carman Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 My car was also 25 pounds light, compared to last week. I almost got dg'ed too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 This afternoon (Thursday, 5/27/04) I tested the THR scales with a certified 20 pound weight and a certified 50 pound weight. All four scales were exactly what they were supposed to be. I also weighed a non-certified weight. All four scales weighed that weight at 248 lbs. I repeated each test several times just to be sure the scales were weighing the same each time. They were. This does not mean that the scales cannot or will not change during a race night. It has been my experience that any set of scales will weigh a little heavy if the car is facing a breeze and weigh a little light if sitting sideways to the wind. So, if you weigh when there is a lot of wind and you remove some weight because you seem to be too heavy, it could backfire if you weigh later on when the wind has died down. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Hey Nick, I was weighing cars in CC last saturday night. I had one car come in with the weight right on. Later after a practice the same car came by and was 100# light. We re-weighed it several times, still it was light. The driver/crew chief were very upset and concerned. Finally, I discovered the problem. One of the scales was partially on top of a metal spacer used for weighing cars. (In CC they have short wheel base classes and longer ones, hence the need for the spacers.) After correcting it the car weighed just like it did originally. Could this be the source of THR's confusion? Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 No the scales at THR sit in concrete openings in a slab of concrete. Theres nothing under them the space is just a few inches bigger than the area the scales take up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Maybe a rock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrungot Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Mel, What do you think about junk on tires.. maybe its not under the scale.. but between Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Mel, Could be but probaly not. Once the scales are put there for the night they stay there all day. And it would be mighty hard for a rock to slip under a scale unless the scale was picked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 No the scales at THR sit in concrete openings in a slab of concrete. Theres nothing under them the space is just a few inches bigger than the area the scales take up. Actually, the front wheel scales sit atop a piece of plastic in the recessed area. The rear wheel scales sit in the recessed area with nothing under them. I have thought about this several times this week, and I think Mel probably has the answer. Those scales are brand new, and Nick has verified that they are accurate. However, they are taken down and set back up week after week. I think a minor difference in their setup like trash under the plastic spacers or something like that could explain the difference. Bottom line like many have said is that it is our responsibility to make sure our cars will make weight before we hit the track for the feature. cs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 ss99 (Chase), Before testing the THR scales, the first thing I did was to check all four recessed areas for rocks and debris. And Jack and David have been using electronic scales for years and know to remove any debris in the recessed areas. Also, one of the cardinal rules for using digital scales is that they be set up in the same location every time. And since this is exactly what we do at THR, it seems unlikely that any variance in scale accuracy would be caused by that variable. While I have never observed any variance in scale readings caused by rubber build-up on racing tires, I see no reason whatsoever why a team should not be permitted to scrape off any buildup on all four tires (not just the left side tires) before going across the scales. I will discuss this with Jack Sanderfur and if he's sees no problem with this, we will make that addition to the rules. While it is always possible for something weird to happen with any piece of sensitive equipment at unexpected times (the O2 sensor in my car comes to mind), I believe the variance in car weights reported at the beginning of this thread are not attributable to the scales. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waddell Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 MAN WE BEEN PULLIG OUR HAIR OUT FOR 3 YEARS NOW , IT MIGHTR NOT BE FEASABLE FOR THE SS,S BUT WITH ONLY 8 TO 10 LATE MODELS IT WOULD GREAT IF LIKE SAS WE ROLL(SLOWLY) ACROSS THE SCALES AT 3150 AND BE DONE WITH IT . GO RITE INTO THE LINE UP, I,VE GONE OUT 45 OVER BEFORE AND CAME IN TEN OVER AND I,VE GONE OUT 60 OVER AND COME IN TEN UNDER, ALL IN A 30 LAP FEATURE EACH TIME FOR ME WEIGH BEFORE YOU RACE AND FORGET ABOUT IT, I KNOW IT A LITTLE BIT TIME CONSUMING BUT THE FLOATING 30 POUNDS ARE GONE AND IT WOULD END THE CONTROVERSY. PLUS YOU PUT WEIGHT ON ONE TIME AND THATS IT. PLEASW HELP THE DRIVERS AND THE CREW SO WE DON,T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUY ITWADDY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truck99 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 While it is always possible for something weird to happen with any piece of sensitive equipment at unexpected times (the O2 sensor in my car comes to mind), I believe the variance in car weights reported at the beginning of this thread are not attributable to the scales. Nick, I have no doubt that you checked everything with attention to detail. If anyone knew how to check those scales properly, you did. However, my thought was that something was not right with the scale setup on Saturday, not necessarily when you checked them. I'd be happy to show you my setup sheets from 5/15 and 5/22 so you can see the differences. I'm not really trying to place blame on anyone or even say that the scales are faulty. Like I said before, it's up to us to make sure we make weight from night to night. But I can't agree that the problem didn't lie within the scales on Saturday. The car can't change on it's own, but the scales being a sensitive piece of electronics can. I guess this one has been beat to death, but knowing what I know about how our car weighs from week to week, I can't see how it would go on a 30 pound diet from one week to the next with the same fuel load. Chase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbeaver087 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 well ive seen guys use the scales at thr and when you put a race car on these scales after you drive across the rocks the stick to the tires ang get in where the scales are then guys move the scales to the car being weighted and a rock may get under the scale and it will read wrong with the scale if the scales are not level . so you just have to make sure their are no rocks under the scales and you will be ok .jm2c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin bowen Posted May 31, 2004 Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 Our cars are all in the area of 100 lbs or more than the min weight. As the points and finish stats show , we are still fast and not to mention the cars are very safe . Since we are all in the same boat trying to make a car handle within the rules , consider this, a heavier car is harder to knock loose and if you tune the chassis right it will plant all four tires just fine. So fatten her up a bit and study chassis set up and lets go racin. just my .05 worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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