Widening Rear Track

so you get a little bit more grip when you are cooking it a little too much into a corner? :) all you need to do is put some 3mm spacers on the back wheels and see the difference it makes

Just makes the car a bit more stable at the back. Using a 309 rear beam on a 205 is a popular mod in rallying as it widens the track a bit and apparently makes the car handle better. I'm a bit skeptical myself, but its easy enough to do so why not.

Why you asking? You going for a wide boy Ka? :)

It's Trax 2003 tomorrow and we _always_ mod Kermit either just before, during, or just after a show.

Tomorrow I think it's "lets try widening the rear track day" for a change.

Hmm.

Surely you'll just end up with the car understeering more? IMO rear end grip isn't really a problem except perhaps under heavy braking, or when you're trying :P. Is there any way of reducing weight transfer to the front end without really compromising ride?

Except front wheel drive cars naturally understeer unless they have rear wheel steer built into the rear geometry , the effect of widening the rear track varies depending the type of suspension. On some cars it will increase the roll stiffness at the rear increasing the grip at the front inside wheel hence producing better traction, but on some suspension geometries it will make the rear softer.

Problem with widening the track on any car is it makes it more twitchy due to the change in ratio between wheelbase and track. Cars with a long wheelbase relative to the track tend to be easier to drive on the limit of adhesion but can't change direction as quickly.

This is my concern, although given that the front two airbags are probably bigger than the two side ones, and I'd understeer head on into the tree rather than side on, this isn't too bad, I suppose.

You could fill the doors with water, so when you brake it all sloshes forward! :)

Helpful.

Well, I did answer your question, and it would work, yes?

Actually, now here's an idea. If you did this in conjunction with pumps and various tanks, you could use this as a training machine for skid control . . .

It would increase weight transfer to the front, I was talking about giving it less, to keep the rear in line under heavy braking. You'd need to put the water in some sort of bag, and you'd want damping :P.

Indeed. I imagine more skids are caused by s**te like diesel on the road, or driver error, or on purpose than weight transfer, so it might feel a tad odd.

LOL, you remember the spacer kits that the motor discount shops used to sell in the 80's? Stupid sizes and the garages did a roaring trade in wheelbearing changes.

OOPS!

I mis-read your post.

/blush/

Diesel, lovely stuff.

Relocating stuff from the front into the back helps, but beyond the battery, that's about all you could move.

Thought you had :P.

Full tank of petrol instead my usual fiver perhaps :P. The Rallycross Ka in C&CC (not much Ka left, admittedly) had wider front tyres than rears.

You wouldn't.

Messing with the factory suspension geometry is a bad idea.

Prepare for excessive wear on the rear drive-train suspension, and crap handling unless you get the suspension geometry set up to cope with the extra track. Is the rear suspension even adjustable on a Ka ?

Leave well alone unless you really know your stuff. If you change the suspension geometry, you'll knacker your car, unless you adjust it all to compensate for the changes you make.

Think lowered-riceboy-car - rollerskate handling, excessive tyre wear, new driveshafts/track-rod-ends on a regular basis, etc. etc.

Wise words!

/trying to picture Kermit as a Type-R . . . and failing/

:)