Q: “This is a question I have been wondering about for some time now. I do informal track weekends in my 2011 BMW M3. I’m starting to add lightness and adding track parts through replacing things like the battery, lighter brakes, removing the rear seat, and adding aero. For this particular car, it is much easier to take weight out of the rear of the car than the front of the car. Is having less overall weight in the car more beneficial than a more weight-balanced car? Can aerodynamics be used to compensate for a car starting to lean towards a front-weight bias?”

A: First, I’d suggest asking a race engineer, as they may have a better answer. But what I’ve been told by engineers, and what my experience tells me is less weight is always a benefit. You can always tune the car’s handling to suit whatever weight bias you end up with. That might be with tuning aero, or with suspension tuning. So I’d go ahead and reduce weight as much as you can, and then be prepared to tune the car’s handling as it needs it.

For more advice on how to tune your car’s handling, download my free How to Tune Your Car’s Handling eBook here.