You have to move ballast (or components) and then set ride heights/corner weights. It's can be a pretty long process.