Is 50/50 Weight Distribution the best for GRIP?

What is the best Weight Distribution for a car? Is it 50/50, or is that what auto manufacturer's want you to believe? Let's look under the 'hood' and see the physics of how front or rear bias weight distribution affects grip during steady state cornering, braking, and acceleration.

Topics covered:
00:00 Cars…
00:17 What is Weight Distribution?
01:02 Where is the Center of Gravity?
01:33 What is a moment?
02:06 Why is 50/50 good?
02:33 What happens to Grip when it's not 50/50?
03:34 Why are fast cars not 50/50?
04:10 When is Rear-Bias better than 50/50?
05:35 Is 50/50 ideal?
05:53 What you've been waiting for every video...

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[myname-pepe]

I study physics and I could never find a video giving an actual scientific explanation for this, but you have done so here and I really appreciate this

[sjorsrozendaal]

Your explanition video's are very, very good. I hope you will make many more of these, coupled with driving techniques and setup guides. I am impressed.

[emmalau]

Great video! Love all the animations and stuff too! 👍👍👍

[thatonebeone]

simple straight to the point .. got a sub from me

[chromaticwolf]

It is also a lot easier to fit wide tires in the back of a typical car than the front so it makes sense to put more weight in the back to make it easier to balance grip out. Very wide front tires can also numb the steering feel more so than wider rear tires so there are some additional benefits in handling and feel.

[dextruax]

Do different types of races have different ideal weight biases? Ex: Would a downhill mountain race benefit a slight front weight bias in a low power FR car? or does AWD rally have a different ideal balance vs AWD track race because of the differing styles of driving?

[DrRpper]

If the tyres are a different size though, such that the area of the front and rear contact patches were proportional to the weight biases, would this make for the same grip per weight ratio at the front and rear?

[merakrut]

The weight transfer is depending on the height of the center of gravity and suspension (springs and shocks).

[GibbysGarage]

This is sort of an observation and a question at the same time... Do RWD cars oversteer on throttle because the driven axle is behind the CoG? Conversely, FWD understeer because the driven axle is in front of the CoG? If you were to have a completely wonky setup where the CoG is somehow on the driven axle, what would happen under heavy throttle? Thanks :)

[AutoBodyEverything]

Question…. Ignoring engine placement bcs “electric motors” what’s the BEST weight distribution for an Awd long wheelbase coup in a hard acceleration situation like pro drag status?

[FullyAutoWoe]

Theoretically, If I wanted to dive into 4 consecutive 35-45 deg.(approx.) linked turns going above 90mph with a vehicle of about 2700 lbs. rwd, what would be the best weight distribution in this scenario?

[MsOMGwtfnoOb]

Do you lose downforce when going up a hill ?

[marcusms]

Ok definitely moving the battery to the trunk

[lest]

How about equally weight more towards the center like rally cars? Rally cars drivers literally are set on the middle of the vehicle.

[jakjak]

while audi is going the complete opposite on awd haha