grplapporsche

Imagine you’re on the track and you’re closing in on your best lap time ever. You hit the last left-right bend combo on the circuit, a tight and super fast S-curve. It’s the last obstacle separating you from the finish line. You enter the first left bend at optimal speed. You then instantly flick the steering wheel to the right in anticipation of the next turn and bury the throttle because you really want to nail your record time. All of a sudden, your car goes into a state of rejection, spinning out of control.

Chances are, you have just experienced “sideways weight transfer”. The weight of a car shifts to its outside wheels when cornering, which in sudden changes of direction (i.e. from left to right), the load applied to the outside wheels is massive, especially at high speeds. It’s important to steer and apply throttle in a smooth manner controlling the momentum of the car’s weight.

There are 3 types of weight transfer:

  1. The first being sideways weight transfer, as explained above
  2. Rear weight transfer which is caused by acceleration
  3. Forward weight transfer which is caused by braking

Remember folks, keep it smooth and always think ahead before negotiating any corner.

Stay tuned! Pun intended.

elwehbi@brakebanzeen

This post was written by guest blogger, El Wehbi, from the automotive blog Brake Banzeen! To read more of his work, visit brakebanzeen.com.