Rake vs corner balance?

[midship]

It just came across my mind that, after setting the rake on the car, if then take it down the road for corner balance, wouldn't that mess up the rake?

So should I just ignore that and proceed with the corner balance?

[fpitas]

Originally Posted by midship

It just came across my mind that, after setting the rake on the car, if then take it down the road for corner balance, wouldn't that mess up the rake?

If they raise one side as much as they lower the other, no.

[fzust]

Originally Posted by midship

It just came across my mind that, after setting the rake on the car, if then take it down the road for corner balance, wouldn't that mess up the rake?

So should I just ignore that and proceed with the corner balance?

You will end up with a decent amount of rake anyway, since the desire will be to put weight in front. Corner balance will help and you should have more even rake WHEN you are in the car.....

[fishguy]

you should really set up the car in "race trim"(scaleing the car).
amount of fuel used on track, and driver in the car.
you can use weights to simulate your body if you are doing this alone.

[John Stimson]

Originally Posted by fzust

You will end up with a decent amount of rake anyway, since the desire will be to put weight in front.

Think about that for a minute. How does rake affect front/rear weight distribution, or vice-versa?

I agree with Francis.

[fzust]

Originally Posted by John Stimson

Think about that for a minute. How does rake affect front/rear weight distribution, or vice-versa?

I agree with Francis.

Yay, we're all right! raise the rear if puts more weight(not alot) on the front wheels. But Francis is correct a proper race corner balance is needed here of which Rake will be a part of the alignment.

[midship]

Originally Posted by fzust

Yay, we're all right! raise the rear if puts more weight(not alot) on the front wheels. But Francis is correct a proper race corner balance is needed here of which Rake will be a part of the alignment.

fzust and others - i vaguely understand what you guys are saying. I am going to do that myself and probably help with a friend. Can you give me an example how to incorporate the rake into the corner balance equation?

I have set the car up according to the lotus service manual. Let's just assume I am going to drive with me and a full tank of gas. I am going to do a cross weight balance. (I have been hearing conflicting info on this so I just pick one method)

Let's just say I raise the driver's side rear to take the weight off... now the rake is incorrect right. What do i do now?

[xtn]

Adjusting the corner balance, if it's not horrendously off in the first place, shouldn't effect rake all that much. I mean if you're dropping the front 5mm lower than the rear, for example, and then you're going to adjust corner weights using only one thread of the shock body or less probably. So you're rake will probably stay within half a mm of where you started I'll bet.

xtn

[fpitas]

Originally Posted by midship

fzust and others - i vaguely understand what you guys are saying. I am going to do that myself and probably help with a friend. Can you give me an example how to incorporate the rake into the corner balance equation?

I have set the car up according to the lotus service manual. Let's just assume I am going to drive with me and a full tank of gas. I am going to do a cross weight balance. (I have been hearing conflicting info on this so I just pick one method)

Let's just say I raise the driver's side rear to take the weight off... now the rake is incorrect right. What do i do now?

Lower the passenger side rear an approximately equal amount. Obviously, each side should only change half what you would have changed a single side.

[JK20]

If you are corner balancing for stock class, there's not a whole lot you can do about shifting weight around. Its all about the 50/50 cross weights. I have the Track Pack so I can adjust the collars, I always start by measuring the collars to some reference point to "zero it out". I spent hours fiddling with it and you can try making huge height changes and it would only make about 5-10 pounds difference and really mess up the cross weight. The car stock with me in it was 51/49 and I couldn't do any better than my zeroed out setting. Why? Height changes don't make huge gains with a light car with tiny overhangs,relatively long wheelbase, and my 200# ass...and there isn't any ballast to move around (at least in SS)...like the battery that is on the wrong side for us Yanks.

[midship]

Originally Posted by JK20

If you are corner balancing for stock class, there's not a whole lot you can do about shifting weight around. Its all about the 50/50 cross weights. I have the Track Pack so I can adjust the collars, I always start by measuring the collars to some reference point to "zero it out". I spent hours fiddling with it and you can try making huge height changes and it would only make about 5-10 pounds difference and really mess up the cross weight. The car stock with me in it was 51/49 and I couldn't do any better than my zeroed out setting. Why? Height changes don't make huge gains with a light car with tiny overhangs,relatively long wheelbase, and my 200# ass...and there isn't any ballast to move around (at least in SS)...like the battery that is on the wrong side for us Yanks.

Just to reconfirm JK20's finding. He is absolutely right. There wasn't anything I could do to make the x-weight 50-50 without totally mess up the right height. With just me in the car it is 50.6/49.4. So I just left it at that, after fiddling a bit. Relocating the battery to the right hand side will work but can't be done in stock. Thanks for all the inputs guys!