Ok now I'm somewhat starting to learn about Aerodynamics, and weight. is it better to have less weight in the front or rear of the vehicle? like what I want to do is get Fiberglass fenders and a few misc parts in carbon fiber like the applique peice around the rear windows not the rear windsheild, and also possibly the doors in Carbon Fiber as well. will this much less weight have a dramatic negative effect on the vehicle if i drop the 3800 V6 into it and go fast? like will it cause to much lift? Sorry If I sound like an idiot I'm trying to learn about everything. Any help is greatly appriciated. I know currently a stock Pontiac Sunfire SE coupe has a base curb weight of 2791 ibs, which I was surprised that the Corvette weighs so much more.
3800 is a heavy v6. You should go with a 3500. Also doing all carbon fiber will not change your f/r weight ratio that much. I never heard of a Jbody having lift issues.
On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.
Well I had a concern about lift because the car as it is weighs so little compared to other sports cars I've seen, and I really wanted a 3800 V6to add a lot of oomphh to my car it will definitly be a competitor to my friends 2010 ss camaro after i tune the V6 and get it to run over 400HP+
It depends on what type of racing you are doing. For road racing/handling you want it as close to a 50/50 split(front/rear). For drag racing you want more weight over the powered wheels to help with traction.
currently it is stock, do stock cars already have perfect 50/50 distribtuion? or would body panels and stuff help that?
Stock cavalers are no where close to 50/50.
Below is from a 99 model year, but should be about the same for other years.
Weight Distribution AT (Front) 67
Weight Distribution AT (Rear) 33
Weight Distribution MT (Front) 65
Weight Distribution MT (Rear) 35
PRND321 Till I DIE
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Well you could always add a huge 30 gal. fuel cell in the trunk, and still maintain a close 50/50 with the tank full.
weight distribution is based on a few factors.
what is the car doing?
where are the driven wheels?
what is the driver PREFERENCE?
I've seen people say (ie. track racers) they disliked driving 50/50 distribution in preference of slight bias towards the front of the car being heavier (oversteer)
it all depends. There is no definitive answer.
would a 50/50 distribution be better for handling?
No body panels, wings, bumpers, fenders, etc will alter the weight distribution in any signifigance.
You could remove your doors completely and it wouldn't change it enough to matter.
Short of moving the engine, you will not alter the vehicle's weight distribution in any meaningful way .
Taylor Latham wrote:would a 50/50 distribution be better for handling?
I'll be the 3rd person to say this- it all depends on what you're doing with the car. What do
YOU want to do with it? Just shed weight? Road race? Drag race?
Also mentioned- body panels don't have a significant weight effect. Even if you strip both bumper reinforcements, all the trunk/ hood hinges (pin on panels), and CF the doors, you're still only shedding like 250-300lbs at most. The easiest way to distribute the weight is with adjustable suspension.
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Rob Dotterer wrote:3800 is a heavy v6. You should go with a 3500. Also doing all carbon fiber will not change your f/r weight ratio that much. I never heard of a Jbody having lift issues.
It's only 22lbs heavier than the all aluminum high feature V6, which is close to the same weight as the average 60 degree. Just get a supercharged 3800, that should solve the 22lbs. And J bodies do start to experience some lift issues at sustained high speeds, but it isn't really noticeable until the governor kicks in, and isn't really a problem until past 120mph.
