Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Weight Distribution
WEIGHT DISTRUBUTION

Weight distribution is vital if you want your car to perform well on turns and/or accelerate well in a drag race.

Back End

More weight on the rear wheels of a RWD car, allows for better traction while accelerating. The added weight can decrease the chance of your tires from breaking free from the road in what is call a burnout/spinout. Many large drag racers are built with large engines in between the large rear tires so that all the weight is on the driving tires. Although weight on the back of a car may be good for acceleration, it is not good for turning. This is because your back end will have more of a tendency to swing. For instance, if you made a turn with to much weight on the back, the rear wheels would over turn your front tires and it would put you into a spin. This is called oversteer. While specifically designed drag vehicles are extreme, a common weight distribution for a stock vehicle in this case would be 40/60.

Front End

More weight in the front will make it easier to break the traction of your tires. This is good for drifting while turning. But too much of a weight difference can prove to be fatal(when trying to win race) because you will not be able to hit the gas hard without breaking the tires loose. A common weight distribution for cars in this case would be 60/40.

Even

Even weight is good all around. It doesnt make anything easier or harder its just even. When drifting it will be harder to break loose but easier to control. When acceleration you may still break the traction of your tires when you step on the gas but it will be hard otherwise. A common weight distribution for cars in this case would be 50/50.

Return to Main Page

Copyright © 2002 ppddaiddddyy's site