Q: “I always read your content, love racing, and have a quick question on g-force. Are all “g’s” created equal? Meaning, I’m making 1.6g on a high-speed turn but only 0.8g when braking. If I’m more aggressive with braking, should I be able to make 1.6g on braking as well?”
A: From a physics perspective, yes, all g’s are created equal, since that’s the force of gravity. I haven’t personally asked Sir Isaac Newton about this, but I’m pretty sure gravity doesn’t change! J
The g’s you experience in your car may not all be equal, though. Why? Because what you experience is affected by the amount of grip your car/tires have, and that can change. For example, if you go through a fast corner, and you generate 1.6g, that might be because that part of the track has more grip. On top of that, if your car has any amount of aerodynamic downforce-generating abilities (wing, splitter, etc.), the faster you go, the more the car will be pushed into the track surface, generating more grip. Then, let’s say you get to a braking zone, and the track surface has some type of sealer on it that makes it more slippery, then you’re not going to generate the same amount of braking g’s.
Having said that, it’s easy to “explain away” a lower g-load in a certain section of track, when it might be that you’re just not driving the car as close to the limit there.
If the track surface is identical, and there are no elevation or camber changes, then you should be able to generate very close to the same amount of g’s in both the lateral (cornering) and longitudinal (braking) directions. If you’re not, then that’s a good thing to look at. Is it the track surface? Is it a problem with your brake system (i.e., the brake pads are not providing enough “bite”)? It could also be that the tires you’re using generate more lateral than longitudinal grip, although the difference is small (not the difference between 1.6 and 0.8g’s). Or, it might be pointing at your driving.
All things being equal, the g-load you’re capable to generating should be similar in cornering and braking.