[culver]

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

Just curious, how does a long wheelbase affect a car's handling, etc. as opposed to a shorter one?

I guess a longer wheelbase will handle not as well as a shorter one- harder to place in corners and all?

It has to do with weight transfer. If the CG is basically at the same height but the wheel base is larger each tire will see a smaller change in load as you turn, brake and/or accelerate. That's good because the more even the load between the four tires, the more grip you will have. It also makes the car more stable because the tires have a longer lever arm over which to act.

It does come with a price, longer wheel base and track width hurt on really tight tracks. The problem is that a wider or longer car can't "cut the corners" as much as a narrow car. This is why a Miata can do so well on a tight autocross track as compared to more powerful cars that would handily beat it on a road course. On a very tight track the Miata is simply able to run a straighter line through the corners. However, on a larger circuit with faster turns the Miata's short wheelbase and narrow track become a liability. Some people might assume the Miata losses out to more powerful cars simply due to a lack of power. However, if the more powerful car's CG is lower with respect to it's wheel base then it may also perform better in turns as well as through transitions.