gerry100

No placebo.

- speed and handling changes significantly over the course of the race and the drivers adapt.

- they DO adjust suspension and aero in the fractions of seconds they have in the pits

rob-2

Have you measured this or is it all in your butt?

takeshi

Why does it seem odd that handling would be different with different amounts of fuel (i.e. differing amounts of weight in the rear)?

windhund116

Odd that the car handles better with a full tank of gas. Most cars that I've driven handle better when the tank is half empty (or less).

rob-2

Less weight the better.

YELLOW JACKET

handling when full is better due to the weight over the rear. when empty makes the car loose in the rear. a half tank is worse than full or empty. think of a half tank of 50 lbs of sloshing fuel in the back splashing back and forth. better to be full or near empty. now if the tank had a baffle in it then it wouldn't make much difference.

starchland

They do it from the cabin

Car Analogy

This is a big aspect. Sloshing fuel of between say, 1/4 & 3/4 of a tank leads to inconsistent handling.

That the weight may help too is not due to 'more traction', but rather due to better balance. Weight may give you some traction to prevent wheelspin on take off (sand bags in the snow, etc), but its not going to give you better cornering traction. Our cars don't out handle most because we are heavy.

RMurphy

If an S2000 holds 13.2 gallons of gas and a gallon of gas weighs approximately 6 pounds, then the difference in weight can potentially be about 80 pounds toward the rear of the vehicle. Yes, that can definitely impact the handling characteristics of the car. So does having a passenger or a trunk load of cargo.

Some people are more able to feel the differences than others.

When I go get my cars aligned, I arrive with half a tank of gas and I sit in the car while the alignment is being done. This way I'm never more than 40 pounds away from being in the configuration that the car is most likely to be driven.

YELLOW JACKET

yes it is a balance matter I agree. setup, weight, are part of that equalization. but fuel level will always change meaning the handling will change. setting one up at half a tank may be a good approach. as for our cars, these cars handle wonderfully from the factory. this is a subject that no one will fully agree upon. but all about what works best for your personal driving skills and set up. fill er up and drive the shit out it lol.