Originally posted by caveman
when you talk about move the motor toward the center, you change the polar moment, not roll center. Roll center is determined by suspenion geometry. I like to use bigger spur gear, so I can move the motor to the outside, it helps to balance the weight left and right. GP cells are so heavy, even Sanyo are heavy.
Your post came in while I was writing mine - sorry if it appears to repeat what you just said.
Also thanks for pointing out that lateral balancing is actually to do with the polar moment of inertia - not roll centres.
As I understand it, roll centres are determined by the Angle of the camber links, the angle of the suspension arms at ride height and the lines that intersect with the contact patch of the tyres.
The lower the roll centre is from the CoG, the more the car will roll and therefore produce more grip - the higher the roll centre/closer it is to the CoG, the car will roll less and produce less grip.
Front and rear roll centres are not normally the same and the line that passes through both these theoretical points produce what is known as the roll axis.
If a car isn't laterally balanced, it will obviously effect the CoG but what about the the roll centres? Surely these theoretical points won't be central to the car - so presumably neither will the roll axis? Even if the suspension geometry is symetrical?