does widebody ruin performance?

Hi does a widebody ruin performance. besides the extra weight, does it throw off the cars balance. I figure you would need spacers or somekind of monster offset so it looks like the front wheels pivot would be in to far and stuff. Besides steering i seems like it would effect suspension as well. Anyways I was just thinking and the search didn't come up with much.

If the widebody is heavier than stock, you are adding weight. Just like adding a subwoofer, passenger, opting for the 'super-sized' meal, etc... they all add weight and affects performance, to the degree of that performance varies.

Will you feel a difference? Ask yourself if you feel the difference between a 1/2 and full tank of fuel, or if you notice the weight of a 50lb relative in your car. Odds are you won't feel a difference from the weight of a bodykit alone.

Wide-bodies usually mean heavy and wide 18" wheels. This will be much more noticable in terms of feel and performance especially in a naturaly-aspirated car. 18" wheels do change the steering feel of the car. You also hit on another good point: wheel spacers. Going wider does affect the scrub-radius of the car, leading to slightly heavier steering and feeling of the car. It also allows for clearance of aftermarket brake systems which can be a plus.

There are many people with wide bodies out there, many of which are making a lot more power with forced induction, wider tires, and bigger brakes. Look at your goals and budget and go from there, but at a minimum widebody kits require wheels, tires, wheel spacers, and the price of the body install and paint. It does affect the performance slightly but allows for more potential in terms of grip, width, brakes, etc... If done right. It can also make the car drive poorly if done wrong, but either way it will have some effect on the way the car drives.


Billy

I really didn't notice much difference at all after going widebody in street driving.

I think going massive wide wheels 18/19 or 19/20 would kill performance worse than any of it. Massive wide wheels/tires look great but are quite heavy.

quack said:

Hi does a wide-body ruin performance. besides the extra weight, does it throw off the cars balance. I figure you would need spacers or somekind of monster offset so it looks like the front wheels pivot would be in to far and stuff. Besides steering i seems like it would effect suspension as well. Anyways I was just thinking and the search didn't come up with much.

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While for the track there are clear advantages, wider body work is generally not desirable for street driving. It would be safe to characterize that 99.9% of the conversions are for looks.

In terms of performance, the larger frontal area, unnecessary ducts, etc... simply leads to more aerodynamic drag. This equates to poorer straight-line acceleration, an overall lower top speed, and poorer fuel economy. Depending on the design & fit of the specific body work, the impact can be notable. If you historically compare the wide to the narrow body P-cars for example, the setup differences on performance are well documented.

What it really ruins is daily driveability. As Billy mentioned, wide-body conversions allow for, and typically mean bigger wheels and wider tires. As significantly higher levels of grip are completely unnecessary on the street, these setup changes usually just mean a higher rolling resistance (which again equals poorer fuel economy) and most of all- an unnecessarily higher tire bill. The wider track width from the lower offset wheels or larger spacers further means a poorer turning radius, and less manuverability; which can make parking a challenge. Lower-profile rubber typical of many owners preferences results in a lower spring rate, so the ride may be noticably harsher over the rough pubic roads we have today.

There are also the maintainability/repairability aspects to consider, as a light-weight fiberglass layup is generally not as preferential as the stock pieces in terms of holding up over the long-term. The cost of conversions can also be very quite high for the platform, not only the parts and installation but the upkeep. Large front splitters and low hanging side skirts get inevitably tattered on the street, and frankly just slow you down getting-in and out of places.

+1. It looks funny having bigger wheels with puny oem brake calipers and disc.

davidf said:

I think going massive wide wheels 18/19 or 19/20 would kill performance worse than any of it. Massive wide wheels/tires look great but are quite heavy.

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One of the benefits of a widebody is the ability to run wider tires within the fenders and that in itself can be a huge advantage on the track.

I think most widebodies done well perform better at import shows:wink:

docjohn said:

I think most widebodies done well perform better at import shows:wink:

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Bingo.:wink:

so you guys think xfactor and sos have widebody for show on the track?

I see, good points. I mainly just liked the dtm style gt kits, looks like a hassle and more things to go wrong though and tune. Thanks for the in depthness.

doc_tai said:

so you guys think FX Motorsports Development and SOS have widebody for show on the track?

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Fixed it for ya


Answer:

FXMDBilly said:

(Wide bodies ) also allow for clearance of aftermarket brake systems which can be a plus.

...wider tires, and bigger brakes.

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John@Microsoft said:

As Billy mentioned, wide-body conversions allow for, and typically mean bigger wheels and wider tires. As significantly higher levels of grip a

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W said:

One of the benefits of a widebody is the ability to run wider tires within the fenders and that in itself can be a huge advantage on the track.

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Probably one of the nices kit I've seen. http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126403

different widebody kits have different purpose...