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A chart showing the distribution of damper (shock absorber) velocities over a lap, plotted as velocity bands on the x-axis versus time spent in each band on the y-axis. The ideal shape is a symmetrical bell curve centered near zero velocity.
Segers explains in Analysis Techniques for Racecar Data Acquisition that the histogram should ideally "resemble a Gaussian distribution (also known as normal distribution or bell curve). The goal here is to maintain a tire contact patch load that is as constant as possible." He adds: "When looking at a wheel passing over a single bump, initially there is a positive shock speed when the bump is hit and then a negative speed as the wheel passes over it. To maintain the balance of the chassis, positive and negative velocities should be as close as possible to each other in magnitude and duration." Segers demonstrates how suspension parameters shift the histogram shape: with increased damping, "the suspension configuration processes the bump quicker, meaning the histogram has a much higher peak around a shock speed of zero." With higher mass and softer springs, "the histogram has a wider base with a lower peak around zero." An asymmetric histogram indicates the damper is spending more time in bump or rebound, suggesting a setup imbalance.