OK Dan, how does the corner weights of the front affect the handling, I have a world block (read: real heavy!) 4 core brass radiator, etc...would the extra weight prefer a higher torsion bar rate than a small block with aluminum heads, all things being equal? Tim
It can, but it turns into a balancing act. I'd have to do some digging around at the shop to pull up our corner weights of the cars across the spectrum when the Mopar program first launched. If you wanted to get super specific, yes the rate would help by shifting it a bit. I'd probably suggest a 1.18 front t-bar to someone running an all iron front end RB or HEMI for instance. For what it's worth, my engine was/is a B with aluminum everything except block and water pump. Everything on the chassis is steel except for the hood. A lot of the weight gap could be closed by a composite front end (with sufficient chassis bracing) and shifting the battery to the rear. The bumper and battery make a far greater weight bias difference than the sum weight at the engine and significantly affect yaw and roll centers. Weight has to be factored like a pendulum. The further away from the calculated center of the car, the more it affects the chassis dynamically.
