How Your Car’s Center of Gravity Affects Its Handling
Center of gravity is a term you will hear often when exploring ways to customize a car’s performance. If you want to start making changes to your vehicle’s handling, learning about the titular topic will help you find an efficient solution. Don’t worry; you don’t have to go to a college-level science course to learn the ropes—read below to find out how your car’s center of gravity affects its handling.
The Center
So, for those unaware, let’s do a quick walkthrough of what the center of gravity means. The center of gravity is essentially where the vehicle’s weight converges, creating an easy way for cars to remain balanced and interact with oncoming forces. Car owners can adjust their center of gravity, but you may wonder, why go through the effort? As you’ll learn below, this upgrade can make a big impact on daily driving habits.
The Affects
The ways your car’s center of gravity affects its handling comes down to sudden movements like turning, braking, and accelerating. In moments like these, the center of gravity can cause body roll in the vehicle, which is a factor that some drivers adjust to personalize the car’s handling on the road.
A higher center of gravity makes vehicles more susceptible to rolling over when taking tight turns, especially if you’re moving with great momentum. On the other hand, a lower center of gravity will create a smooth ride, reducing weight transfer and handling momentum magnificently.
The Methods
Now that you know more about the center of gravity, you can start searching for the right tools to make the upgrade. Lowering the center of gravity is achievable by adjusting the vehicle’s ride height. For instance, we carry aftermarket lowering springs that provide drivers with an easy way to adjust ride height before hitting the road.
Another suspension upgrade that can assist with the center of gravity is a coilover kit. So, if you’re ready to alter your vehicle’s center of gravity, you can quickly find the right method for your ride.
