Front fender skirt cars need active suspension to compensate narrower track width?

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by mcrews

the rear is narrower by 1.9 inches..........

2003 and on, yes. Your source isn't trustworthy: the Viper was redesigned in 2003, and the dimensions weren't consistent from 2002 (last year of Gen II) to 2006 (last year of Gen III). My car was a 2002 GTS (Gen II, 1996-2002), which does indeed have a narrower front track than rear:

Track, f/r, in./mm 59.6/60.6/1514/1538

(courtesy of Motor Trend)

Also, the engine specs from that source are for the Gen IV (2008-2010), not the Gen III (2003-2006), and all Vipers from 1992-2010 came from the factory with a 3.07:1 final drive.

To get back on topic, it is quite possible for manufacturers to engineer a car with a narrow-enough front track to accommodate front skirts (which doesn't have to be all that narrow anyway), and concept cars in the past have showcased unique solutions for maintaining steering ability. I don't buy the argument that we don't see them currently because of safety concerns having a narrower front track than rear, as cars sold in the past have done that and even been marketed as high performance vehicles (the Lamborghini Murcielago is another notable case, with a rear track 3 inches wider than the front!). That's the point I was trying to make.

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by Vman455

2003 and on, yes. Your source isn't trustworthy: the Viper was redesigned in 2003, and the dimensions weren't consistent from 2002 (last year of Gen II) to 2006 (last year of Gen III). My car was a 2002 GTS (Gen II, 1996-2002), which does indeed have a narrower front track than rear:

Track, f/r, in./mm 59.6/60.6/1514/1538.

thanks

Originally Posted by Vman455

I don't buy the argument that we don't see them currently because of safety concerns having a narrower front track than rear, as cars sold in the past have done that and even been marketed as high performance vehicles (the Lamborghini Murcielago is another notable case, with a rear track 3 inches wider than the front!). That's the point I was trying to make.

imho, it is asthetics and consumer use(rather improper use) that keep them from happening. The cost advantage of doing them does not outweigh the consumer issues that would ensure.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by mcrews

imho, it is asthetics and consumer use(rather improper use) that keep them from happening. The cost advantage of doing them does not outweigh the consumer issues that would ensure.

Exactly--when people buy cars, I would bet most of them make an emotional rather than rational decision. How it looks, how it feels to drive, how it makes them feel to be seen in it. They might factor in some useless performance criterion ("Hey, this one does zero to 60 in 6.7 seconds! That's .2 second faster than that other sedan we test drove this morning--clearly it's superior!"), but that's not the deciding factor. It will be interesting to see how the VW XL1 does if it makes it to the mass market here, as it will be the only car currently with any sort of wheel skirt (that I know of).