Hi guys,
I have put a few posts up about building a racer... but i was interesed to know what you racers were doing about weight in the front??? Do you simply rely on the car being setup well or do you still add weight in the front???

Hi

Its better to set the car up properly, weight can be added to the car for racing class restrictions.

You need to follow the old racers tip, want more horsepower; add more light weight.

Steve

That's what i was wandering...

Colin Chapman (LOTUS) used to say "If you want to add anything (to a race car), add lightness"

lighter the better

instead of adding weight try to redistibute weight, like moving the battery, moving motor and gearbox forward. anything infront or behind the axles should go on a diet like your bumpers and brackets.

I agree, I agree, do you have to compensate though... you can check my other threads to see what i am planning, but basically, lowered front and rear, camber -2*, 2 castor shims each side, adjustable swaybars F and R, refurb all joints and shocks, aiming for KONI adjustable, rear kafer bar, rear engne support bar, ???

Weight at the end of the day is weight, and the less the better, what you've proposed to put on should make the car handle well. What Mactaylor said is the best thing if you are really worried about weight distribution.

The point is though that until you've really felt how the car handles at the "limit" you won't know what to do, so add your bits a pieces and go from there, you might even find that you'll remove some things.

I've been told under good authority though that Konis don't need to be wound up to much on the front other wise your front won't stick.

Hi

I don't know if you need a rear engine support bar, I Kafer Cup brace does a good job on my sons 1303 to stop wheel hop.

Steve

You can put more weight on the front wheels by lowering the front and softening the front and allowing the car to transfer weight to the front when you brake and turn-in. Stiffer rear springs should resist the weight distributing back to the rear under acceleration. Or something like that.

My 2 Yen

just think of a standard height bus and the angles they run. they stil get great life out of cv's. it might be a compromise but any time you move weight to the centre of the vehicle the less reactive it swings on its CoG

Have a look at some of the off-road racers. They modify the CVs to give incredible angles.

Moving the trans foward doesn't increase any cv angles, unless the trans goes more than 3" or so, as the trailing arms make an arc foward, max angle is at suspension travel limits, moving trans foward will introduce some angle at the point where the cv's are horizontal where normally there is none. It actually improves the angle when massive 5' and bigger arms are used in some cases.