What Colin said. It really depends on the track. The heavy cars with lots of power do well at Daytona, Road America, and Road Atlanta. The lighter cars do better at twistier tracks, or ones with lots of really high speed corners like the Glen. You can see my preference; I have the lightest, lowest HP car in my class.

 

I disagree, if you want to win races. You may qualify faster with the lighter car but if the more powerful car passes you on the 1st straight I don't think you will be able to repass him. Racing is not about lap times, it's about crossing the finish line 1st.

If you are adding ballast in the heavier car, and put it on the right side up front, it will probably handle and brake as well or better than the lighter car unless you are forced to run really skinny wheels/tires. The lighter car will be faster coming out of slow corners but the heavier car will be faster on the straights, the longer the better.

I think your 2 examples could be PCA G class. Mike I. is winning most races in the East in his SC now (the heavier one) after racing his early 911 (the lighter car) so I guess he agreed the heavier one is faster.

 

Ok, But "what if" you have to lift the car after races , Huh, Huh, tell me mister , i'm sure you would want the lighter car ...

 

If the cars have the same power/weight ratios, why is the more powerful car going to be able to pass on the straights? They should accelerate similarly. And the lighter car should be able to go further into the braking zones and carry more speed to the apex.

How far do you go if more power is always better? Would a 500 hp, 6000 pound car be better than a 180 hp, 2200 pound car? Same power/weight ratio.

 

Aerodynamics. As speed increases, the major obstacle changes from weight to wind resistance. The heavier car with more power has the advantage here, as drag is independent of weight.

True.

As weight increases, there is a point where you are overloading the tires so much that you are denigrating their performance right from the start. And as we mentioned, where top end is limited by track length, the advantage of HP is mitigated. What balance of hp to weight you should run is the $64,000 question.

 

Because once at speed the higher power car will have more top end , the power:weight does not effect Vmax ....which is now bhp vs drag

 

I can understand that...and yet drag racing guys say that power/weight ratio is almost spot on for top speeds in the 1/4 mile, even for speeds of 150+ where aero drag is very much in play. At what speed/point does power/drag become more important than power/weight for a typical club racer? It is a serious issue at 110 mph? 150 mph? 200 mph? I've never raced two cars of similar power/weight ratios but with very different power outputs to get a feel for it.

 

THis is partly true due to the distance , the distance is short enough for tQ to still play into the picture , power to weight is a misnomer , it would be more accurate to state TQ : weight ratios , by comparing TQ :weight ratios you will see which car will come off the corners and accelerate down mid straight faster ... once the distance and time increases HP comes into play , it is why you will get your *** handed to you in a Elise on a long straight yet make a mockery out of more powerful stuff if the straights are short....

 

Also we don't come out of a corner at zero MPH like the drag racers. Some corners like LRP are 90MPH where the weight of the car is already not as much a factor as the drag. A heavy 964 C2 (3000 lbs) often outbrakes my 2385 lb 911RS so I don't seem to have much advantage there.

I'd go for less weight AND more power

 

You need bigger feet MIke , bigger feet and *****

 

I would get the weight down first, then learn to drive it like that. Then spend the big $$$ and get the power to go with it!

 

Except when Richter shows up

 

The point is that he's setting the car up with a NASA GTS class that has a maximum power/weight ratio.

 

Remember that NASA isn't like PCA. You can throw on big brakes, do just about anything with suspension, etc as long as you're in the right wt/hp ratio.

 

I would go with a slighlty heavier car if I could fit as a result better brakes, wider wheels and taller tires and a newer and heavier gearbox. I don't know your class regulations though.

The additional 40 or so HP will most likely come as a result of a higher revving engine, which might also mean less shifts going from corner to corner, you will be staying longer on the throttle (through higher RPMs) and also, even if you save only 2-3 shifts in one lap, you get a 1 second advantage at least, worth about 300lbs?.

I would find a middle ground.