Originally Posted by
daleburr
I think the bit missing there is that although the tyres with the extra weight have more grip, they will also have more force trying to push them sideways away from the corner.
That's exactly what I was thinking when I read Bob's reply. I even read the linked article. It was very interesting, but seemed to only be talking about suspension tuning, not moving mass around.
Originally Posted by
daleburr
This doesn't apply to straight-line braking or acceleration (since there is no lateral load). So moving weight forwards on a FWD or rearwards on a RWD will help straight-line acceleration. For a 4wd you'd want to keep all 4 tyres equally loaded for best straight-line acceleration.
I'm not sure that last bit is actually true, if you're talking about static weight distribution, which becomes rear-heavy under acceleration. I've personally found to some degree that more weight forward can actually help on power steering. It's not something I've tested extensively, though, because I hate corner entry push.
But I think the absolute maximum forward bite would come with the front heavier so that under acceleration weight transfer, the front and rear tire loads would be even. Kind of irrelevant, though, since we're road racing and not drag racing. Although some layouts can be point-and-shoot enough that we might as well be drag racing in modified.
-Mike