Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Sandor
It's not just about the power to weight ratio. If you have a 3500lbs car rolling down the highway, it takes a certain amount of force to make it stop, turn, or accellerate. If your car is only 2500lbs, it will be 'more willing' to change direction than a 3500lbs car. Lighter = more nimble in every way.
However, power is still very important, because weight does not affect your top speed - it only affects how quickly you get to the top speed. Aero, Horsepower, and Gearing are what determine your top speed. Those little lotuses are quick bastards around small and tight tracks, but a heavier car with significantly more power can be faster at the big long tracks!
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Keeping in mind as well that this is "all else being equal". Heavy car with proper race tuned suspension = more nimble than light car with bagged-out stock shocks, and so forth.
Weight DISTRIBUTION matters to, somewhat to acceleration, but especially to handling. Within a certain range, 50/50 is optimal (meaning 50% of the weight is on the rear wheels, and 50% on the front). The further you go away from that, the more it affects handling.
But again, ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL, like Rich says, a lighter car will tend to accelerate and handle better than a heavier one.
In physics, it's all related to "intertia" and "conservation of momentum".