F1technical.net

Hi!

I have a question, how does front and rear track influenciates handling?
Ex: Having front track wider than rear and rear wider than front.

Thanks

Maybe this should me moved, it belongs to suspension and chassis

You could read theses links:
http://www.turnfast.com/tech_handling/h ... txfr.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_handling
http://campus.umr.edu/fsae/library/sae_ ... epaper.pdf
http://www.tuev-sued.de/uploads/images/ ... rutten.pdf
http://delphi.com/pdf/techpapers/2002-01-0967.pdf
viewtopic.php?t=4147

BUT THIS IS A LOT MORE FUN
Narrow VS Wide Track

This involves your girlfriend,wife or both...without either it's a chance to play dressup. Have her put on a pencil skirt...it's a technical term; the hem (bottom) is about 50cm, paired with a transparent blouse - very fetching. This represents a "narrow" track suspension - with a narrow "stance."

Next have her put on an "A" skirt...another technical term; the hem is about 140cm, paired with a black halter top - enchanting. This represents a "wide" track suspension - with a wide "stance."

While she wears the pencil skirt...chase her around the livingroom for a few laps - notice how easy it is to catch her? Very high livingroom lap times.

On the other hand, when she wears the "A" skirt ... she's very quick on those laps around the room - easily eluding your grasp. Very low livingroom laps times.

This is basically the effect of narrow VS wide track.

Was that your question?

Great explanation =D>

The track of the car directly effects the amount of load transferred during cornering. A wider track results in less load being transferred.

Thus, if you have an understeering car, your front tires are probably being overloaded, so you would want to widen out the front track and narrow the rear.

Although, track is one of the non-adjustable aspects of the suspension. Even with wheel spacers and wheel offset you can't do much more than an inch or two at most without running into problems.

Carlos wrote:......

This is basically the effect of narrow VS wide track.

Was that your question?

Is this from formula1.com -> 'understanding the sport' ? =D>

nice explanation, thanks
A friend of mine wondered if adding spacers to the rear would help cure its car tendency to lift off oversteer ( as a cheap fix), i was spetical and thought otherwise.
Its a Fwd lowered rover 214si btw.

Was this on the same website as 'how to look good in a bikini', Ciro?
I must say its a damn good explanation, although the neighbours might be a little perplexed as you all chase your wife/gf round your living rooms in 70s fashion items.

Easy way to cure lift off oversteer, don't lift off

I said lift off because its more extreme, because of the weigth shift, it by what he said sufers from overaul oversteer.
Another friend of mine uses a simple "fix", as its a comercial car he balasted the rear, problem fixed

RJC_pt wrote:I said lift off because its more extreme, because of the weigth shift, it by what he said sufers from overaul oversteer.
Another friend of mine uses a simple "fix", as its a comercial car he balasted the rear, problem fixed

that would increase oversteer.

You could stiffen the front spring rate and or the roll stiffness

flynfrog wrote:

RJC_pt wrote:I said lift off because its more extreme, because of the weigth shift, it by what he said sufers from overaul oversteer.
Another friend of mine uses a simple "fix", as its a comercial car he balasted the rear, problem fixed

that would increase oversteer.

You could stiffen the front spring rate and or the roll stiffness

... or decrease front tyre pressure a little (that's even cheaper).

There is another thing: sometimes what you have is a bad turn-in. You can change three things, if I'm right:

- Try to move the wheel harder at turn-in
- Increase caster a little, or increase scrub radius. Go easy on that one: too much caster and you get a twitchy car or overheating tyres.
- Increase toe-out as a last resource, after checking camber (sometimes people exaggerates with negative camber, after watching racing car settings).

we are talking about normal road cars here, so not many adjustments avaiable off the hat, tyre pressure is doable, but in the case of the balast the thing is that being a diesel comercial smal car it as the weight bias very foward, and the little balaste sems to work and give beter weight distribution.

More weight in the rear would decrease oversteer because the rear tyres have larger contact patches and therefore more grip. However once the rears lose traction it will quickly bite you because now all that weight is throwing the rear out in all directions.

Decreasing rear tyre pressure would again increase the tyre contact patch and help counter oversteer, decreasing front tyre pressure would be a way to stop understeer, I used to use that on grass races in an effort to get the power down without spinning the wheels. Increasing rear tyre pressure will create more oversteer (and you won't notice until its almost too late!) which was a great way to have alot of fun in the races.

Watch out
This is what enginners did in the 70´s to make wider tracks!



JEJE

EDIT: a scale model of a car tested by Carlos Reutemman, wich, by the way, never raced!