Can someone explain corner balancing to me??

Well I have been lurking on here since Dec and I have read some articles on corner balancing. Can someone explain what it is? How would you know if your car needs it? What kind of a shop performs this and approx what does it cost to have it done....Thanx in advance. David

Corner balancing is putting a car on four large scales and then changing the ride height on the four corners to balance the weight from right to left. The term jacking weight is just what it implies. By turning the jack bolt on the right front torsion bar and forcing the right front of the car higher it is also adding weight to that scale and the one on the left rear. To take this to extremes so you can understand it, use a very long bolt and turn it in until the car is so high on the right front that the left front and right rear are off the ground, by jacking enough weight you can put it all on just two wheels.

On street Porsches they balance the car even, on full race Porsches they may not depending on the track.

Good Porsche shop should be able to do a four wheel alignment and corner balance.

Randy Jones
1971 911

When corner balanced is the weight of the driver taken into consideration? Does the balancing need to be redone when changing out tires or shocks? Does the allignment change as the balance changes, and what would be a ballpark on the average cost of this procedure? Would this be something you'd do for primarily street driving?
This is a great topic and one I haven't seen approached in any dimension before.
Thanks,
Mrdi

check out the march issue of EUROPEAN CAR as the 7th article in "project 911S" covers corner balancing. just picked it up last night and haven't yet read it.
bob
'68 911L

I just had my car aligned and corner balanced after extensive suspension upgrades. A few points: Most track driven cars are balanced with the driver at the wheel, a full tank of gas and all alignment completed. Street cars are usually done without the driver. Changing shocks may change alignment/weight setting. My alignment cost me $120, the corner balancing was lumped into other labor items, but I would say about $250 to $300. With the corner balancing the ride height may change to the point of the car sitting possible uneven.

The setting after finishied were as follows:
LF......FF......RF
705....1340.....635
TL.......T.......TR
1645....3190....1545
LR.......RR......RR
940.....1850.....910
1577....DIAG....1615

I don't need to tell you why you won't have a 50 - 50 weight split. The diagonals should equal out, and mine do within 45 pounds. Any further adjustments and my car would start apearing uneven. It does sit higher on the ride side slightly since it was balanced with the drivers weight in it. You can tell the battery is on the left side also.

I would recommend corner balancing for and car. Just because a car sit even does not mean that the same forces are being exerted at all four corners.

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.