Matthew Carson wrote:
> At an event last weekend I didn't feel like I could get the rear of
> the car to rotate like I wanted it to, especially going into turns,
> ... and I thought that stiffening the rear compression might help.
Rear compression doesn't matter when entering turns. When entering
turns, you are braking, the rear is extending, so stiffening the rear
rebound or softening the front compression might help.
> My thought was that when entering a corner, the outside wheel will be
> in compression, so stiffening it would prevent it from rolling as
> quickly and prevent as much weight from transferring.
Yes, the outside wheels will be compressing -- but for shocks, you
need to think end-to-end, not side-to-side. You're going to adjust
one end at a time, not one side, so think about what you want that
end to do.
Also, you cannot prevent weight from transferring. All that matters
there is mass, CG height, and track width. You can change the rate
or amount of body roll that results from that weight transfer, but
assuming a fixed amount of grip and no physical changes to the car,
the same amount of weight will transfer.
> I am not sure how much was the shocks and how much was the driving.
> My question: is that a reasonable change? Is my understanding of the
> theory correct? I know shocks sometimes seem backwards from what I
> expect...
I'd say that's the case here. Stiffening the rear compression might
add oversteer on the way out (you get on the throttle, the rears
compress), but not on the way in.
Mark
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