Golden and Ian C are saying the same thing then I did read it Andy, I'm looking for info from people that have actually *done corner weighting* on Golfs That sounds ungrateful to all the other people that have replied, I don't mean it to be Edited by: G_V_K
I wouldnt have thought the make and model of the car would have made much difference, as the principals would be the same
HI Last year I had my car round to JP Rose garage in Macclesfield (where I live) - they used to prep golfs for Slick 50 series and did pretty well - won it a few times. They have the kit to do corner weighting. Basically, its important to get the diagonal sum weights the same with driver on board and fuel load what it would be 50% through the 'race'. Its neigh on impossible to get F:R balance equivalent in a FWD - although some of XR2's that run in Hot hatch, Roger Ebdons in particular, were getting closer to 50:50 than the usual 60:40. Other tips were obvious..get overall weight as low as poss and what weight you have to have get it as low in chassis as poss. Thats what we did with my car and it handles ok for me. Cheers Rob
I know how well your car goes round corners Rob Best to do it with 1/2 tank of fuel in my case you'd say? Roughly how long did it take to do yours Rob?
My brother balances his across the diagonals instead of making it correct across the front axle...but I have to say that I agree with my dads method of getting it correct across the front axle at the expense of the back axle. The way I look at it is if you have a go kart with a bent chassis you can get it to have the same totals across the diagonals.....but it will understeer like buggery when you try to load up the light front corner. My dad was told to do it his way by a well respected ex-touring car team manager....and my dad has built more championship winning cars than you can count with your fingers!
A battery weighs about 15kgs Keith and sits on the NSF corner as you know, thats 15kg that the OSF hasn't got Airbox/metering unit on the OSF of a mk2 16v probably weighs half the battery but ...As mentioned on the 1st page, if you start getting *too much* weight in the rear you'll end up with a pendulum effect if you did manage to lose it Edited by: G_V_K
I dont like the idea of putting a lot of weight in the back....it is too far from the C of G. There was a VW Cup driver in a white Mk1 who moved all of his 80kg ballast into the spare wheel well at Donny in 2002 and once the back end started to slide there was so much weight moving that there was absolutely nothing he could do to catch it....is was one of the most comical spins I have ever seen.
Yeh I can see the problem with to much weight in the back, didn`t realise the metering head weight so much!
what bout putting as much as you can in the rear seat foot wells, or do you use the back seats......?
It perhaps doesn't Keith, but it weighs no-where near the same as the battery was the point I was trying to make Matt - no rear seats in my car, I'm not trying to totally change the handling as Ian will hopefully agree it handles *ok* as it is Just want to set the corner weights with the car as it is really, just so I know it's as good as it can be without drastic modifications.
Well your brother seems to do ok so this strategy cannot be so bad...and the Rose-prepped golfs did win several championships...perhaps its ok if you have a straight car...I guess its what you are happy with...have you ever done back to back tests with the same car/same driver/same day on circuit with car set up both ways ? Rob
Half tank if you use the full tank (empty to full) range on a trackday - before I sorted my fuel system out I had to run the car above half a tank or used to get fuel starvation in high-g right handers - thus to start with I had it set up with a 3/4 tank fill. Took the guys all day on and off - charged me 150 I think. Cheers Rob
Reading that new mag "Fast road and track day car" they take a Cosworth to Northampton motorsport for corner weighting. Just found their site - good info http://www.iconsix.com/northampton_motorsport/default.asp?id =28 Edited by: G_V_K
So is corner weights why WRC cars and some WV cup cars the driver seat is at the back and the steering is extended .. For the front rear balance . Perhaps I also notice that the passengers in a WRC car cannot even see over the dashboard because the seat so low in the car. i guess this is just center of gravity IN the new EVO WRC this is very visible
And if you have ever sat in a rally car co driver seat you will know how low you are.. Sat in a SEAT Rally car for 5 laps around alconbury -- crazy co-drivers!
part of the reason that co-drivers seats are low is for c of g also it's to stop them looking out the windows (cos they get scared) and because when the driver rolls the car you want to be sat as low as you can - the driver has to be sat up so he can see - the co doesn't. as for moving battery to the boot - moving weight further from the C of G causes problems with altering the Polar Moment Of Inertia - it is this that alters the car's reluctance or ability to roll, pitch or yaw. while you don't want the car to roll or pitch excessively - you do want it to be able to yaw though.
