Adding Weight to the hoop, how much does it do?

[MoxMonkey]

Hey all, I have a pair of vcore 330 racquets and I am going to add some lead tape to one of them because I am curious to how much different the racquet feels and performs with the lead added to various parts of the hoop.

So, my first question is, does the tape come off easy or can it potentially peel paint off the frame when removed?

So I have read that weight added to the top of the hoop gives the biggest increase in swingweight, which makes sense. Does it also cause the sweet spot to drift a little further up the stringbed as well?

If you increase the swingweight from 332 to 350(estimated), would the ball feel like it's rocketing off the bed? Or is the difference more subtle?

To be honest I've got all sorts of questions about the effects of modifying the weight and balance.

Does anyone know of a good link that explains the science and/or playability variation that comes from changing the specs?

 

[TennisDawg]

How to Customize Your Tennis Racquet

www.tennis-warehouse.com

This should help.

 

[MoxMonkey]

Thanks man that's perfect

 

[golden chicken]

Yes, you can easily peel lead tape off without much fear of damaging paint.

 

[LeeD]

And most lead tape sticks just fine.

 

[fuzz nation]

Hey all, I have a pair of vcore 330 racquets and I am going to add some lead tape to one of them because I am curious to how much different the racquet feels and performs with the lead added to various parts of the hoop.

So, my first question is, does the tape come off easy or can it potentially peel paint off the frame when removed?

So I have read that weight added to the top of the hoop gives the biggest increase in swingweight, which makes sense. Does it also cause the sweet spot to drift a little further up the stringbed as well?

If you increase the swingweight from 332 to 350(estimated), would the ball feel like it's rocketing off the bed? Or is the difference more subtle?

To be honest I've got all sorts of questions about the effects of modifying the weight and balance.

Does anyone know of a good link that explains the science and/or playability variation that comes from changing the specs?

As you add heft to the hoop of your racquet (more than just a few grams), it can become more sluggish and cumbersome unless you also add weight to your handle to counterbalance. A heavier frame isn't necessarily something to be afraid of as long as it has enough head-light balance to maneuver okay.

When I add lead to my racquets, 1/4" lead tape is easier to apply to the hoop, but I like placing 1/2" tape on my handles if I need to coax the balance into a more head-light layout.

 

[Deleted member 776614]

Does anyone know of a good link that explains the science and/or playability variation that comes from changing the specs?

The best thing is to forget what you read or hear, and just experiment. There are too many pieces to the story that get left out.

If you add weight to the hoop, you may feel or notice something subconsciously and change your swing. Maybe you swing faster, slower, maybe you release the wrist earlier, etc. Therefore, making a certain change doesn't guarantee a consistent result.

There are a lot of technical 'unknowns' about swing weight, inertia, and mass distribution (mass concentration) when it comes to tennis rackets. It seems to me that the swing weight and polar axis theories are intended for objects with uniform mass distribution, not objects with localized masses/weights.

Here's a perfect example: I just entered the specs of my lighter racket into TWU customizer, asking it for customization to make into my heavier racket. It gave me 2 possible solutions: 1) add 6g at 47cm, or 2) add 3.2g at 58cm plus 2.8g at 22cm. The problem is that the inertia of the two solutions is different! Option 1 is adds 13254 g-cm2, option 2 adds 12120 g-cm2. Even if you choose 7cm or 10cm as the axis of rotation, option 1 is always a higher energy solution (takes more effort.) So how can these two solutions feel the same?

I brought my two rackets to an independent racket technician to have them matched. Before I had trouble switching between them during a match. After getting matched, I could use both interchangeably everywhere except serves. The total weight, balance, and swing weight was the same, but one had more weight concentrated at 12:00 and the other near 6:00. The one with the mass concentrated farther from the handle had a bigger arc over the top of the serve, making it harder to hit down on the ball.

 

[Cashman]

Lead tape will boost your UTR by at least 0.5, guaranteed

 

[Curious]

Lead tape will boost your UTR by at least 0.5, guaranteed

It made mine go down by 0.25!

 

[travlerajm]

And most lead tape sticks just fine.

Depends how many layers you add.

 

[travlerajm]

It made mine go down by 0.25!

Depends how many layers you add.

 

[dominikk1985]

Adding weight to the racket can help but only if you have the mechanics and strength to accelerate the racket.

I'm not saying use a Ti s6 (albeit I had an old tennis coach who played great with an s6) but really most rec players would be better off using a "tweener" racket (maybe around 300grams) than a true players stick.