Okay, I'm fat. Should I set the driver's side stiffer?
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From: Sherman Oaks, CA.
Okay, I'm fat. Should I set the driver's side stiffer?
Seriosuly now. The car definitely handles worse when I make right turns. I get more tire squeel and roll. When I turn left it stays more level and more controllable. I am talking about driving at extreme limits of course. And except for sways my suspension is stock.
So if I were to get the electronic adjustables should I actually setup the driver's side stiffer? Hell, might I even make the passenger side LOWER to also help compensate?
I'm 32 and probably going to remain my size. So anything I can do with hardware to help my drivability is what I need!
Ideas?
So if I were to get the electronic adjustables should I actually setup the driver's side stiffer? Hell, might I even make the passenger side LOWER to also help compensate?
I'm 32 and probably going to remain my size. So anything I can do with hardware to help my drivability is what I need!
Ideas?
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 183
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From: Seattle
That falls under the category of corner balancing. Here’s a little snippet on the concept of corner balancing (in racing) :
The car has to be adjusted so that each corner "applies" the same amount of force on the ground, relative to the diagonally-opposite corner, so that the car does not "rock." Scales are placed underneath each wheel/tire to measure the "weight" of each corner, and a "perfect" corner balance would have the sum of the weights of the right-front and left-rear corners equal the sum of the weights of the left-front and right-rear corners.
For example, we have a 200 lb. car, with the center of gravity positioned exactly at the middle of the car. An ideal situation would be that each corner (tire) would apply 50 lbs. of force.
50--| |--50
......| |
....[LEFT] |200| (Looking at the car from above)
.....|lbs|
......| |
50--| |--50
Corner balance is perfect at LF + RR = RF + LR = 100 lbs.
By the same token, if the CG is positioned a little towards the rear, we would have:
40--| |--40
......| |
......| |
....|200|
.....|lbs|
60--| |--60
Corner balance would still be ideal. The same applies if there was a driver (any good race car alignment shop should put a ballast equal to the driver's weight in the driver's seat when corner balancing and aligning the suspension). In this example, say the driver weighs 10 pounds
44--| |--41
......| |
.|10 lbs|
....|200|
... .|lbs|
64--| |--61
Corner balance is still ideal.
A perfectly corner balanced car will handle the same when turning left and right, and will be maximizing tire contact area on all four corners, thus will have more grip all around. So since you obviously have been experiencing/noticing the reality that your car, and just about everyone else's, isn't corner balanced and aligned properly or rather precisely, and since you're thinking about getting the gear to do it... I say go for it and see how different your car feels. I think it might be a little tougher to simply estimate the actual contact load on each tire; you might want to find a shop that knows how to properly corner balance your rig... they'll know exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously these examples are simplified and are for the purposes of talking about corner balancing and not any other balancing concepts...
The car has to be adjusted so that each corner "applies" the same amount of force on the ground, relative to the diagonally-opposite corner, so that the car does not "rock." Scales are placed underneath each wheel/tire to measure the "weight" of each corner, and a "perfect" corner balance would have the sum of the weights of the right-front and left-rear corners equal the sum of the weights of the left-front and right-rear corners.
For example, we have a 200 lb. car, with the center of gravity positioned exactly at the middle of the car. An ideal situation would be that each corner (tire) would apply 50 lbs. of force.
50--| |--50
......| |
....[LEFT] |200| (Looking at the car from above)
.....|lbs|
......| |
50--| |--50
Corner balance is perfect at LF + RR = RF + LR = 100 lbs.
By the same token, if the CG is positioned a little towards the rear, we would have:
40--| |--40
......| |
......| |
....|200|
.....|lbs|
60--| |--60
Corner balance would still be ideal. The same applies if there was a driver (any good race car alignment shop should put a ballast equal to the driver's weight in the driver's seat when corner balancing and aligning the suspension). In this example, say the driver weighs 10 pounds
44--| |--41
......| |
.|10 lbs|
....|200|
... .|lbs|
64--| |--61
Corner balance is still ideal.
A perfectly corner balanced car will handle the same when turning left and right, and will be maximizing tire contact area on all four corners, thus will have more grip all around. So since you obviously have been experiencing/noticing the reality that your car, and just about everyone else's, isn't corner balanced and aligned properly or rather precisely, and since you're thinking about getting the gear to do it... I say go for it and see how different your car feels. I think it might be a little tougher to simply estimate the actual contact load on each tire; you might want to find a shop that knows how to properly corner balance your rig... they'll know exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously these examples are simplified and are for the purposes of talking about corner balancing and not any other balancing concepts...
Last edited by kbiz; Nov 17, 2005 at 09:42 PM.
