>Actually, I've been spending an abnormally large amount of time thinking
>about this, and I have a theory as well (which, coincidentally, involves
>Glenn's).
>An unoccupied car will sit perfectly flat and level provided:
>- the surface itself is flat and level,
>- the suspension components are not worn, and
>- the weight of the car is perfectly evenly distributed from side to
> side.
>It's this last bit that I've been thinking on. An unoccupied 'B has an
>uneven weight distribution, with slightly more mass on the left side of
>the car: Induction system, Exhaust system (the manifold is heavy!),
>Steering column, even the Spare tire has a bias towards the left!
>Now, in Jollye Olde, this is presumably offset by the weight of the
>driver, but in most parts of the world the pilot only magnifies the
>problem. Do any of you on the East side of The Pond (or the South side
>of The Ball) have cars that sag on the right?
>A further thought: Though a battery doesn't approach the weight of a
>driver, in theory a single 12-volt on the passenger's side will
>alleviate the situation a bit.
Todd,
Not a bad theory, but I don't think that it holds true. I have a RHD that
sags on the right hand side of the car. I even have the battery located
under the hood where the Master cylinders are usually housed in a LHD car.
This provides a substantial amount of weight gain to the front/left hand
side of the car. Granted the steering column and hardware are on the
right hand side of the car, but there still should be enough weight so
that the car would lean to the left as opposed to the right.
It really baffles me to think that the problem is not resolved by replacing
the leaf springs? If the leaf springs are not the cause of the sag, then
is the entire car _bending_ over time?
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