Weight

[jimmy]

How can adding lead be wrong if it helps? Just a thought. If it helps it helps.

[Northy]

Jimmy, what are you really doing when you add weight?

[jimmy]

slowing the reactions of the car?

[Lee Martin]

ensuring the weight change when cornering is where u want it to be.......

[Northy]

Altering the weight distribution......

[jimmy]

The 'classic' 2wd layout is about stability- and the B4 is already a HEAVY car.

[Northy]

[super__dan]

I agree light is right in principle but from a feel point of view and model cars sometimes is just feels better. My early B4 was MILES better when someone told me to put loads of lead in the back

Originally Posted by Northy

Just one example: Remember the doubles at Bury, my S2 was about 3g over the minimum weight limit that weekend and I nailed them every lap from my first lap of practise. The lightness of the car must have helped that?

Someone much cleverer than me once said: 'light is right'

To stir the pot, I was repeatadly told me car was one of the best over the double yet my car is almost always the HEAVIEST car at most 2wd nationals. What I lost in the air I must have gained in traction whilst on the ground???

It also flew pretty well over Richards car at the regional from what I remember?

[Richard Lowe]

But what was making the difference when you put the lead in the back Dan, the extra weight or the change in weight distribution? Since most people put the weight at the back maybe the B4's centre of gravity is too far forward...?

Originally Posted by super__dan

It also flew pretty well over Richards car at the regional from what I remember?

Only because I was being a big girl that lap

[Lee Martin]

frm wat i have found it just makes the rear suspension work alot better.....

and settles the car

[SHY]

My thoughts:

In principle lighter is always faster. But only if you have enough traction. If we talk about onroad cars, a heavier car will normally actually be faster in the wet (or with very low grip). Under dry conditions with good grip a lighter car is not only faster but also better to drive.

For 4WD OR I think that without question a lighter car is faster. Unless traction is very, very poor.

For 2WD OR it's more complex, as the amount of traction is much more limited. The laptimes will easily tell the truth... I agree somewhat with Richard though, since the Losis need lead in the front and B4s in the rear, there must be a very slight construction mistake. Still, we are talking about small amounts of lead here... The only thing I feel could be even better would be to get the same "added grip" from downforce in stead of weight.

(I tried with 5 cells on a very slippery track to get power down. Still, the car felt better with the "dead cell" in the car. The weight settles the car better)

[bigred5765]

my two cents,
the weight limits set on our toy cars was when we had little power and crap battery's, may be things need to be looked at now we have nuclear power stations for battery's and dragster motors, the extra weights calms down a over powered mad fast car that we run now a days. and makes them more controllable,after all if you put a 6000hp dragster motor in a f1 car I'm sure it would drive like a sack of poo till it had some weight added

[Richard Lowe]

Originally Posted by bigred5765

after all if you put a 6000hp dragster motor in a f1 car I'm sure it would drive like a sack of poo till it had some weight added

I'm pretty sure it would still be useless

[bigred5765]

i think u might be right richard lol

[super__dan]

I don't think the limits need changing, there is no problem right now. People who want to run light can do so, people who want to add weight can do so!

Rich, I don't know if more actual weight or weight distribution was the improvement. As my car is heavy, probably the weight distribution was more important on that day on that track.

Could I lighten the B4 front end easily and safely? Probably not.

What is interesting is people who pack the back of a B4 with lead, then run the cells forward! ???

[Chrislong]

In reply to Stewart, don't worry about the car being over weight.

My car is also well over weight, and it can be very difficult to bring it down to the BRCA minimum. Some people have been able to somehow without any effort, Northy and his S2, Rich Lowe and his B4, Stu Mahons XX4 - all light cars and they really have not tried to make them that way - just the way they are. (Lucky sods). But then some add weight anyway to an already heavy car.

Stewart, its all down to preference. As you can tell by the replies here what one person says is conclusively right, someone else will contradict. So go and get some sticky lead from kwik fit, and experiment.

Personally, I prefer not at the mo, that could change by weekend, and when I have run lead I can't really feel it unless I change it by 20g at a time. Anything less and im sure the feeling is phycological in knowing its there.

Chris

[SHY]

My bet is that we will see new EFRA rules before long with maximum 5 cells. It's probably the future. As I understand from touring cars, which already have these rules, they are actually now faster with 5 cells in stead of 6.

Main arguments from the manufacturers are less heat & technical problems. 5 cells helps a lot in this respect.

If this happens the question is whether the min. weight limit will be adjusted... (I hope not)

[Chrislong]

Id like to see minimum weight removed, could make things VERY interesting while we all learn how to/if to make car lighter.