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From: where the polar bears roam
Originally Posted by kbiz
That falls under the category of corner balancing. Here’s a little snippet on the concept of corner balancing (in racing) :
The car has to be adjusted so that each corner "applies" the same amount of force on the ground, relative to the diagonally-opposite corner, so that the car does not "rock." Scales are placed underneath each wheel/tire to measure the "weight" of each corner, and a "perfect" corner balance would have the sum of the weights of the right-front and left-rear corners equal the sum of the weights of the left-front and right-rear corners.
For example, we have a 200 lb. car, with the center of gravity positioned exactly at the middle of the car. An ideal situation would be that each corner (tire) would apply 50 lbs. of force.
50--| |--50
......| |
....[LEFT] |200| (Looking at the car from above)
.....|lbs|
......| |
50--| |--50
Corner balance is perfect at LF + RR = RF + LR = 100 lbs.
By the same token, if the CG is positioned a little towards the rear, we would have:
40--| |--40
......| |
......| |
....|200|
.....|lbs|
60--| |--60
Corner balance would still be ideal. The same applies if there was a driver (any good race car alignment shop should put a ballast equal to the driver's weight in the driver's seat when corner balancing and aligning the suspension). In this example, say the driver weighs 10 pounds
44--| |--41
......| |
.|10 lbs|
....|200|
... .|lbs|
64--| |--61
Corner balance is still ideal.
A perfectly corner balanced car will handle the same when turning left and right, and will be maximizing tire contact area on all four corners, thus will have more grip all around. So since you obviously have been experiencing/noticing the reality that your car, and just about everyone else's, isn't corner balanced and aligned properly or rather precisely, and since you're thinking about getting the gear to do it... I say go for it and see how different your car feels. I think it might be a little tougher to simply estimate the actual contact load on each tire; you might want to find a shop that knows how to properly corner balance your rig... they'll know exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously these examples are simplified and are for the purposes of talking about corner balancing and not any other balancing concepts...
The car has to be adjusted so that each corner "applies" the same amount of force on the ground, relative to the diagonally-opposite corner, so that the car does not "rock." Scales are placed underneath each wheel/tire to measure the "weight" of each corner, and a "perfect" corner balance would have the sum of the weights of the right-front and left-rear corners equal the sum of the weights of the left-front and right-rear corners.
For example, we have a 200 lb. car, with the center of gravity positioned exactly at the middle of the car. An ideal situation would be that each corner (tire) would apply 50 lbs. of force.
50--| |--50
......| |
....[LEFT] |200| (Looking at the car from above)
.....|lbs|
......| |
50--| |--50
Corner balance is perfect at LF + RR = RF + LR = 100 lbs.
By the same token, if the CG is positioned a little towards the rear, we would have:
40--| |--40
......| |
......| |
....|200|
.....|lbs|
60--| |--60
Corner balance would still be ideal. The same applies if there was a driver (any good race car alignment shop should put a ballast equal to the driver's weight in the driver's seat when corner balancing and aligning the suspension). In this example, say the driver weighs 10 pounds
44--| |--41
......| |
.|10 lbs|
....|200|
... .|lbs|
64--| |--61
Corner balance is still ideal.
A perfectly corner balanced car will handle the same when turning left and right, and will be maximizing tire contact area on all four corners, thus will have more grip all around. So since you obviously have been experiencing/noticing the reality that your car, and just about everyone else's, isn't corner balanced and aligned properly or rather precisely, and since you're thinking about getting the gear to do it... I say go for it and see how different your car feels. I think it might be a little tougher to simply estimate the actual contact load on each tire; you might want to find a shop that knows how to properly corner balance your rig... they'll know exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously these examples are simplified and are for the purposes of talking about corner balancing and not any other balancing concepts...
Very well said!!!!
Louis
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From: Sherman Oaks, CA.
Awesome! I was familar with corner balancing and totally intend on having it done properly, but your example has made it very clear! Best ASCII diagram yet!
Originally Posted by kbiz
That falls under the category of corner balancing. Here’s a little snippet on the concept of corner balancing (in racing) :
The car has to be adjusted so that each corner "applies" the same amount of force on the ground, relative to the diagonally-opposite corner, so that the car does not "rock." Scales are placed underneath each wheel/tire to measure the "weight" of each corner, and a "perfect" corner balance would have the sum of the weights of the right-front and left-rear corners equal the sum of the weights of the left-front and right-rear corners.
For example, we have a 200 lb. car, with the center of gravity positioned exactly at the middle of the car. An ideal situation would be that each corner (tire) would apply 50 lbs. of force.
50--| |--50
......| |
....[LEFT] |200| (Looking at the car from above)
.....|lbs|
......| |
50--| |--50
Corner balance is perfect at LF + RR = RF + LR = 100 lbs.
