Adding/Decreasing Wedge?

Question

Can anybody please explain to me what adding and decreasing wedge to a race car does? Which tightens a "loose" car?

Answer 1

Wedge is a cross weight adjustment.

Adjusting wedge will change the weight distributed to the 4 corners the car. We are talking about static weight here and not downforce. All four tires are placed on scales, mounted on the car of course, and a team will set a base wedge for a race, hopefully with enough lattitude that adjustments can be made.

Removing wedge will increase the weight on the LF and RR while reducing weight to the RF and LR and will loosen a tight car. (makes it easier to turn as rear end will rotate more easily, also called oversteer)

Adding wedge will reduce weight on the LF and RR while adding weight to the RF and LR and tighten a loose car.
(induces understeer or push)

The weight shift is slight with a slight adjustment as measured on a static car because a slight turn of the wedge adjustment screw, say 1 tenth of 1 percent, will change the weight on each tire by a pound or two, +/- depending on direction the screw is turned.

You can also loosen or tighten a car with the track bar adjustment. Raising both the left and right evenly will loosen a car, while lowering the track bar evenly will tighten a car.

If you run a split track bar, that is to say, each end of the track bar is at a different height, usually the right higher than the left, you can get a car to stop pushing off the corner, but too much will loosen the car so much so under power (on the throttle), it will spin easily. This is where you will usually see a driver actually turn right toward the wall exiting a corner. It's either turn right or spin down to the inside wall, nose first.

Too much split is a bad thing.

Raising or lowering the track bar has no appreciable effect on the weight distributed to the 4 corners.

BTW, gearing can also effect handling, but it is not something you can change on a pit stop. Also shock/spring packages are constant through a race. A spring rubber inserted in the coil effects spring rate, but drastically. Adding or removing air from a tire can "change" the spring rate incrementally.

Track bar and wedge are 2 adjustments made during a race if the gear, shock/spring packages chosen happens not to work well due to weather change, clear to cloudy or drastic air temperatue change or if track conditions change, slick to grip or vice versa. You can do a whole lot to a car with just those 2 adjustments, but if you are way off on your setup to begin with, not much is likely to help. Unless of course track or weather conditions change to something within the parameters you need.

A team will generally select a gear that will keep the engine close to the optimum rpm over a range of conditions and a shock/spring package for the load they want on each corner, but as we all know, if the day starts out clear and 80 degrees but ends cloudy and 60 degrees, the gear will kill any chance for a win. The engine will rev higher under cloudy conditions with the same gear run under a sunny sky. Bumping the rev limiter crossing the start finish line is not a good thing as you have already hit your maximum speed and a car geared better will beat you to the corner every time as their speed will continue to increase until entry.

I realize this is far more info than requested, but it all is interconnected. You can't make an adjustment without changing something you may not want to change. The "baloon effect", squeeze it here, it pushes out there.

Answer 2

Adding or decreasing wedge you are changing the amount of weight in relation to the tires to tighten or loosen a car. If your car is loose (rear wants to snap around) you add wedge causing the front end to push more. If your car is pushing up (goes straight instead of turning) you can decrease wedge and make the rear end turn out more.

Answer 3

Are serious? By adding wedge to the car it tightens the steering making the rear end not slide as much. Decreasing makes the car loose and easier to slide in and out of the turns. Just rember the term loose is fast and on the edge of out of control

Answer 4

When you add wedge you tighten up the car.When the rear of your car tends to go to the wall you tighten.When your front goes toward the wall you decrease the wedge.
That's all I have to say about that.

Answer 5

Adding wedge makes the car tighter, but tougher to turn. Taking wedge out will make the car looser, but too loose will make the car spin out.

Answer 6

Aim for a 300- in order to 400-calorie meal.

Answer 7

Bake a healthy breakfast early in advance to ensure you don't grab a sugary scone out and about.

Answer 8

Keep cut-up veggies and fruits in the fridge to grab for snacks or easy meals.

Answer 9

Keep cut-up veggies and fruits in the fridge to take hold of for snacks or easy foods.

Answer 10

Don't keep junk food in your kitchen. If it's not there, you can't be tempted because of it.