What is Wheelbase?
[[File:Wheelbase and Track.png|thumb|320px|{{center|Wheelbase (measured from center of front wheel to center of back wheel)}}]] In both road and rail [[vehicle]]s, the '''wheelbase''' is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. == Vehicles == Because of the effect the wheelbase has on the [[weight distribution]] of the vehicle, wheelbase [[wikt:dimension|dimension]]s are very important to the [[wikt:balance|balance]] and [[steering]]. In [[Auto racing|high performance vehicles]] a longer wheelbase is more [[Stability|stable]] at higher [[speed]]s.<ref name=F1>{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/wheel_base.html |title=Wheelbase |author= |date= |website= |publisher=formula1-dictionary.net |accessdate=25 May 2015}}</ref> A short wheelbase vehicle is usually able to corner faster but may be less [[Aerodynamics|aerodynamic]].<ref name=F1/> The wheelbase, along with the track, affects a vehicle's steering angle (how sharply it can turn).<ref>Victor Albert Walter Hillier; Peter Coombes, ''Hillier's Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology'', Book 1 (Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, 2004), p. 363</ref> Wheelbase has an effect on a vehicle's [[turning radius]] (or turning circle).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carbibles.com/steering_bible.html |title=The Steering Bible |author= |date= |website=The Car Bible |publisher=Chris Longhurst |accessdate=24 May 2015 |archive-date=25 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425061750/http://www.carbibles.com/steering_bible.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> This is the smallest [[circle]] an automobile can turn or [[U-turn (maneuver)|U-turn]] within. A long wheelbase automobile or truck cannot turn as sharply as a short wheelbase vehicle. == Towing and wheelbase == If the vehicle is [[wikt:tow|tow]]ing a [[Trailer (vehicle)|trailer]] (in [[British English]] a caravan) the weight distribution of the trailer is [[wikt:critical|critical]].<ref name=GMTT>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmc.com/trailering-towing/tongue-weight.html |title=Tongue