> And, on a car with a bit of mass biased towards the rear it works opposite what people are used to with front-biased cars.
What do you mean? Why does the weight distribution result in "opposite" throttle/brake response when cornering? I don't think it does.
All cars behave the same when accelerating or decelerating in a corner. Throttle moves the weight to the rear wheels inducing understeer (until you overdo it and you get power oversteer) and brakes move weight to the front inducing oversteer (until you lock up and get understeer). It doesn't matter what the engine layout looks like or what the weight distribution is.
It's certainly true that the weight distribution in a rear/mid engine car feels different but only because the center of mass is in a different place. Once the rear gets sliding, it's feels really aggressive because there's more mass going (like driving a hammer, handle first) but with some finesse on the controls it can be balanced out. Most purpose built racing cars have engine behind the driver (and center of mass near the driver's ass) to allow extracting the most grip out of all four tyres, given enough driver skill.
You had it: Center of mass. Think about the forces on the front and rear tire patches as you navigate a turn with subtle throttle modulation.
I am not talking about gross control, only fine control.
It's like sailing without using the rudder to make fine course corrections. Not a perfect analogy but it is about balancing forces.
Another thinking tool: Imagine a dumbell where the weight of each disk isn't the same. One is 5lbs and the other 10lbs. It's a 15lbs dumbell but it is unevenly balanced.
Attach a cable to each disk. Now start spinning it with the heavier disk in front. Then do the same with the heavier disk in back. Think of acceleration and deceleration and the resultant torque about the cernter of mass.
What do you mean? Why does the weight distribution result in "opposite" throttle/brake response when cornering? I don't think it does.
All cars behave the same when accelerating or decelerating in a corner. Throttle moves the weight to the rear wheels inducing understeer (until you overdo it and you get power oversteer) and brakes move weight to the front inducing oversteer (until you lock up and get understeer). It doesn't matter what the engine layout looks like or what the weight distribution is.
It's certainly true that the weight distribution in a rear/mid engine car feels different but only because the center of mass is in a different place. Once the rear gets sliding, it's feels really aggressive because there's more mass going (like driving a hammer, handle first) but with some finesse on the controls it can be balanced out. Most purpose built racing cars have engine behind the driver (and center of mass near the driver's ass) to allow extracting the most grip out of all four tyres, given enough driver skill.