As one who does carry a lot of ballast, the golf has been competing for 15 years and just about to turn 200k, I have driven to all the events and have only been passed once on a motorway by another trials car, (red MG). The golf is happy on the motorway and stops a lot quicker than when it left the factory, the handling is very good due to the trick suspension. As when the weather turns wet,greasy, and icy I will be leaving my road car at home.
The only difficult bit about driving the golf is not on the roads or going up the sections but reversing back down!
Dave...
very well said! The issue of fitment of any 'ballast' must be down to an owner's needs. a tradeoff between downforce on driving wheels, and overall weight? If the vehicle becomes a handfull to control, then it is down to the drive to sort the problem. An issue which may have been overlooked herein..is one of DRIVER SKILLS? because difficulty with vehicle control can arise simply because modern drivers are not in any way used to the quirks of motion of older vehicles.....driven a Ford Pop, anyone, recently? Modern drivers are apt to call the Ford's progress as 'downright dangerous'....a perception which says more about the driver than the vehicle?
ReplyDeleteAlastair. "The issue of fitment of any 'ballast' must be down to an owner's needs". You could not be more wrong. Because Michael raised the legality and insurance issue, I quoted the relevant C&U regulation. Sorry, but you cannot choose to ignore the law. If you do so and are involved in a serious or fatal accident - they will throw the proverbial book at you AND the organisers because - like it or not - they have a Duty of Care as regards other road users. Very, very simple. I have discussed this issue with an ex-trials driver who has for many years worked for the police as a vehicle inspector i.e. a specialist whose daily work involves looking over both stolen and crashed vehicles. With the latter he looks for anything that would make the vehicle unroadworthy or could have contributed to a loss of control. He referred me to C&U 100(1).
ReplyDeleteI have discussed this issue with an ex-trials driver who has for many years worked for the police as a vehicle inspector i.e. a specialist whose daily work involves looking over both stolen and crashed vehicles. With the latter he looks for anything that would make the vehicle unroadworthy or could have contributed to a loss of control. He referred me to C&U 100(1). >>>>>>>>> The C&U regs do NOT state that the 'centre of gravity'' cannot be moved. Otherwise, lorries would only be allowed to carry SPECIFIC loads. There is no suggestion that the application of ballast..ie a transfer of CoG....in itself need be 'dangerous'. Your colleague would no doubt look at issues like 'loading' of a vehicle, to determine any effects that might contribute to a loss of control.......but once the evidence is collected, that 'loss' still has to be firmly put down to the presence of ballast [ie a load], in that location on the vehicle concerned. In other words, proven...rather than surmised. Otherwise, Ford would have been in serious trouble when they started fitting a diesel engine to a Fiesta...which I suspect would lead to a similar effect on the vehicle's ''handling'' as Greengolf's ballast {leaded bumpers??] the only real threat to the use of ballast in an 'unusual' location...like a front bumper....is'variation from a manufacturer's recommendations' regarding the 'loading' of a vehicle. The C&U regulation referred to simply gives teeth to standard practice regarding the loading of vehicles. [as it happens, how many of you out there, actually strap down or similarly secure loads you carry in your estate cars??] If a vehicle's suspension, etc was adjusted to compensate for the movement of weight, then there ought not be an issue of 'safety' when on the road. take a look at how lorries achieve this? and I apologise for the sensationalist use of the word 'safety'. I fully realise 'safety' is a state created [in vehicular terms] solely by each driver.......that state of 'safety' may well be compromised by a vehicle's loaded state, but that is for the driver to compensate for....to return to the 'safe' state. there is no such thing as a dangerous road??? and a vehicle with 4 flat tyres, and steering hanging off, can still be conducted to its destination[albeit a short journey], with due regard to 'safety'....which should never be achieved 'accidentally'...
ReplyDeleteAs a motor sport enthusiast, former occasional competitor in classic trials, and a possible returnee, I find the quality of the debate remarkable, stimulating, highly informative, and a reflection upon the high degree of responsibility displayed throughout the trialling community.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth i'd confirm the fact that what Dave says about a fwd car carrying ballast can stop very quickly.I don't agree with what he says about reversing though but then I had to do it alot more often than he did. By the way Dave the red mg that passed you on the motorway, was it a MAESTRO ?!?
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ReplyDeleteGreat posts, great opinions and discussion. However, as this thread is a spin off from "Weight Distribution" its also fully closed now. Michael
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