Better weight distribution

[kulluminati777]

Since the MX-3 has a horrible weight distribution of 65 / 35. What would you guys think i could maybe do to get it close to 50/50.I was thinking carbon hood and battery to the trunk I know it will never be on the spot but it can be close. Or for a FWD do you think 50/50 distribution is bad? Im sure it will improve handling none the less......

[MrMazda92]

Long list of stuff...

Lighter front wheels than rears? Silly, but it'd definitely change the distribution a bit, I've considered it in the past. It'd save money too, leaving stock 5 spokes on the back and throwing RPF1s or similar on the front.

Removing all non-essential systems: A/C, Power Steering, Wiper fluid reservoir, and all associated plumbing for the 3. Cruise control? I love mine, so that tiny weight difference would be a terrible trade-off for me. Let's not forget the engine crane mounts, they're easy enough to put back on, so save the 1/4 pound worth of aluminum and bolts.

Aftermarket engine mounts? Ours are heavy, some of the aftermarket/custom options could save a few pounds. Light flywheel, light(G4) crankshaft, remove excess material from the exterior of your engine, remove flashy goodies that serve no purpose other than tantalizing eye candy. Lighter weight radiator fans, these are as far forward as you can go almost, so it'd help a bit.

If you're talking about track only use, run gutted stock headlights. Old, yellowed, nasty ones will do; All you need to do is take them apart, remove as much material as you can(without touching the lense), and baking it back together.

Custom bumper support? Stocker isn't SUPER heavy, but I'm sure you could make a sturdier, lighter one for minimal cost, if you're creative.

I'm planning to grind down and sand smooth the exterior of my built KL, to shave a few extra pounds off the front end, as well as doing quite a few of the aforementioned ideas.

The sky is the limit, really...

[Nd4SpdSe]

At a 2500lb car, for 65/35, means that 1625lbs is over the front axle, and 875 over the rear, meaning you have to move 375 to the rear of the car to get your 50/50. The more you lighten the front, the less you need to move to the rear, but 300lbs to move is A LOT!

Mx-3's weight distribution is horrible, eh? Note that the Acura Integra and Mini Couper are known for their handling; they sit at 62/38 and 61.2/38.8 respectively. 50/50 had little benefit in a FWD car since you can't control the balance as you can in a RWD car. The rear would be very unstable and you would need to start looking into creating downforce.

Lightening the car is good. Racing series have weight limits, and they would rather lighten the car as much as possible and put the weight were they want it to improve the handling, like keeping it low and in the center of vehicle.

[Daninski]

Easiest fix is to date a rear seat lovin BBW. That way you keep the weight over the front for traction and balance the car all at the same time. And the new found weight should help with the tires staying hella flush as well.

[DeadMaker]

You have your own way to turn the topics around..

[cout]

Since the MX-3 has a horrible weight distribution of 65 / 35. What would you guys think i could maybe do to get it close to 50/50.I was thinking carbon hood and battery to the trunk I know it will never be on the spot but it can be close. Or for a FWD do you think 50/50 distribution is bad? Im sure it will improve handling none the less......

What kills the mx3 isn't the weight distribution so much as something like 90% of the engine is in front of the axles (at least on the V6). This means no matter what your weight distribution, you are going to have a high moment of inertia.

As other people have pointed out, a FWD car benefits from having some extra weight in the front. Among other things, this keeps weight on the driving wheels.

In our car, we've moved the battery to the center of the car, passenger side for multiple reasons: 1) our course is mostly right-hand turns and this helps keep weight close to the axis of rotation, 2) we've removed so much weight from the rear of the vehicle that we need some additional weight back there to balance things back out, and 3) most importantly, it cleans up the engine bay for when we need to get in there and fix something.

It's hard to guess what any given change will do without trying it. Go do some laps at your local course to get a baseline. Make your changes and then go back out there. If your times improve, it means that either the change was good, or you improved. Either way, it will be hard to not end up going faster.