Corner Balancing, How Much? Options

[McMark]

How much weight can typically be transferred when corner balancing a car? Can you transfer 10 lbs from front to rear? 25 lbs? 50 lbs?

[TimT]

An odd thing cars, with very stiff springs seem to corner balance easier, where cars that have more compliant springs are more difficult to balance... I can think of a few reasons why this happens.

You can transfer 10 lbs around to each corner of the car just messing with how you jack the spring perches etc.. We usually call it quits on balancing when we are within 25lbs/corner, because you take the car out and run it and re-weigh it.. the results will be different..and nothing has changed in the car excect a few laps of track time.

You can spend hours adjusting corner weights... what do your customers expect? what is good enough?

[J P Stein]

Sure.....but do you want to?

When you weigh the car, you'll find that one diagional total is greater than the other.
The car is "rocking" on that higher weight diagional.
Lowering one end or the other of that diagional will transfer the weight to the other diagional....hopefully both ends of the other diagional will have started out lighter than our "rocker" ends......you could also raise the lighter diagional to accomplish the same thing.

I didn't try to jack up (on the springs) both sides of the rear to put more weight on the fronts.......don't think it would do much....but I've been wrong before.

Don't forget ballast in the drivers seat.

[drgchapman]

Corner balancing with spring perches will only work on the diagonal. You need to move parts(weight) around the car to adjust front back and right to left.

[John]

You need to move parts(weight) around the car to adjust front back and right to left.

You must be kidding. Raising the back will transfer weight forward (same as lowering the front).

This concept works side to side as well.

Clearly, you have never worked with scales on an actual car.

The diagonals are the most important.

Set the ride height first (as a baseline), and follow up with the corner weights. Once you are done jacking around (literally) with it, it is time for a complete 4-wheel alignment as all the jacking around with the ride heights will change the alignment of the car.

Luckily, I have all the tools needed right out in my garage.

[rhodyguy]

my finals. about 1/4 tank, drivers weight compensated. i don't know where the height measurements were taken. very slight rise on the dr rear w/o driver.

488(570mm) 484(580mm)

642(544mm) 561(552mm)

front: caster L 5.47* R 5.22*

camber L -1.51* R -1.54*

toe L .07" R .06" total .13" (this was a drastic change out from the initial settings)

rear: camber L -1.77* R -1.73*

toe L .13" R .12" total .25"

thrust angle .02*

this setup seems to work well on a primarily street/freeway driver, which is what i opted for.

k

[drgchapman]

Once ride height is set, you likely don't want to jack up the rear or you look like Dukes of Hazzard