Balancing Car

[Muz]

Hi everyone (most notably SK).

Just wondering if anyone has done a 4 corner balance (as in weighed car on 4 scales) after installing height adjustable dampers?

And if so what were the results?

I ask this as I am about to install a set of Tein Flex Dampers and had read somewhere that to be totally accurate and for drivability this is the method best employed.

cheers

Muz

[Beer Baron]

yes i've done it. i dont quite know what you mean by 'what were the results'... well the result was the cross weights were set correctly, and the suspension heights set accordingly. if you want the corner weights set then just take it to a suspension place and have them set it up for you. easy.

[Muz]

yes i've done it. i dont quite know what you mean by 'what were the results'... well the result was the cross weights were set correctly, and the suspension heights set accordingly. if you want the corner weights set then just take it to a suspension place and have them set it up for you. easy.

Sorry BB, I should have been more specific. Did you do any before and after comparisons. Like , was there any noticable effect on the handling, braking, driveability of the car?

Cheers

Muz

[Sydneykid]

Sorry BB, I should have been more specific. Did you do any before and after comparisons. Like , was there any noticable effect on the handling, braking, driveability of the car?

Cheers

Muz

What we are doing by corner weighting a car is making sure that it puts its weight down evenly, the two front tyres carry the same load and the two rear tyres carry the same load. The total diagonal weights are even.

For an un-corner weighted car, think of a rocking table, with 1 leg shorter than the other 3. When you lean on one corner (turn left round a bend), the table (car) goes bonk until that short leg hits the floor (the spring takes the load). Now lean on the other end (turn right around a corner), the table (car) goes bonk until that leg hits the floor (the spring takes the load).

So when you have 2 corners, one after the other, you get instability (bonk) whenever you turn the steering wheel. This makes the driver feel like the car is slipping just as he turns the steering wheel, he has no confidence. It also unsettles the car, the tyres don't like the sudden hit of load (bonk) and they do actually slip a little.

How much difference does it make? It's like a dyno tune, if the weights are out by a lot, then it makes a lot of difference. If they only out by a little bit, it makes very little difference.

cheers

[Muz]

Thanks SK (legend). I kind of thought it would be that or something very similar to what you have described. I will definitely be having this done when the Tein's are installed. Just one more question (sorry), does a drivers weight impact upon this setup or is it a case of only diagonal weights being critical and not same side?

cheers

Muz

[Duncan]

Yes the driver should be sitting in the car with the expected fuel load when you do the weighing.

But is this for road or circuit use? because on the road you have passengers, very different fuel loads, stuff in the boot etc etc

[Muz]

Yes! it presents a conumdrum doesn't it. I was specifically talking about road use.

cheers

[Silver-Arrowz]

Yeah I had it done on my toymotor. Results were amazing. I installed it myself at first and it was very weird. Spring pre-loadings were also tampered with before I opened the box so that certainly didn't help. Afterwards the car was much more composed.

[Beer Baron]

Yes! it presents a conumdrum doesn't it. I was specifically talking about road use.

cheers

if you are talking about road use then it may be a waste of time. just set the heights as accurately as you can.

[Busky2k]

So what about cars with non adjustable height? Nothing much can be done eh? And what about FWDs? Would their ass be on the ground and nose up in the air?

[Sydneykid]

1. So what about cars with non adjustable height? Nothing much can be done eh?

2. And what about FWDs?

3. Would their ass be on the ground and nose up in the air?

1. Use spacers

2. No difference to RWD or 4WD. Many front wheel drive cars have better front to rear weight distribution than a Skyline with that great lump of RB cast iron in front of the front wheels.

3. No, the front left should carry the same weight as the front right and the rear left should carry the same weight as the rear right. More precisely the diagonals should weigh the same.

cheers

[Busky2k]

Thanks SK for the informative replies as always. I totally forgot about diagonal weight balancing which is more important than front to back (which I was implying with the FWD layout).

[9krpm]

What is the best front to rear weight distribution has anyone achieved for the skyline?

Mine was like 900kg front and 600kg rear.

[Sydneykid]

What is the best front to rear weight distribution has anyone achieved for the skyline?

Mine was like 900kg (60%) front and 600kg (40%) rear.

From memory the R32GTST was around 650 (55%) and 550 (45%)

Cheers

Gary

[Duncan]

hmm but what about one of those nasty nose heavy gtrs? I am putting the production car on the scales in the next few week and will post up

[9krpm]

Thanks SK and Duncan

I will need to take some more weight off my car in the future. My current weight is still too heavy. My rear left is a around 40kg lighter than the rear right. Is this common in the gtr? Can you guys offer some suggestion?

[Sydneykid]

Thanks SK and Duncan

I will need to take some more weight off my car in the future. My current weight is still too heavy. My rear left is a around 40kg lighter than the rear right. Is this common in the gtr? Can you guys offer some suggestion?

The rear left being lighter is normal, the driver is on the RHS after all. The usual corner weighting adjustment is to shorten (take weight off) the RHS rear to compensate.

Cheers

Gary

[Gts-t]

Forgive my noob comment, but how do they take weight on or off, is it just by adjusting the height slightly at each corner?

thanks guys

Edited June 12, 2008 by Gts30t

[Sydneykid]

Forgive my noob comment, but how do they take weight on or off, is it just by adjusting the height slightly at each corner?

thanks guys

Obviously the best way to adjust the corner weights is to move something. An example, moving the battery from the front (which is the heavy end) RHS (which is the heavy side) to the rear LHS makes a useful difference. But when you run out of things to move, then adjusting the height of each corner is the go.

Cheers

Gary

[Gts-t]

Cheers gary, i have moved the battery to the passenger side in the boot. I know the track day guys have this corner weighting going on from time to time so i will have to get it done in the future.