Subject: Re: Weight a minute

["David G. Lawson" <dbldmnd@compuserve.com>]

>err. no dave...

Opps, I was going from memory and didn't get it quite right.

>
the mb class 1 racer was *rumoured* to have a moveable mass to which was
bolted it's 'success ballast' (the weight added to the car after it won a
race), and
probably a little more besides. 
>

An article in the Feb 97 issue of European car states:
"At the rear bottom center of each car is an electronically controlled
balance weight system that takes the place of the four-wheel-drive system
that the other cars use. The system, which is controlled by a Bosch
electronic control center, uses hydraulic rams to move a large slab of
heavier-than-lead Mallory alloy back and forth according to throttle and
brake inputs from the driver. When the driver is on the throttle, the
system moves the sliding bar all the way back to its 22 inch travel to aid
in traction coming off a corner. When the driver lifts and goes for the
brake pedal, the weight is moved up toward the center of the car to aid in
braking balance. ... The moving balance weight can be anything from 20 to
200 kilograms depending on the track."

Sorry for the error, I had the directions reversed.

>
i had nothing to do with 50:50 weight distribution and everything to do
with
moving weight to where it was needed.  after all isn't 50:50 just a
compromise
between the requirements for good braking and acceleration?  (eg. why are
911's
tail happy under hard braking?)
<
Yup, but it is still a good example of how far the race teams went to get
the optimal weight bias as needed for a given drivetrain layout. Again,
sorry for any confusion.
-
Dave Lawson    dbldmnd@compuserve.com