Body ride height and corner weights

[DavidOliver]

I have decided to set wheel corner weights as I have a body height difference at the front.
I have new adjustable shockers all round and new front springs.
I used to set wheel weights with a Pace corner weight guage but now I see electronic scales are used but these are pricey for my one-off use and here in Madrid I do not know where to get it done by someone else.
What are forum comments on this matter? I have seen body height (to ground) dimensions on this Forum but prefer even corner weights to equal body height..
What opinion about setting rear shocker height adjustment to even out front end height differences?

Dave the cog

[AndrewWebber]

As you say corner weights should ideally trump ride height differences for best handling, braking etc. If you do get to have them measured most important to have equal tyre pressures side to side and that the anti roll bar(s) is(are) disconnected, then when corner weight are set be very careful to ensure that when re attaching the anti roll bar(s) they are adjusted / shimmed to give no pre load on level ground. Also you need to add weight to the seat(s) to simulate persons to be carried and fuel level to be 'typical'.

I've only ever done it on my Elan+2 and 'Europa' competition cars never the 'road' Elite.

Plenty of motorsport in and around Madrid, there must be competition car workshops around that could do it.

Andy

[Lotus-e-Clan]

David I can recommend the cheap DIY method I used for corner weights that we discussed previously on here.

Reference back to the topic https://www.lotusexcel.net/viewtopic.p ... 145#p96145

Here's my original link to the scales David - which is out of date now (uk ebay obviously):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293412846667 ... SwAyleFOhU

And a current link to the same wireless 500kg scales I bought (now £95).

And one from Amazon (2025 update) Search = "Wireless Digital Platform Weighing Scale Steel 500KG"
[url]https://www.amazon.co.uk/KATSU-Too ... C74&sr=8-2

There are cheaper 500kg scales (about £54), but they're not wireless and so the attached console would get in the way

[Pete Boole]

I'd forgotten about this topic being discussed earlier! I'll be really interested to see how you get on David. Definitely worth looking at. The anti-roll bar is so awkward to fit that it's very hard to tell if there is any residual unwanted tension in it. I hadn't considered shimming the anti-roll bar locations Andy - good call.

Pete

[Marten]

I have decided to set wheel corner weights as I have a body height difference at the front.
I have new adjustable shockers all round and new front springs.
I used to set wheel weights with a Pace corner weight guage but now I see electronic scales are used but these are pricey for my one-off use and here in Madrid I do not know where to get it done by someone else.
What are forum comments on this matter? I have seen body height (to ground) dimensions on this Forum but prefer even corner weights to equal body height..
What opinion about setting rear shocker height adjustment to even out front end height differences?

Dave the cog

For a road car I would be inclined to think that equalizing the ride hight left and right with the rear jacked up centraly so it can pivot should be close enough?

[DavidOliver]

When living in Malaga I had space to play around with most things but never got to sorting wheel corner weights.
Now in Madrid I have severe space restrictions, and my back tells me I am getting older, it is easy to get down but not so easy to get up.

Normally to set corner weights you have four height adjustable shock absorbers and can balance fronts and rears.
When you only have height adjustment at the rear, as with SJS replacement shockers all round, the rear set up can effect the front load by twisting the chassis/fibreglass body composite.
The new front springs do not necesarily have perfectly equal load resistance.
To equal out front body height, as measured by the gap between tyre top surface and the wheel arch, i have a difference at the front of one finger as against three fingers, i wondered if I had spring turret deflection difference, overstressed joint, and I bought a thick spring seat which has a 15mm thicker base, but prefer to investigate loaded spring lengths which can be caused by rear shocker bad adjustment, effectively loading the diagonal opposite front spring. The thicker spring seat can be used to improve body height. not suspension height, when wheel loads are equalised, if needed.

I intend to loosen the rear spring settings to see if this affects the front body height, check the turrets for damage/dimensions, and when more confident I know what the trouble is, get a local specialist garage to set corner weights with a minimum two scale measurement and adjustment, including ride height to get suspension at correct levels.

Dave the Cog

[DavidOliver]

For Marten.
If you balance front end with rears raised on a single point (subframe) when you lower the rear end down you can affect the front balances.
Either the suspension heights or spring loads on the rear may be different which transfers loads differently to the frontto when lowering back to the road surface.
Of course I could be wrong or looking for an unobtainable accuracy. Bearing grommets, spindle bolts bolted tight, ball sockets, unequal bushes to anti-roll bars, etc.

Dave the Cog.

[Marten]

For Marten.
If you balance front end with rears raised on a single point (subframe) when you lower the rear end down you can affect the front balances.

nothing stops you from reversing the process with a pivot up front if the car still turns out skewed

[AndrewWebber]

I think that would work but may have to be 'iterative' as any 'pre load' at the end on the ground will influence the raised end. In any case a 'cambered' road where we have to mainly drive on one side will limit the benefits of the 'last 5%' of corner weight work so I wouldn't chase to the ultimate. More important I think is bump steer, (steering rack height) particularly with relatively soft long travel suspension.

Andy