The wheelbase of a car is the most important characteristic of a car. Details.

The wheelbase of a car is one of the mass-dimensional characteristics of a car. Take any model, for example Chevrolet Niva, and in the description you will see:

• length - 4048 mm;
• width - 1800 mm;
• height - 1680mm;
• clearance - 220 mm;
• wheelbase - 2450 mm.

Important characteristics are also front track, rear track, weight, weight of a fully equipped vehicle.

The classic definition of wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axles of a car, or the distance between the center points of the front and rear wheels.

Based on this definition, cars with a short or long wheelbase can be distinguished. It is clear that class A or B class compact hatchbacks have a short wheelbase, while executive class E cars have a longer wheelbase:

• Daewoo Matiz class A - 2340 mm;
• Chevrolet Aveo class B - 2480 mm;
• Toyota Corolla C-class - 2600 mm;
• Skoda Superb D-class - 2803 mm;
• BMW 5-Series E-class - 2888 mm.

The shortest wheelbase to date has a two-seat Smart Fortwo - just over 1800 millimeters. The longest is the pickup truck Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab - 4379 millimeters, that is, more than four meters.

It is worth noting that in history there were cars with an even larger or smaller wheelbase, but they were produced in limited quantities, or even in single copies.

It must also be said that, depending on the type of suspension, the length of the wheelbase can be both constant and variable. For example, in the 60-70s, trailing arm suspension was very popular, it was usually installed on the rear axle and the rear wheels could move relative to the body in the longitudinal plane, thereby changing the geometry of the wheelbase. This type of suspension can be found on many commercial vehicles, such as the Volkswagen Multivan.

There were also models with an unequal wheelbase in the history of the automotive industry, that is, the distance between the centers of the wheels on the right side was different from the distance on the left side. The most striking example is the Renault 16, which was produced from 1965 to 1980. The difference in wheelbase left and right was 64 millimeters. At first, this car was even considered as the basis for the future VAZ 2101, although the management of the Volga Automobile Plant chose the Fiat 124, an exact copy of which our modern Kopeikas are.

How does wheelbase size affect driving performance?

There are positive sides to both long and short wheelbases.

Long wheelbase

The layout of such cars allows you to create more comfortable conditions for passengers. As we can see from the list above, cars of higher classes are classified as business and executive. Rear seat passengers can comfortably sit in their seats without touching the backs with their knees.

The driving characteristics of such cars are smooth, the unevenness of the road surface is not so strongly felt. Due to the smaller redistribution of weight, such cars are more stable on the track, show better dynamics during acceleration. When cornering, they skid less.

It is also worth noting that cars with a long wheelbase, as a rule, are front-wheel drive, since there is no need to carry a long cardan shaft to the rear axle, which will inevitably lead to an increase in weight and a decrease in comfort. In addition, rear wheel drive vehicles are more difficult to maintain.

Short wheelbase

The advantages of such vehicles include:

• better handling and maneuverability in the city;
• they have increased cross-country ability - the ramp angle and the exit-entry angle are higher;
• they are easier to get out of the skid;
• at high speeds more stable and manageable.

Indeed, if we look at almost all SUVs, SAVs, CUVs - that is, urban crossovers, SUVs, as well as SUVs belonging to the J-class according to the European classification, we will see that they have the optimal ratio of wheelbase and overall body length. It is this arrangement that implies the presence of all types of drive: front, rear, all-wheel drive.

Due to the high ground clearance, the absence of large front and rear overhangs, a relatively short wheelbase and a wide track, SUVs and crossovers can easily drive both on bad city roads (and there are enough of them in the vast expanses of Russia, it is enough to turn aside from the federal highway), so and light off-road.

It is no secret for experienced drivers that the representative Toyota Camry with its base of 2800 mm will sit on its belly on the simplest hill, which even the Chinese pseudo-crossovers Lifan X60 or Geely MK Cross will move with ease.

However, you need to understand that the presence of a short or long wheelbase still does not mean anything, since the driving characteristics of a particular model equally depend on many other parameters:

• the ratio of the wheelbase and the total length of the body:
• front and rear track;
• ground clearance.

For example, cars with a wider track are more stable on the road, enter and exit difficult turns with ease, while passenger comfort suffers the least. But everything has its limit - if the distance between the left and right wheels is increased to a certain value, then comfort or stability can be put an end to - the car will more often go into a skid when the left or right side hits a snowy area or ice. Even if you just drive off the right side of the road during the maneuver, then there is a very high probability of being in a ditch.

In fact, automotive engineers have long determined the optimal ratio of track width and wheelbase length.

If you take any car, you will see that it is 1,6-1,8. For example, VAZ 2101 - base 2424 mm divided by the front track 1349, we get 1,79. It is this ratio that provides the best controllability. It is also interesting that such a ratio lies within the "Golden Section" - a proportion like 5/3, 8/5, 13/8 and so on - and all this was invented by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. Rather, he didn’t invent it, but formulated it, since this principle was used long before him in architecture and art.

Please also note that the ratio of the total length of the car and the wheelbase is measured in liters - for example, in the characteristics of many cars they write this:

Acura TLX 2015:

• length 4834;
• wheelbase 2776;
• length to base ratio of 1,74 liters.

As you can see, this value also falls within the Golden Section of Leonardo da Vinci. It is clear that the car is more comfortable and safer than all these values ​​are closer to the ideal.

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