By the same token, if the CG is positioned a little towards the rear, we would have:
40--| |--40
......| |
......| |
....|200|
.....|lbs|
60--| |--60
Corner balance would still be ideal. The same applies if there was a driver (any good race car alignment shop should put a ballast equal to the driver's weight in the driver's seat when corner balancing and aligning the suspension). In this example, say the driver weighs 10 pounds
44--| |--41
......| |
.|10 lbs|
....|200|
... .|lbs|
64--| |--61
Corner balance is still ideal.
A perfectly corner balanced car will handle the same when turning left and right, and will be maximizing tire contact area on all four corners, thus will have more grip all around. So since you obviously have been experiencing/noticing the reality that your car, and just about everyone else's, isn't corner balanced and aligned properly or rather precisely, and since you're thinking about getting the gear to do it... I say go for it and see how different your car feels. I think it might be a little tougher to simply estimate the actual contact load on each tire; you might want to find a shop that knows how to properly corner balance your rig... they'll know exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously these examples are simplified and are for the purposes of talking about corner balancing and not any other balancing concepts...
The car has to be adjusted so that each corner "applies" the same amount of force on the ground, relative to the diagonally-opposite corner, so that the car does not "rock." Scales are placed underneath each wheel/tire to measure the "weight" of each corner, and a "perfect" corner balance would have the sum of the weights of the right-front and left-rear corners equal the sum of the weights of the left-front and right-rear corners.
For example, we have a 200 lb. car, with the center of gravity positioned exactly at the middle of the car. An ideal situation would be that each corner (tire) would apply 50 lbs. of force.
50--| |--50
......| |
....[LEFT] |200| (Looking at the car from above)
.....|lbs|
......| |
50--| |--50
Corner balance is perfect at LF + RR = RF + LR = 100 lbs.
By the same token, if the CG is positioned a little towards the rear, we would have:
40--| |--40
......| |
......| |
....|200|
.....|lbs|
60--| |--60
Corner balance would still be ideal. The same applies if there was a driver (any good race car alignment shop should put a ballast equal to the driver's weight in the driver's seat when corner balancing and aligning the suspension). In this example, say the driver weighs 10 pounds
44--| |--41
......| |
.|10 lbs|
....|200|
... .|lbs|
64--| |--61
Corner balance is still ideal.
A perfectly corner balanced car will handle the same when turning left and right, and will be maximizing tire contact area on all four corners, thus will have more grip all around. So since you obviously have been experiencing/noticing the reality that your car, and just about everyone else's, isn't corner balanced and aligned properly or rather precisely, and since you're thinking about getting the gear to do it... I say go for it and see how different your car feels. I think it might be a little tougher to simply estimate the actual contact load on each tire; you might want to find a shop that knows how to properly corner balance your rig... they'll know exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish.
Obviously these examples are simplified and are for the purposes of talking about corner balancing and not any other balancing concepts...
Thats a great write up
+kudos
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 427
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From: Silicon Valley
Originally Posted by Mr_Q
Seriosuly now.
I'm 32 and probably going to remain my size. So anything I can do with hardware to help my drivability is what I need!
Ideas?
I'm 32 and probably going to remain my size. So anything I can do with hardware to help my drivability is what I need!
Ideas?
Yo bro, when I turned 33 in August I changed my eating habits and started working out; I went from 205 to 183 and my target is around 165 (I'm 5'9") of lean muscular studdage
. You will probably remain your size if you don't bother trying to do anything about it. One of my incentives was to improve the performance of my Z! 
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Originally Posted by itburns
That's no way to talk, what's the matter with you?
Yo bro, when I turned 33 in August I changed my eating habits and started working out; I went from 205 to 183 and my target is around 165 (I'm 5'9") of lean muscular studdage . You will probably remain your size if you don't bother trying to do anything about it. One of my incentives was to improve the performance of my Z!
Yo bro, when I turned 33 in August I changed my eating habits and started working out; I went from 205 to 183 and my target is around 165 (I'm 5'9") of lean muscular studdage
. You will probably remain your size if you don't bother trying to do anything about it. One of my incentives was to improve the performance of my Z! 
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 114
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From: Erial, NJ
I was told that sway bars should be removed during balancing as they tend to throw the scales off. Is that true?
Also, does anyone know how corner weighting is done? Is it all in the adjustment of height and preload or what?
Also, does anyone know how corner weighting is done? Is it all in the adjustment of height and preload or what?
Originally Posted by USN HM 350Z
being fat is better for drag racing, you can lean you seat way back to shift more weight to the rear for traction!
Now they all have AWD which i have very little experience launching, so my weight is inconsequential.
I'm only a buck 55 cents and use to be 170. I feel more limited in making hard rights. I think we had a conversation at the party but you erased your memory with beer. Are you going to 3December?
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From: Sherman Oaks, CA.
Originally Posted by charlie_rdstr_Z
I'm only a buck 55 cents and use to be 170. I feel more limited in making hard rights. I think we had a conversation at the party but you erased your memory with beer. Are you going to 3December?
3December? What is this? PM!
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