Im interested in what the ride height difference is between the front and rear to get near 50/50 balance.
the prob is that its not as simple as making the fender gap even front and back. With 50/50 balance the rear will actually appear to have less fender gap than the front.
~2001 540i/6speed~
Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.
I've weighted a few cars over the years. You will not make any appreciable difference in the front-rear distribution by changing the rake a few mm. But it is very easy to dial in a ton of cross-weight and not know it.
Last edited by rf900rkw; 05-17-2013 at 10:41 AM.
/.randy
Go to a public scale, and weigh each wheel separately. Slip the guy $20.
Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.
Road side weigh stations can do individual weights?
~2001 540i/6speed~
Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.
Sure, just make sure you only have one wheel at a time on the scale.
Now seeing that your are in Jersey you may have a hard time finding a truck stop what has a scale that is free long enough for you to do all 4 wheels, add weight, and then re-measure the corners again.
Some junk yards also have scales.
metal dealers too. interested in this since I just did the CO's but we've not finished the ride height. FWIW the KW/ST kit rear links don't go that super low even wound all the way down. See the pics I posted on my other thread... I'll have to either do final adjust with software, or, mod the links, otherwise I'll have a lot of rake... actually seems like mebbe I've heard of that being an issue for some of the KW/ST guys...
BTW JimLev - would love to connect and see yer car some time when you're around.
Last edited by geargrinder; 05-18-2013 at 07:29 AM.
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
My buddy has corner weight scales for his hill climb car.
I decided that messing with them was more of a fiasco/headache than its worth. I ended up just lowering the car equally all around which should preserve the stock distribution.
2001 330Cic/A in the same color combo is "Her" ride.
I've been told for street cars that it's probably low value-add overkill but that it depends on the car and how much you lower it. If DIY'ing, you have to be careful with (or avoid using) fender-gap measurements based on body style - some cars are designed OEM to have bigger gaps in front than rear so if a DIY'er uses pure fender-gap for visuals (not saying you're doing this but lots of stancers do), he is likely actually weighting to the front.
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
How can you say you are still on the factory weight distribution? What measuring method did you use to make sure the loaded length of your random adjustable aftermarket suspension unit is exactly the same the factory spring/shock/shim setup?
An experiment: Take your perfectly set up car, turn the RF and LR up two turns, and the LF and RR down two turns. These cars are stiff enough that your wheel arch measuring is gonna show pretty much the same as before. But you just jacked 100 pounds of cross weight into (or maybe out of) the car. the numbers given are educated guesses on the going spring rates and the course thread on the BCs. Those running 2x4 conversion springs will be even more sensitive.
As far as using a public scale, unless their platform and surrounding area is billardtable level, you'll just get random numbers. A 1/4" of run over the length of the car will change your numbers by over 100 pounds.
/.randy
I never said my car is perfectly set up. I just made what seems like a justifiable assumption that lowering the car equally front and rear should keep the weight distribution fairly close to stock, or at least more so than setting it based solely off of how nicely the tires sit in the wells/fender gap.
2001 330Cic/A in the same color combo is "Her" ride.
So that should mean that rake can possibly throw off distribution even further?
Shifting weight slightly forward AND angling the car down more in front I would think further increase front loading at speed. Akin to increasing the angle of a wing?
2001 330Cic/A in the same color combo is "Her" ride.
Probably.
I just think aiming for some particular weight distribution when motionless is not likely to give you an advantage. The car's suspension is subject to a myriad of forces, most of it unquantifiable.
More important than weight distribution is polar moment of inertia. PMI concerns where the weight is with respect to the center of gravity, which can be spread out (bad) or close to the CoG (good).
Sent from my Nexus 7 using BF.com
Last edited by Graham E39 528i; 05-18-2013 at 10:18 PM.
so what your suggesting is that instead of adjusting a static weight to 4 corner balance, you would rather see a system where the weight at each corner changes in real time? a fluid dynamic gravitas distribution and redistribution system for keeping the car's center of gravity at an optimal 90degree to the earth's gravitation pull?
heavey doc.jpg
~2001 540i/6speed~
Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.
If you were to raise the back of the car 0.5 inches, how much weight will be moved to the front?
/.randy
the math is really rather quite simple if you care to follow along
360 degrees divided by .5 inch equals 180 lbs
multiply 180 pounds by 4 tires then divided by 2 axles = 360lbs
360 lbs will be shifted from the rear to the front assuming that the car was referenced at a position level to the horizon and plumb to the earth's magnetic field.
this will of course only work with the saloon. the wagon will have a special version that costs extra.
~2001 540i/6speed~
Schmiedman M5 headers, SPEC stage2+ kevlar clutch, JBR 11lb lightweight flywheel, ESS Tuning m60 manifold software tune, 3" SS freeflow OBX catback, afe cold air intake, m60 intake manifold, Cdv delete, powerflex urethane sway bar bushings, M5 rear sway bar ,Autozone replacement driver side blinker light bulb, 545 short shifter zhp weighted, "dsc off" sticker, m5 3.15 lsd differential, m5 chassis rods, akebono ceramic pads, G2 caliper epoxy, ecs braided lines, BC-Racing br-plus series w/swift springs 8/6~On the night that I go back in time, you will be shot by terrorists. Please take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent this terrible disaster.
Nice try.
Compared to a 0.5" rise in the rear, you can shift more weight to the front by filling an empty washer bottle.
/.randy
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
Back from the dead...
I’m the service manager at a performance shop. I changed the BC springs for Hypercoils and set ride height where I thought the car looked right and put it on the scales.
I guess I got it pretty good.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2001 330Cic/A in the same color combo is "Her" ride.
LOL back from the dead indeed. I woulda guessed you were out of the 540 long ago... Are you still rolling Audis too?
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
I haven’t bought a car in 5 years.
Still have the 540 and 200 20v Avant. I drive new stuff every day and everything I’d buy is more than I want to spend right now and I just love what I have. Plus I’m closing on a house next month so I’m not buying anything right now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2001 330Cic/A in the same color combo is "Her" ride.
That is so excellent, I was gonna ask. I fondly think of my Type 44 and C4 often. My C4 S6 is owned by my pro-tech buddy locally and hes made it way better and nicer (incl full repaint...) so I see it often (and of course lust for it but then again I didn't spend the months and months of labor and piles of dough on parts for all the stuff he's done to fix up the little bits since I sold it to him...). He's warming up to finally refreshing the motor - thing must have 200k on it now though and still running totally strong even w/ full RS2+ turbo/intercooler job and being driven hard including a few track days...
Re: new cars - yeah wife had a loaner A3 last few days (getting her Takata face-rippers replaced) with like 2k miles on it... its real nice.. in some ways... but somewhat personality-less... which is what we keep finding w/ new BMW's and Audis... gonna have to buy her a new car at some point tho'... I can keep driving my old rigs happily forever but she's "normal" and actually would like to have a new car once every 10yrs or so...
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
Bookmarks