SuperRotorMan

hey guys... i recently bought a JDM fc and am just waiting on delivery. ive hurd so much bout them but the most interesting thing i think is the 50/50 weight distribution, i know its true, but does it make enough of a difference that u can feel it when u drive?

Healing

If you drive it hard on a track, you'll feel the difference. On the street...most likely not.

Tiderfish

OOOOO yea. Handling is superior to any other car I have driven. (Prelude, Monte Carlo, Probe, Mustang, ZX2 Eclipse, Trans-Am)

The car sticks to the road like gum to your shoe. Once you get used to it, the only problem is the car in front of you is braking around the turn, when you want to be accelerating!

Matt|ttaM

Tiderfish

It also helps in rain, and snow. Keeps the rear end inline.

Matt|ttaM

PvillKnight7

iTrader: (16)

in the SNOW? hahahahah...maybe if u have a LSD but even then that rear loves to slide out with even the slightest touch of the wheel. FWD cars like preludes rule in the snow as far as control and handeling go

13b4me

The DTSS (rear steer) function totally eliminates any advantage in bad weather...

And the 50/50 weight distribution, along with the DTSS is easily noticable driving on the street... Just get up to highway speeds and make a quick lane change... Then change your pants...

bacek

you can feel the 50/50 very easily especially on the freeway like already said...

but with the 50/50 you can also feel more stable while driving 8/10ths or 9/10ths on twisty roads, the handling is neutral.... but when going all out i think the car pushes but that is very easy to correct with some lift.

SuperRotorMan

nice man nice.. im so stoked... lol this waiting is driving me crazy... lol yeah heres some pics of my new baby... these r just some pics the guys in japan sent me recently

RETed

No.


-Ted

SuperRotorMan

no wut?

RETed

Most of the comments made above have nothing to do with the 50 / 50 weight distribution.
In fact, most people are ignorant of what exactly the 50 / 50 weight distribution means.
It's one of those marketing buzz words that Mazda uses to imply superior performance...when it fact, it really doesn't.
90% of the people in here probably cannot tell the difference between 50 / 50, 55 / 45, 60 / 40, 65 /35 weight distribution given different cars (one poster did mention a who slew of cars as a comparison).

Keep in mind this is STATIC weight distrubition.

Add a "stiffer" suspension on almost any car, and it will radically "perform better".

The FC3S has some of the most "stiffest" shocks in the industry, in it's price class, as stock OEM.
This makes for a more performance-oriented suspension feel.

Anyone who claims 50 / 50 is better than any other type of STATIC weight distribution is full of ****.
Remember, some of the best performing stock Porsches have a 40 / 60 weight distribution...


-Ted

MARTIN

40/60 is better, oversteer makes the car a lil more predictable...


BTW how the **** can you feel 50/50 on the highway??? thats pure bullshit

unfortunatepenguin

Well I was going to dig up last semester's Super Advanced Physics of the Insane Level and help prove RETed's point, but it's at my parents house so for now I'm just going to say good job RETed, although there are some advantages to having an even set up in some circumstances, and on that note anyone here ever corner weigh their FC, if so post up those results as it would help while looking for some coilovers.

Edit Cause I still have 12 hours until work:

Not to mention that 50/50 is assuming you're not in the car, and no gas, etc. You're not going to be going anywhere with a 50/50 weight distribution unless you, your fuel, and all other fluids are weightless (or within the parameters they chose).

arghx

iTrader: (3)

I've got a Mark III Supra and you can definately tell that it's more nose-heavy in a corner than an FC.

MARTIN

mk3 supras are only good for going str8. They fukin remind me of american cars... worst handling cars ever made...

RETed

So are you implying that you CAN'T get a MkIII Supra to perform nicely by upgrading the suspension?
Yeah, I thought so...

A very good example of extreme is those 4g Camaros.
I swear to god they are like 80 / 20 front-heavy, but with the right components, they can be made to perform pretty nicely.
They are not even close to 50 / 50, but again, stiffer suspension does a lot into making the car perform better.

