Track Width

[ke71-rolla]

Ok guys, just had this cross my mind the other day

 

Which is more beneficial, or which does what:

 

A) Having wider track at the rear of your car

or

B) Having wider track at the front of your car

 

Thanks guys!

[skidsharpe]

You need to explain your question more. Do you mean better handling by " more beneficial " ?

[irokin]

IMO, probably front but why not both? I have a wider track in the rear of my silvia, just by the nature of the rims I'm currently running. On the track the car tends to pitch towards the outside front which makes for difficult traction on corner exit. at the moment I'm running 17x7.5 +32ish on the front and 17x9+42ish on the rear. A heavier swaybar made negligible difference. If I ever get off my arse and put the turbo back on I've got 17x9+30s to go on all round. I have tried the 17x9+30s in place of the +42s on the rear and it seemed to push even more, but that may be because the +30s have slicks on. Going by the difference a little bit of track increase all round made on my corolla to rolling and pitching I'd expect a significant behavioral change in the front of the silvia with the 17x9+30s on there.

 

</rambling>

[Evan G]

extra track on the front will cause the steering wheel pull to one side when a wheel locks up

[Toy-Yoda[RL]]

The way I understand it (and possibly the most crude and basic way known to mankind) is that if you increase the track on the rear, you should expect more rear end grip and more front end push (understeer).

Increase the front track and expect higher front end grip and a more tail happy car.....

 

PLEASE NOTE None of this should be taken as gospel, as it's the way I understand things, therefor it's probably wrong...... K?

 

But having a chat with your local suspension specialist can't hurt.....

[seabiscuit]

Rear wheels spin. front wheels turn. What do you want to do? :blinks:

[7shades]

You'll find most vehicles have a slightly narrower rear track, especially front drivers. Its especially noticeable on Camrys and Magnas.

 

The reason for this is it partially negates understeer and is more directionally stable at highway speeds and under brakes. Not to delve too deeply but it means you can run a bit more caster, toe, dynamic camber etc. on the front... Basically idiot-proofing the car for the lowest common denominator/women/asians (jks :blinks:)

 

As with all factory settings, its a compromise between performance, safety, and comfort.

 

A track/performance car is a different animal entirely, and its more beneficial to run equal or wider rear track and more front camber and toe, bigger swaybars etc. You'll lose some 'road manners' but gain exponentially when driving closer to 10/10ths.

Edited March 3, 2010 by 7shades

[cuzzo]

extra track on the front will cause the steering wheel pull to one side when a wheel locks up

 

KEH?

 

How?

[anastasios]

haha thats what i was thinking, that is more an alignment issue

[ranko_87]

Food for thought....Normally speaking when you increase the track, you are moving the wheel further out from the spring, (be it leaf or coil) creating a bigger lever and softening the spring. Which i think is the actual change that is resulting in alot of the handling characteristics mentioned. Also, the set up in the rear of a RWD car has alot to do with if the diff is open or locked. So running a wider track (softer) should work well with a locked diff, so it lifts the weight from the inside wheel, reducing the push/understeer.

[ke71-rolla]

Thanks guys

 

I've had the same impression as toy-yoda, rear will increase rear grip, front will increase front traction.

 

Thats pretty interesting 7shades; I had always thought that cars wheels were always the same distance apart, front from back!!!

 

Just some food for thought hey

Edited March 3, 2010 by ke71-rolla

[altezzaclub]

The Altezza/Lexus IS200 came from the factory with a wider track at the front.

 

It does have the sharpest turn-in of any car I've driven, the main reason I bought an Altezza and not a BMW 325.

[7shades]