Quote:
Originally Posted by Automan
So its normal for the car to lift at 100miles an hour. your right about it getting loose at that speed. it was scary. How did they manage to get higher speeds? would a front sway bar help?
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The fundamental problem of lift at higher speeds is due to the difference in air pressure above the car and below the car causing a net upward force that increases with speed. A simple way to think of it is to imagine the air being packed under the nose of the car as forming a cushion that lifts the nose. The customary way to deal with that problem is to prevent air from getting under the nose by either lowering the nose or installing an air dam. An air dam is a piece of bodywork that attaches to the underside of the nose of the body and hangs down very near the ground. Air dams can greatly improve high speed stability, but they can be a problem on public roads with speed bumps, etc. My car has a modest 3" air dam and it is stable up to at least 140 MPH.
Corner weights refers to the amount of your total car's weight that is on each wheel. Ideally, you'd like to have the same weight on each wheel. If that is not possible, there are other combinations that are better or worse. The two common ways to adjust corner weights are to move things around and to adjust the spring tension on each wheel. If you adjust the springs on one or two wheels just for body clearance, you can throw your corner weights way off and cause the car to handle badly.
BTW, when you get ready to drive your car at high speed, I strongly recommend you sign up for and participate in a track day event on a race track designed for such things. It's a great way to learn more about your car and yourself in an environment much safer that public roads.