Weight transfer

Weight transfer and load transfer are two expressions used somewhat confusingly to describe two distinct effects:

• the change in load borne by different wheels of even perfectly rigid vehicles during acceleration
• the change in center of mass (CoM) location relative to the wheels because of suspension compliance or cargo shifting or sloshing

In the automobile industry, weight transfer customarily refers to the change in load borne by different wheels during acceleration. This would be more properly referred to as load transfer, and that is the expression used in the motorcycle industry, while weight transfer on motorcycles, to a lesser extent on automobiles, and cargo movement on either is due to a change in the CoM location relative to the wheels. This article uses this latter pair of definitions.