Track width
The track width is one of the basic dimensional parameters of a vehicle. In simplified terms, it can be seen as the distance between the centres of the tires.
The track width is approximately the same as the distance between the centre of the tread area of the wheels of the same axle on the horizontal road. It is determined at the permissible total mass of the vehicle, as the wheel track may vary slightly due to the kinematics of the wheel suspension as the vehicle is loaded. The exact definition of wheel track is given in the international standard ISO 612 of 1978.
The size of the wheel track affects the driving characteristics of the vehicle. Wider cars, i.e. cars with a larger track width, generally have greater stability resulting from the greater ‘straddling’ of the car.
overview of basic vehicle dimensions
What you didn’t know:
The front and rear axle track are usually different. For passenger cars, a larger front track is more common, but the opposite is not the exception. The Skoda Roomster, for example, has a larger rear wheel base, which has resulted in the possibility of a larger boot and, compared to the Fabia, a greater willingness to corner similar to a go-kart.
