Track width alignment

[David Pozzi]

For max cornering traction the wider the better on either end.
On an autocross car, the width will hurt you on linked turns or slaloms especially.
Go-Karts adjust understeer/oversteer balance by spacers behind the wheels, widen the front track, more traction on that end.



As far as F/R track, I can't remember reading anything about it. making the front wider would affect tire scrub radius and the car wouldn't steer as well, especially going straight down the road. I think I'd try to keep the front as close to on center as possible. By on-center, I mean draw a line through the balljoints, where it touches the ground should be between zero and an inch inboard of the tire tread center. I don't have a definite figure, I just picked an inch as a number that would "sounds good" to me.

I don't think you want the rear way wider than the front, but if it were an inch or two wider I don't see any harm. The front has the most weight and would benefit from a wider track for better corner entry, but the rear helps you accelerate out of a turn and wider helps that.
In the end I'd make the tires fit the bodywork, try to make the front tires have a low scrub radius so it's easy to drive and brake without swerving around. I don't think an inch different backspace on one end or the other will be felt. On a go-kart it would since it's a larger percentage of the chassis width.