How much does weight affect stability?

[Marmoset]

Originally Posted by GLong

but theres no way you can say that a 150 class disc is going to fly the same as a max weight version in the same plastic.

I agree. they don't fly the same. But that's not because the heavier one is more stable than the lighter.

Originally Posted by GLong

you might be able to get a similar flight line, but you also have to throw it with a lot more finesse.

...because the lighter one is easier to get up to a certain rpm and has more "muzzle velocity", is more sensitive to OAT, wind, and other factors. Not because the lighter one is less stable.

Originally Posted by GLong

if you throw both exactly the same, theres no way they will fly the same way. and a lighter disc is not going to fly the same in the wind. thats undeniable.

I was never arguing those points. I would be wrong if I did.

Here's a different wasy of saying my previous posts.
Because you are dealing with less mass, the lighter disc will be easier to meet or exceed the designed cruising speed of a disc.
Because you are dealing with more mass, a heavier disc will be more difficult to meet or exceed the cruising speed of a disc.

What happens if I throw my EDGE Polecat (120 grams) 10 feet? It dives to the left. If I throw it really hard it dives to the right. What changed? I either failed to meet or exceeded the cruising speed.

If you exceed the cruising speed of a disc it will act more understable. If you fail to hit the cruising speed it will act more overstable.

Your max weight TB doesn't turn at all and has a healthy fade. Your 140 gram TB turns the whole way except for a tiny fade. This doesn't mean your heavy is more overstable than your light. It means the heavy is flying more slowly than your light. If all factors were IDENTICAL (air speed, spin, launch angle, nose attitude, PLH, dome, plastic, etc) the two different discs should fly the same.

To be cautious, there are other factors involved like the increaded inertia of the heavier rim, etc. These will also affect flight paths, but that is a discussion for a different thread.

[Marmoset]

Originally Posted by GLong

...and lighter discs always have more glide.

Yes and no. Yes, they stay up in the air longer. Is that because they have more glide? Or is it because ther is less gravitational force pulling them back to the earth? I suggest it is the latter.

Glide is kind of a funny word anyway. It can be applied to several different disc characteristics including float and carry.

There is a fine line here... I think you and I agree about most of your points. We agree that there are these differences in heavy vs. light but we differ in our conclusions. While I agree that it is easier to tell someone heavy= more overstable, I just don't think that is the whole story; there are many more forces at work behind the curtain, most of which I don't think my pea-brain can understand.

Yet.

[TeamTollandDG]

Originally Posted by GLong

but theres no way you can say that a 150 class disc is going to fly the same as a max weight version in the same plastic.
and lighter discs always have more glide.

They will apprear to have more glide because they are flying at a faster cruising speed than if you threw a max wt. one. And of course a 150 will not fly like a max weight one...the power needed to reach the cruising speed is not nearly as much. If you throw it with the same throw sure it will fly different, you will put it past the ideal speed easier. This can also be proved by watching a BIG armed pro throw some discs. They can throw a max wt. firebird far and the flight looks more like a teebird throw from a guy with an average arm. The disc he is throwing isn't any "less stable" it's just traveling at a faster rate of speed with more power and spin on the disc. This is what happens when you throw a lighter disc vs a heavier disc. The lighter disc is just easier to get to the speed required.

[leppard]

Originally Posted by waynewf

In my opinion, I like keeping the weights of my discs fairly consistent and I'll throw different milds for the different flights I want to achieve.

For example, for my mids I use a Coyote (understable), Buzzz (stable), and Gator (overstable). I've messed with the weights a bit, but they're all about the same weight, with the Coyote being a bit heavier...by chance, not really choice.

I do the same with my drivers, I try to keep the weights similar and pick discs to cover all of my shots from over to understable and all my shot types, FH, BH, and OH....

I do the same thing. I prefer mids and putters over 170g and drivers 165 - 170g.

[mzuleger]

Originally Posted by Marmoset

Or is it because ther is less gravitational force pulling them back to the earth? I suggest it is the latter.

Gravitational pull is the same regardless of weight... remember those tests in sceince class where you drop a tennis ball and a bowling ball at the same time (or whatever other example you can think of).

The increase in glide is more likely due to how fast the disc is spinning.

[Marmoset]

mzuleger- I agree. I took a shortcut in that statement and it doesn't read according to my intentions.
Here's what I should have said:
The bed of air on which a disc floats will be more likely to hold up a 150 gram object than a 175 gram object. The bed of air is creating a measure of resistance to gravity's effect on the disc. That measure of resistance will not hold up a 175 gram object as long as a 150 gram object.

I have a measure or strength (it's not much but it's there). I can hold 200 pounds above my head. I cannot hold that 200 pounds nearly as long as 20 pounds. This analogy breaks down pretty quickly but you get the idea.

[WillACarpenter]

not much.

\/\/

[garublador]

Originally Posted by mzuleger

Gravitational pull is the same regardless of weight...

Weight is the measurement of the gravitational pull on an object. By definition discs of different weights can not have the same gravitational pull. The acceleration due to gravity is the same, but when we're talking about a disc gliding (lift is an upward force counteracing gravity) you have to look at the force due to gravity, not the acceleration.