Question

A car is designed to be stable.
To achieve good stability, where is the centre of mass of the car?
A above the front wheels
B above the rear wheels
C as high in the car as possible
D as low in the car as possible

Answer 1

To achieve good stability centre of mass in the car must be as low in the car as possible.

This is not only because the weight act through it, but also because all accelerative forces of acceleration, braking and cornering work through it.
Any force that acts through the CoG has no tendency to make the car rotate.

Center of gravity location can be defined as:
- The balance point of an object
- The point through which a force will cause pure translation
- The point about which gravity moments are balanced

The center of gravity (CoG) is also called center of mass.

The center of gravity location must be referenced to a 3 dimensional coordinate system. CoG location is directly a function of the coordinate system in which it is referenced. It is measured relative to a reference datum using moment balance equations.