On 01/07/99 at 8:56 PM, Danielle Engstrom <aria@interaccess.com> wrote:
> You're leaving out an important part of the equation -- weight.
>
> I'm no physics guru, but my gut tells me that a smaller, and therefore
> lighter, car is generally going to corner better than bigger and heavier
> car (given that the "tire ratio" is proportionate -- you know, size of
> tire in relation to the size and weight of the car).
>
> That is, of course, unless the bigger, heavier car has far superior
> aerodynamics.
You have a very astute gut. The reason for this is that while more weight (as in
vehicle weight, not downforce weight) on the tires does increase grip, it also
increases the forces acting on the car which try to keep it from turning. Guess
which one increases faster?
Mike
Mike Shields
Webmaster Utah Region SCCA
<http://www,team.net/urscca/>
'99 Arrest-Me-Red Miata Sport Pkg
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