Is pod balancing really necessary?

[Wig]

Hi all

I have balanced the rear pod of my GT12 but to be honest have not noticed any difference in handling.
Is it really necessary?

Wig

[SlowOne]

No. The rear of the car is sat on a tripod consisting of the two rear tyres and the centre pivot. Being a tripod, it will distribute the weight pretty much evenly over those three points.

If the weight of the motor is a long way off, then it might affect the handling. However, GT12 cars weigh a lot compared to other pan cars, and have low power, so some unevenness in the weight inside the pod will have little or no effect on the handling or grip.

The Schumacher 30g weight does most of the job and is a convenient way to add weight to the car. That's as far as I went. The motor is rather off centre so the 30g weight serves a dual purpose - evens the pod up a bit and adds to the overall amount needed to make the weight limit. The Zen has the motor in the middle and the wheel clamp on the left side of the axle to even up the diff weight - job done!

This debate has gone on for years. My favourite thread was one on RCTech. Some anorak was banging on about how much time he spent balancing his rear pod on his LMP12 car and how much faster he went. In comes a load of other people saying the same thing, quoting some mechanical theories from Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales and so it goes on. On comes Mike Blackstock, multiple ROAR National Champion, Snowbirds LMP12 Mod winner and Worlds A Finalist.

"Tried that," said Mike, "and it made my car handles worse. Not going to do that again. Balance from my standard AE cars is just fine and the car handles well. Balancing pods is a waste of time."

The thread stopped dead in its tracks!

If you are a racing God like Mike, then you might be able to tell some difference. For mere mortals the issue is pretty much a red herring in GT12, but getting it somewhere near when the motor is so far to the right in the Schumacher GT is not a bad thing. HTH :)

[mark christopher]

Yes it does, if the pod is balanced, so equal weight is applied to each tyre, then the chassis should be balanced without the pod, and the parts assembled, you can confirm this with corner weight scales, if the pod is weighted to the diff side, by hanging the chassis of the bottom of the pod, the diff side still weighs more.

[metalmickey0]

Yes it does, if the pod is balanced, so equal weight is applied to each tyre, then the chassis should be balanced without the pod, and the parts assembled, you can confirm this with corner weight scales, if the pod is weighted to the diff side, by hanging the chassis of the bottom of the pod, the diff side still weighs more.

Yep. Balanced mine out and my car accelerates in a straight line whereas before it'd jink left everytime.

[SlowOne]

Never balanced a pod in my life - never had a car accelerate in anything but a straight line. Never, ever seen any top 12th driver ever bother to balance a pod, and never seen that be a cause of a car accelerating to one side or another.

You'll get beaten by more unbalanced pods than balanced pods in any given race, so if it was as essential as making sure you have equal steering throw to both locks, or ensuring the car was not tweaked, then everyone would be doing it. And they aren't...

And I now manage to beat Mr. Christopher on a regular basis with my unbalanced pod! Yeah, cheeky... but true!! :D :D

Balancing pods is time in my life I will never get back... ;)

[Wig]

Thanks for the replies. I see that its one of those topics that has no definitive answer. Logic says it should be balanced but on the other hand if it was so important why do the 12th Pan Car manufacturers and racers not bother with it.

Yep. Balanced mine out and my car accelerates in a straight line whereas before it'd jink left everytime.

This was my initial reason for balancing it as my car would hook a left on heavy throttle but it only seemed to happen off the start. I balanced the pod and chassis, reset droop and the suspension but it still hooks left off the start.

Having not being able to solve this by setting up the car my only answer is that it is down to me being too heavy on the throttle and the additive not being cleaned off the tyres properly and it being a 2wd it inherently wants to spin or could it be something else that I have overlooked?

Wig

[beale]

Well pod balance or not, I had the pull to the left on a LMP 12 and the advice I got from here was diff setting and front droop, I had 0.5mm of difference in front droop which I shimmed out to zero droop both sides and nipped the diff a 1/4 turn and I can now point and shoot,

[SlowOne]

Thanks for the replies. I see that its one of those topics that has no definitive answer. Logic says it should be balanced but on the other hand if it was so important why do the 12th Pan Car manufacturers and racers not bother with it.



This was my initial reason for balancing it as my car would hook a left on heavy throttle but it only seemed to happen off the start. I balanced the pod and chassis, reset droop and the suspension but it still hooks left off the start.

Having not being able to solve this by setting up the car my only answer is that it is down to me being too heavy on the throttle and the additive not being cleaned off the tyres properly and it being a 2wd it inherently wants to spin or could it be something else that I have overlooked?

WigHave you checked the diff setting? Also, are all four tyres within 0.1mm diameter side to side?

"...additive not being cleaned off..." Does this only happen when you first put the car down to race? If you haven't dried the tyres well, then yes, it will veer off one way to another. In those circumstances it is usually because the front track is not perfectly in line with the rear track so the car tries to square itself up.

This is more prevalent with a link car if the links have any play in them at all. On my GT there is some play in the side links whatever I do unless I fit the O rings. I don't like the damping that way and prefer the side dampers, so the car does have a little shake of the hips every time it goes off the line.

Tyres must be completely dry before racing. Use an old towel and dry them off completely at least one heat before racing - one clear heat between drying and racing - so they are ready to race immediately. That's not always possible on club nights, so the first two or three laps need to be taken steady while the additive dries off and the tyres pick up any on the carpet to bed in to the track.

The diff should be tight with no slip whatsoever. If it slips that can also cause the car to veer off one way to the other.

If your suspension settings are right and the diff is tight, then try dying the tyres more. If that doesn't cure it then as you say, there is something you are missing. HTH :)

[Wig]

Thanks. I forgot to say I'd checked the diff wasn't slipping and yes it seems to be only off the start. Will try drying the tyres earlier and see if that helps. :)