MattB

OK, I don’t have my weights with me at the moment, so please excuse the lack of numbers. However, in theory, how do you adjust the corner weight and can the sway bars affect the corner weight? I assume you use the ride height adjustments, but say you have one corner that is light do you lower that corner a little or raise it?

For example, my right rear is a lighter than the left. Does that mean that the left is set higher or could I have pre-loaded the rear sway to throw it off?

Any DIY guides or articles on corner weighting? Or just some practical clues? How much difference between the corners is enough to be concerned with? Which is more important the front to rear or left to right distribution?

Thanks for any info you can pass along

Maineiac

Good questions....

B-ras

I know that you lower the car to increase weight at a given corner. My setup was 1/2 turn (IIRC) higher in the left rear to account for my 220lbs. as a driver. IDK if sway bar would have much effect, but I doubt it. I'm sure David or another more knowledgable party will chime in.

Solofast

Basically you want the % of weight on along each side to be the same, front to rear. You can't get it balanced from side to side, but you can get the percentages to be the same on each side. Also you can't alter the percentage of weight on front end (total) you can just distribute it from side to side.

First look at the totals for the front and back axles, and then the totals from each side. Use those numbers to get the front percentage (front wheel totals divided by the total weight of the car), and the rear wheel percentage. Then multiply that percentage for the front weight by the total for each side. That is your target weight for that front wheel.

That is, if the left side has 1600 pounds on it and the right side has 1550 and say that you have a 51% front weight bias overall, then the left side weights would be 816 on the left front and 790.5 on the right front. The left rear would have 784 and the right rear would have 759.5. Take the total for each side and divide it by the front and get a percentage, then compare from side to side.

It is better to do it without the sway bar attached (at least in the front), and then after you get it balanced, use the adjustable link on the sway bar to set it for no preload. If you don't the sway bar will likely be loaded and it can move to one side or make noise.

You will jack weight on the diagonal. If the right rear is lighter than the left, lowering the left rear (taking weight off by loosening the that screw) will put more weight on the right rear AND the left front.

TedDBere

You guys are dangerous...lol.

Corner weighting is done to get the cross weights the same. In NASCAR the difference between the cross weights are called Wedge adjustments.

LF+RR = RF+LR

There are many threads discussing how to do this, I suggest searching for them.

You add weight to a cross by raising either one of, or both of the corners you want to add the weight to. The other cross will have it's weight lowered when you do this. YOU CAN NOT MOVE WEIGHT FROM FRONT TO BACK OR SIDE TO SIDE, WITHOUT PHYSICALLY RELOCATING THE WEIGHT!

The sway bars should be disconected when you cornerweight and adjustable endlinks should be used to avoid any pre-load on the suspension.

If you're serious about having the car cornerweighted I'd suggest finding a good race shop in your area and have them do it. Couple hundred bucks with an alignment too.

Good luck.

MattB

Thanks for the inputs

I've searched and not found much info, at least here in this forum.

Appreciate the help, not necessarily looking to do it myself, but not a lot of shops around here know what to do or offer it.

davidfarmer

It's all above. Sway bars can definitely "jack" weight into the car if they are not adjusted neutrally (ie with car on the ground AFTER car has been scaled), and if they are off much, it will cause them to slide to one side, often causing the bumping against the control arm people sometimes run into.

I usually set the front ride height the way I want it, then jack weight into or out of one of the rear corners while the car is on the scales. I do it this way because the rear adjusters are easier to reach when the car is on the ground (scales give you an extra 3" or so). Once I'm within about 20lbs with leaf springs (you can get closer with coils), I crawl underneath, adjust the heim lengths, and attach the sway bars. Then double check the alignment, but you usually aren't changing enough to move your suspension much at all.

You must have 1. adjustable sway bar links 2. scales 3. know-how
......to do this.

I can pretty much guarantee 90% of the lowered C5/C6's on the market have really screwed up their corner weights even worse than GM did!

fmrfast

[QUOTE=TedDBere;1560489795]

Corner weighting is done to get the cross weights the same.


I agree.

Disconnect the sway bars & start playing, you will see which adjustment does what. It is part of the learning curve. Cross weights is what you want to get as close to 50/50. After you are as close as you can get settle the car & use adjustable sway bar end lnks to connect the sway bars without preload. Also you may want to have a friend or 2 help. This way you can park your but in the seat & wach the scales as they make the adjustments. You do race with you in the seat so I advise scaling with you in the seat. Alternative if you are going it alone & you are into lifting, stack some weights in the driver seat = to your weight.

davidfarmer

Driver can make a big difference, as can passenger. A car I recently did jumped from 49.5% rf/lf to around 51.0% fr/lf when you added a driver. Keep in mind how you will be tracking, ie solo, or with an instructor/passenger, etc. On street cars, I usually try and split the difference between 1 person and 2.

AU N EGL

Old brake rotors do wonders.

0C5stein

Too Tall Bob

Go look here...this may be of help too:

http://www.schoenfeldheaders.com/ChassisSetup.htm

BWATSONZ06

So does an 03 Z06 come with adjust sway links or do you get them aftermarket.If aftermarket( Im assuming you need front and rear)where do you get them.Also wht is heim lengths?

Z06Norway

Here is my 0.2

Driver weight must be onboard.
Most imortant is to have equal weight on front axle, of course you would want X # also to be equal.
A good racer told us last track day that front is most important, due to brake in balance and neutral handling.

I will do my alignment again and corner weight next week, can update my findings late next week

Rune

0C5stein

Unless you are moving balast (weight, or equipment) around in the car, you can't get each front wheel weighing the same as well as getting the cross weight the same. The racer that you talked to either must have been eluding to shifting balist, or he didn't know his elbow from a hot rock. Having the left front tire weight equal to the right front, but not having equal weight on each rear tire (LR vs RR) would mean that you are putting wedge in or out of the car. That will make the car turn one way better than the other way and that is not what you probably are lloking for.

The driver's weight must be in the car! If you usually have a passenger then you should have that weight in the car as well. You should have your average fuel load in the car. The anti sway bar's end links should be disconnected (and you need to get adjustable end links).

THE GOAL FOR MOUNTAIN ROAD, AUTO-X AND NON-TRACK SPECIFIC ROAD COUSE SET UP IS TO HAVE 50/50 CROSS WEIGHT. Forget about front wheel weight (Left vs right) and forget about left side vs right side weight. You are looking for ZERO wedge (50/50 cross weight) period.

davidfarmer

No corvettes come with adjustable heim joints. You can get a half set of VBP heims (split a set with a friend) and put an adjustable on one side of the front and rear. They are longer than the OEM's, but you can trim them down and make them work. Using a single adjuster saves money, and leads to less noise.....since heims do make noise.

Z06Norway

Read what i said, i did not say you could have both, i said the most important between the two options is to have equal weight on front to get the best balance (or he did)
BTW, his name is Tommy Rustad and is aknown repected driver over here, in STCC.
and it was just my 0.2

If you are more experienced than Tommy, hat off to you and i will listen to all you have to say :-)

Rune

gkmccready

How much does corner-weight change with alignment changes? Since I'm using the Hardbar stud kit to let me run street/track alignments I'm curious how those changes would affect corner-weight.

I'm thinking they shouldn't so long as the ride height doesn't change and the swaybars have zero pre-load, but I just wanted to check.

And what are folks paying for corner-weighting?

TedDBere

Last time I did it we set ride height, corner weighted and aligned for $350.

davidfarmer

I charge around $250 for a simple alignment and corner balance if the car already has adjustable end links. If I have to install heims, or switch to camber plates etc, it is a little more for the time to swap out parts