99.44% of us (me included) can't take advantage of the 50 / 50 STATIC weight distribution in the FC, even if we wanted to...

Upgrade shocks, springs, sway bars, bushings, tires, strut tower bars, hell even a cage and be happy with what you got, cause it's GOTTA be more fun to drive!

Remember, a better driver in a less-than-optimal weight distribution car (i.e. Prelude, Monte Carlo, Probe, Mustang, ZX2 Eclipse, Trans-Am ) will still run rings around your 50 / 50 FC...THINK ABOUT IT.


-Ted

Syonyk

Look at what weight distribution the race teams are running. I believe I read somewhere that the "ideal" weight distribution for a RWD race car is something like 35/65. The lighter front steers better & provides more feedback to the road, and having additional weight over the rear helps with traction, as well as giving better weight distribution under braking (more weight left in the back, which helps braking ability).

I'd agree with Ted that 50/50 is more marketing than anything else. However, the FC does have fairly low rotational inertia, so it's easier to get it to turn.

The biggest thing you can do for handling on your car is to replace the old, worn out suspension components. The bushings are worn out, and especially with things like the DTSS (rear steer), the worn out bushings don't perform like they were designed to.

-=Russ=-

KeloidJonesJr.

iTrader: (8)

I agree, it's alittle off. If you take a look in your engine bay, the motor is actually BEHIND the front axles. DTSS has nothing to do with eight distribution.

arghx

iTrader: (3)

No, not at all. All I said was that it feels nose-heavy. I'm disagreeing with those of you who say that the weight distribution is not noticeable. It's a visceral thing... a 7 feels nicer in a turn. Now just because it feels nicer doesn't necessarily mean it's holding the road better etc. I bet numbers-wise an N/A mk 3 and an N/A FC are pretty close, partly because of the mk 3's larger tires.

RETed

This is most likely the low polar moment rather than the 50 / 50 weight distribution as Syonyk has already mentioned.
Low polar moment allows the vehicle to turn faster and harder due to the weight concentrated in the middle of the chassis versus the outer "edges".


-Ted

bjf498

I'll just say this one thing i used to race(yes race as in on a track) a 240sx with a RB25dett it was not stock by any means striped interior and whatnot full race car not street i have been to a few racing schools i grew up around racing i have been driving since i was 14 so i guess you could say I'm that few % of "us" you where talking about that can really drive the hell outa these cars granted my fc isn't done yet but as soon as it is i'll let you know what it feels like. the 240sx was a good car but it was a tad on the nose heavy side and tended to understeer sooner compared to an mr2 i drove for a few laps no i know its no 50/50 but i did notice a pretty bit difference in hard cornering with the mr2 now i really couldn't drive it as hard as it could have gone because i wasn't use to it yet it wasn't my car but they where about the same modification wise both setup by the same tech for the same course same day so i would say the weight distribution make a differance imo.

arghx

iTrader: (3)

Is there a relationship between the static weight distribution and the polar momement of inertia?

^ oh and learn to write beyond the 8th grade level dude

Digi7ech

iTrader: (1)

lol
This will get interesting.

Syonyk

I sincerely hope that final comment was directed at bjf, and not RETed. Because ripping on RETed about his writing style, around here, is like someone complaining that their bathroom faucet on the Titanic isn't working, as the ship is going down.

I suspect that vehicles with lower polar moments of intertia will end up being closer to 50/50, because getting the mass in the center of the car will help center the weight balance, but there's not a direct relationship - I can take a pickup truck, load the back of the bed up so it's a perfect 50/50 weight balance, but it still won't handle very well. And I'd still take the vehicle with lower rotational inertia - an 800lb composite track car with slightly screwy balance (say, 30/70 due to having the engine & driver towards the back) should still run rings around any better balanced but heavier car.

-=Russ=-

rotarydelight

yeah its 50/50 is the best balance because when the car is at speed it makes the car perform like a 40/60 due to the car rolling forward. thus increasing grip, making the steering "lighter", and not having the mass of an engine in the back while having the weight distribution of a MR car. Look at f1 cars, the engine is in the back.