[george68]

I noticed a few days ago that the SVX has a wider track in the FRONT than it does in the rear, which is a pretty rare design trait. A few other cars that have a wider track in comparison to the rear are : 550/575 Maranello, 360 Modena, Enzo Ferrari and Maserati Quattroporte.

What is the handling benefit of having a wider front track? Does it just induce more understeer, or is there some added benefit ????

- Rob

[george68]

bump

[george68]

Anybody?

[djohnson]

Steering radius, I believe, could possibly be shortened due to having more room to turn the wheels. I can't think of anything else off hand.

[velodev]

Why would we know... isn't this a computer forum?

C'mon Rob... I know you meant to post this here.

[Sherwin]

Originally posted by george68:
I noticed a few days ago that the SVX has a wider track in the FRONT than it does in the rear, which is a pretty rare design trait. A few other cars that have a wider track in comparison to the rear are : 550/575 Maranello, 360 Modena, Enzo Ferrari and Maserati Quattroporte.

What is the handling benefit of having a wider front track? Does it just induce more understeer, or is there some added benefit ????

I'd say less understeer and more oversteer. Scoobies are a difficult example because they're known to both understeer and oversteer in the same corner if you're really pushing them.

I guess that when it's designed in it's the manufacturer balancing the handling if the weight distribution ain't quite perfect.

[george68]

Originally posted by Sherwin:
I'd say less understeer and more oversteer. Scoobies are a difficult example because they're known to both understeer and oversteer in the same corner if you're really pushing them.

I guess that when it's designed in it's the manufacturer balancing the handling if the weight distribution ain't quite perfect.

But the SVX is known to understeer slightly from the factory..... but in my experiences it oversteers if you add throttle.

- Rob

[Spliffdaddy]

The front & rear track differ because it's advantageous to handling when the roadway is grooved. The front and rear tires do not follow the exact same line - which is good when that line is bad. heh. this reduces the tendency of the vehicle to 'follow' gooves like it has a mind of its own.

I have no clue why the front track should be wider than the rear - or vice versa. Which would rather have drop off the edge of the shoulder first? Maybe it's safety-related. Maybe it doesn't matter at all.

[Fyre4ce]

In a front-wheel steer car, with the track widths equal, the rear tends to cut a shorter-radius arc through corners. Narrowing the rear track the appropriate amount will cause the two inside wheels to follow the same arc.

Wider track for front and rear is better in that it causes less weight to be transfered to the outside wheel in cornering. This results in more total cornering force. However, a wider car means that the car must take a smaller-radius arc through a corner of a given radius and width, so more cornering force is required for the same corner exit speed. As with most things in engineering, it is a trade-off. The best solution depends on the car, the characteristcs of the tires, and the types of corners that will be encountered.