I have a reputation for driving some of the most cosmetically ‘tasteful’ racecars in the field. It’s a throwback to my drifting days when DIY builds, spray-painted cars, and zip-tied panels were the norm. That aesthetic carried over to my wheel-to-wheel racing.
I’v also been setting up racecars of all sorts for over 20 years. Gaining a reputation for mechanically top-notch cars that appear to go through turns with a level of stability that most others don’t have. Part of that is skill, but the other part is proper racecar setup. An often overlooked and misunderstood art, especially when it comes to corner balancing.
This year, in the run-up to the NASA National Championship at Ozarks International Raceway, I wasn’t competing and was asked to set up a 944 Spec racecar that has been a handful. It turned into a great case study in why corner balancing is an essential part of going fast. The results were, frankly, impressive.
What is Corner Balancing?
This isn’t a how-to guide (that’s saved for Part 2). For now, I would like to demonstrate the power of corner balancing using real-world data.
First, corner balancing is the process of adjusting a racecar’s suspension so that the weight carried by each wheel is properly balanced. The goal is to equalize the cross weight, the diagonal distribution of weight from one corner of the car to the other.
When crossweight is correct, the car:
- Handles consistently in both left and right turns.
- Puts power down more effectively out of corners.
- Uses its tires evenly to improve grip and longevity.
- Most importantly, gives the driver confidence, since the car reacts predictably.
The process requires placing the car on four scales (one under each wheel) and then making small changes to ride height until the weight distribution is optimized. It doesn’t add horsepower or grip directly, but it allows the driver to utilize 100% of what’s already there.
The Data (and the Fix)
Driver Jeremy Pohlman’s complaints were classic imbalance symptoms: poor right-hand rotation, mid-corner twitchiness, and trouble putting power down on exit. The night before he left for Nationals, I put his car on the scales. It was way out: significant corner-to-corner variations and an overall crossweight of about 40%, far from the 50% target.
In short, it was obvious why the car was a handful to drive.
With only a couple of hours before we ran out of time, I made the typical fine adjustments. It still wasn’t enough, and I re-indexed the rear torsion bars (that’s how you set rear ride height on a 944). And after a mix of small tweaks and the big move, the car landed essentially on target, within about a quarter of a percent of 50.
What Driver Confidence Looks Like
At Champs, I was told the car now handles amazingly. This became quite evident in the driver’s laptimes. How does a 7-second improvement sound? This allowed Jeremy to not only run at the front but also to secure P2 at the national level solidly. And more remarkably, he was able to break the track record in his pursuit of P1. Not bad for a 2-hour corner balance correction.
Lap Time Before Corner Balancing
Lap Time After Corner Balancing
Conclusion
Corner balancing is a very powerful tool when it comes to racecar setup. If you or your driver lacks confidence due to the car, balance is an often-overlooked issue that can yield significant dividends when understood and executed properly. Get cross weights right and you’ll often unlock lap time you didn’t know you had.
In Part 2, I will walk you through, step by step, how to properly analyze and corner balance a racecar, as well as the tools I use to get the job done.
