what is the difference in handling between a wide Chev or Fpord axle and a narrow Prefect or Morris axle.I have a 37 Morris 8 frt axle sitting in the shop.
If you are going in a straight line it shouldn't really make much difference. If you are planning on using it on an HA/GR it should be lighter and that's a good thing.
NOPE.. Sorry,, If you have a standard width rear axel/ 55"-60"and you try a narrower axel on the front. That makes like a reverse wedge..ALL cars including stock cars have narrower rear axels than front..If you built your car in the reverse wedge style..Your car will "HUNT". and you will have to make constant corrections..That is why the Old Rails went to the narrowed rearends..On a 300" long rear engine Dragster it is not nearly the problem as it is on a short car.. Example.. Take your hands and put them together at your finger tips with the palm open..Now move your palms back and forth. notice how little your finger tips move now reverse the action.. So if the front end moves a little, The backend moves alot.. I hope this is clear..
As trike putters find out the very first ride, you don't take your hands off the bars for any substantial length of time. That said, you wouldn't be taking your hand off the wheel in a race at any rate so for a quarter horse it'd be an acceptable nuisance, long as you don't mind having to stay on top of it. Lots of folks putt trikes.
one of the cars running now has a Morris axle- ask them. How wide is the track width on that anyways ?
this is interesting... the front end on my willys is 2 1/2" narrower than the rear from wheel mount surface to surface... and thats without the tires stickin out the back... i dont have any of the wandering and live steering and i had been told it might do just that... wonder why? i know this is kinda OT cause its on my hotrod, but i am tryin to wrap my head around this.
My vote's for PFM. I would think it has to do with how far out of straight you were getting, ie the further it would wander form straight the more effect it would have (kinda like an airplane with swept forward wings). So whatever setup you have that would keep it straightened out should counter it regardless of the respective track widths (unless there's something else wrong). Or am I missing something? FWIW I drove an autocross car a few times that was like that, first time I ever had driven anything with a wider rear track width. That was one pylon killin' machine . Not likely to have that problem on a drag car though.
If you look at pictures of the old g***er Anglias and Willys, most of them had narrower front tracks. Don't think it's a big problem on a quarter miler.
Narrow the rear end to fit! It's not that big a problem. Anything with dual rear wheels is way wider at the back with no handling problems. The weight difference to a rod is going to be a factor, but how many street machines have huge tires sticking way out of the rear wheelwells with no steering difficulties?
Pope,, For one reason.. The back inside rim have a large Backspacing which brings them in narrower than the front axel width.. BUT,, Build as you see fit... I'll stay out of it''
And narrowing the rear isn't allowed. Using a narrower stock one would be of course but ........... Yes, we're seriously over thinking the thing. A narrower front is (from a practical point of view) perfectly fine. All the "drawbacks" noted are minor at best, highly unlikely and completely addressable should they occur. Build, baby, build.
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