Corner Balancing & Race Spec Alignments Near Chicago, IL

Corner Balancing & Race Spec Alignments Near Chicago, IL

Let’s illustrate a scene. You’re out with your significant other and ready for a splendid night about the town, and for your first stop is a fancy dinner. You get seated promptly, and all seems well in the world, but you’re plagued with the most dreaded curse of any dining experience: a wobbly table.
Just like how a table with uneven legs will wobble when weight is shifted around on top of it, so will a car with an uneven weight distribution. With the stakes being a bit higher than your buttered rolls sliding off the table, you’ll want to ensure you’re set up right with a well-balanced vehicle. When unbalanced, some undesirable handling characteristics are sure to spring up, so let’s uncover how to check against this in your car and how to get it adjusted.

What is Corner Balancing?

When people talk about the weight distribution of a vehicle, they tend to refer to the front/rear weight bias. However, that’s not what corner balancing is concerned with. Very simply, corner balancing is the practice of ensuring the weight of the vehicle is evenly distributed. Now, that can mean a lot of things, so we’ll break it down further; the goal of corner balancing is to make equal the sum of weight on the front left tire and the rear right tire to the sum of weight on the front right tire and the left rear tire. The equation works out to be LF/RR=RF/RL, and each diagonal pair should ideally carry 50% of the total weight of the vehicle. There will naturally be some variance, of course, but a 50-50 distribution is the overall goal. If that goal is not reached and there is an imbalance, you may find that the car has an easier time cornering at its limit one way over the other, and unless you’re in NASCAR or on a dirt track, that’s probably not what you’re going for.

How Do You Corner Balance a Car?

Corner balancing is performed by adjusting the springs of the vehicle, adjusting the ride height in small increments to achieve that perfect balance where the cross weights are equal. This typically requires your vehicle to be fitted with coilovers. While the process may sound simple enough, there’s actually quite a bit to it. For one, when an adjustment is made to any one wheel, the weight on each of the four wheels will change. You’ll also want to account for the variable weights of the car, like the driver's weight, fuel weight (depending on fill level), and even ice weight if your vehicle is equipped with a chiller system. All the while, you’ll want to keep in mind your target ride height as you won’t want too drastic of a difference around the vehicle. If a relatively equal cross weight ratio isn’t achievable while keeping ride height within tolerable limits, parts of the car may have to be moved or redistributed. That could mean adjusting the fuel cell position, relocating the battery, or even purchasing a gym membership for the driver.

When Do You Need Corner Balancing?

Still, you might be wondering, is corner balancing necessary? For anyone who is serious about maximizing their vehicle’s performance, and especially for those who are chasing down track times, it is. The benefits of corner balancing will be most apparent during events like autocross and road racing, where controlling lateral weight transfer is essential to performance. It can also be an important part of setting your car up for drag racing to ensure the vehicle tracks straight down the strip, especially if your front wheels lift or as you get to higher speeds.

Does Corner Balancing Affect Your Alignment?

As with virtually any adjustment to your core suspension components, corner balancing has the potential to affect your vehicle’s alignment. Since corner balancing a car involves adjusting its springs and ultimately ride height, it can affect the suspension geometry, even if only slightly, and that can alter your car’s wheel alignment. That’s why a touch-up alignment is often an included part of corner balancing.

Does Corner Balancing Improve Performance?

In short, yes. Corner balancing is an important part of properly preparing a vehicle for competition motorsport events. If, for example, you find your vehicle’s cornering ability to perform differently in right-hand turns from left-hand turns, unbalanced cross weight ratio can be to blame. If you have more weight over one tire than the other, you’re asking that tire to do more, meaning you’ll reach its traction limit sooner. With a balanced cross weight ratio, you’ll have predictable cornering (provided all your other suspension components are also in good shape).

Now, will you notice corner balancing during your regular drives on the street? Odds are that you won’t unless you’ve got a severely unbalanced cross weight ratio, or unless you’re pushing your vehicle to its limit on the street. Drive safe out there, friend.

How Much Does Corner Balancing Cost?

Corner balancing is a moderately priced service that usually accounts for about three hours of shop time. To see how much it might cost to get your car corner balanced, give us a call at Boostin Performance and we’d be happy to give you a quote on a corner balance service specific to your car at our shop in Hoffman Estates, IL.

Is Corner Balancing Worth it?

The question of whether or not corner balancing is worth it is largely up to you and your vehicle. Having a well-balanced vehicle has proven performance benefits, but those benefits are most noticeable for drivers who regularly push their vehicle to its limits. If you don’t get a thrill out of shaving off tenths from your best lap time, then a corner balance service might not be the best place to put your money, but if you do, you owe it to yourself to see the difference one makes firsthand.

Local Performance Automotive Shop for Corner Balancing

Boostin Performance is your local automotive shop in Hoffman Estates, IL, and we’re proud to offer top-notch corner balancing services. Whether you’re prepping for an autocross event or getting ready to put in some runs at your local drag strip, give us a call to see how we can get your car corner balanced. Since 2011, Boostin Performance has been proving to customers what our passion for performance automotive and dedication to quality customer service can mean for their builds; let us prove it to you.