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#1 | ||
Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2023
Posts: 3
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How does the side to side weight balance affect a race car?
Can someone who knows their onions or who has previous experience help me with this please?
Scenario: FWD car racing in one make championship on a variety of UK clockwise circuits. Regs allow for either RHD or LHD cars and within those regs it is impossible to get perfect weight distribution where both sides of the car weigh the same. So, both cars are corner weighted to be equal across the front axle and the rears are different. LHD car is 20kg heavier on the left (left rear) RHD car is 40kg heavier on the right (right rear) Leaving aside any pros or cons as to getting used to driving a LHD car, which one makes the better race car? Last edited by Frustratedracer; 12 Nov 2023 at 20:14. Reason: Title doesn't make sense |
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#2 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,807
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As an ex-racer of RWD cars in special saloons in the 60s/70s and historic touring cars in the 90s/noughties I would say that the 20kg differential in the LHD car would be the most competitive. The front is more important than the back on all cars but particularly so in FWD cars.
Is it not possible to equalize the rear? Without knowing what the Tech Regs state it is difficult to advise. From a personal safety point of view I would always want to drive a RHD car on clockwise circuits. |
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#3 | ||
Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2023
Posts: 3
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Thanks for the reply.
There is a minimum weight and the regs state that any additional lead to bring up to the mimimum has to be added with a prescribed kit in a specified location. Given free reign with the placement of the lead i require, it would be very close to being able to equalize on the LHD car but still be out by approx 20kg on the RHD car. From a logical point of view, on clockwise circuits with mostly right hand corners, i would have thought 40kg extra (RHD) to the inside of the corner would be more beneficial than 20kg (LHD) to the outside of the corner, but in reality is it just the mass of the car as a whole that affects the cornering ability? Last edited by Frustratedracer; 13 Nov 2023 at 13:44. |
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#4 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 744
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40kg isn’t a lot of lead physically, I reckon you could hide that in a void inside the car somewhere and nobody would have any reason to suspect it.
Depending on the car, there might be a chassis rail you could use, for example. |
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#5 | ||
Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2023
Posts: 3
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I would rather keep it legal.
As i already use lead it might look odd that all of a sudden it disappears from view. |
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