3100lb Evo IX. Stock F/R weight distribution.
Which is better?
A. Getting weight down to 2950-2999lbs, while taking proportionally more weight from the rear so the balance is even worse (coilovers will allow for corner weighting).
B. Dropping to 3000-3050 with better weight distribution.

If you had a sliding scale between the two, where would you set it?

 

You're not going to get an Evo to 50/50. There is really just too much stuff (the entire engine and trans LOL) ahead of the front axle centerline. So your best bet is to just go with weight reduction and move what you can to the trunk. The big items for that are the ACD pump and the battery.

 

^basically. You'd have to add an unsafe amount of bolted down weight back there which would ultimately hurt rotation. Optimally one would do the longitude mounted setup back and lower, but I've only seen in 2 or 3 evo's ever with Ken Block budgets.

 

Well, I was thinking more theoretical than literal ("with better weight distribution"). I can't edit my title.

point being is it better to be lighter with worse distribution or heavier with more balance?

 

Depends on the chassis in each case. In our case it's as we said. But - in theory - say you built a custom tube chassis then 50/50 is where you want it because you could put everything in place perfectly.

 

I figure 3100 isn't that bad, as it is. Ideally, I'd like to lose some weight from the front, obviously.

I ask all of this, because i was looking to shave some weight, but it seems like so much comes from the rear (without taking out a second mortgage on the house LOL). I'm not ditching the AC or PS, so i think it kinda is what it is, when it comes to my car, specifically.

I was gonna move the battery. Mine is only 15lbs, but every bit helps. I'm thinking moving that and the ACD pump (ugh..) may be pretty decent if they are as far back as possible, yeah?

or is it really worth the trouble if i'm not ripping out everything, adding ballasts, etc?

 

I've thought long about it and at the end of the day I think less weight wins. Just run as much tire as you can to make the front work and use the extra rear grip to help the front via big swaybar abd unstick the rear.

For me to get to 50/50 weighing around 2925 I would need to add 600-700lbs to the rear or less if I went behind the axles. That'd just be dangerous and pointless IMO. It would only work to make the rear worse and help the front in no way.

 

damn our "FWD" cars LOL.

I'm thinking I can at least shave weight and mostly keep distribution the same. At least I'm familiar with how to deal with the handling... but with less weight, overall, the car would be more athletic. Even if it's only the difference between 3100 and 3000.

I'd really, really like to see 2999, though

 

I assume you mean for road course. Considering how long one spends at full throttle on a road course, less weight wins.

 

sub 3k is easy even with a full cage, but when you add the driver back it's right back at 3.1k lol

 

is there any other type of racing?


I'm okay with adding my 190lbs back in. I just wanna see 2999 on them scales LOL

 

Tony at UMS moved his drivers seat 14 inches back to improve weight distribution. Not sure you want to go that extreme lol

 

If I had what I needed to move the controls, I wouldn't mind.

 

Extend the shifter linkages and either get a pedal box or put some blocks of wood on the pedals

 

lol