okay, i've got a simple question for everybody.... does power/weight ratio have anything to do with how well a car turns? read that carefully... not weight, but the ratio between power and weight. does that have anything to do with helping a car turn? it's obvious that it does not, but there's a jackass that i've been trying to prove this point to for almost a year now and he still doesn't get it lol me and 3 other guys have all tried to explain to him that a car will turn the same whether it has 200hp or 600hp. adding power does not add grip. if a car pulls .99 lateral G's, adding 20hp will not make it pull 1.0 lol just looking for some backup. thanks in advance.

 

Not really, but it can affect how the car feels when you get back on the power while turning. Too much power can cause mid-corner push, which is common.

 

exactly. power can break the tires loose at the limit, but to answer my question, does power/weight have anything to do with how well a car turns? my arguement with this guy is that if you take a car and give it more power, that won't help it turn any better. tires, chassis rigidity, suspension setup, overall weight, weight distribution, and alignment all help a car turn, not how much power it has.

 

I thought I answered you.

Theoretically, a RWD car with big rubber could potentially get better and better rotation with increased power if it previously didn't have enough power to do so. Generally, it's the opposite, though...more power will usually reduce traction while turning due to the circle of friction.

 

i get what you're saying, i think i'm just looking for a more definitive answer. more of the yes or no variety. the reason i say that is because while you say a RWD car could use the power to rotate better, and this is true, you can't count that in because ultimately that increased ability to turn isn't due to the added power. it's due to the driver's ability to use the added power effectively. just adding power doesn't help the car turn, and as you stated, it normally just makes things worse by reducing grip.

i'm trying to keep it as simple as possible because while i understand what you're saying, and i did understand your answer, the dumbass that's going to read this won't get it. he will see your answer as proof that power/weight ratio has something to do with turning ability lol. he refuses to understand that having 200hp/ton will not help you turn better than the same car with only 175hp/ton

 

he is obviously on some good stuff so tell him to share

 

His theory only works when increasing power to weight ratio by removing weight. Reducing weight will affect the p/w ratio and maintain a better grip

 

But eventually enough power will cause the steering to reduce as well regardless of the weight, right?

What I mean is even if you had a shell evo with only the driver’s seat and the engine it still is not corner well if there is too much power. At least that is my understanding. But with a lower center of gravity, better suspension, tires, and everything related you could make it corner somewhat better.

Again I am not claiming to have any real knowledge of this just sort of clarifying what my understanding is. If I am wrong please help me out and explain my error.

Raist

 

exactly. what i can't get him to understand is that the power part of the ratio has nothing to do with turning, therefore the ratio between power and weight has nothing to do with turning. it's only the weight that does.

 

you seem to have the basic concept down. power doesn't help the car turn, and in most cases it can make available grip less if there's too much power. BUT you can't really factor that in because power delivery is controlled by the driver, so the power level doesn't matter because the driver doesn't have to add the power in the corner at all if he doesn't want to. so it goes back to the original point, power has nothing to do with turning.