Many racing cars have track wideners, a very practical car accessory during a race. Both strategic and technical, using track wideners also saves money and enhances the aesthetics of your race car. This allows to dazzle the spectators' eyes.
What is the purpose of a track widener?
As the term means, "a track widener" is used to lengthen the car's track. Technically speaking, it is a question of increasing the distance between the wheels of the car. On the descriptive side, a track widener consists of a wedge or a large thick disc made of aluminium, dug in the centre. It is placed between the hub and rim of a car wheel. It is equipped with bolt holes, through which the expander is fixed to the hub of the racing car tyre. A distinction is then made between the single bolt expander and the double bolt expander.
In addition, the expanders are always sold in even numbers: two expanders for the rear wheels and two expanders for the front wheels. However, it is important that the rear and front wheel wideners have the same thickness, to make the race car more stable. This ensures that the wheels stay firmly on the ground. More information on the subject is available on aluformproducts.com/
Why put track wideners on a race car?
Most race car drivers put track wideners on their cars for strategic, economic and aesthetic reasons. Since the tires of a race car are better held on the ground when the wideners are present, there is less risk of slippage and wheel slippage. But the main purpose of placing wideners on the tires is to better pass corners, even at high speeds. At high speeds, the pilot may have difficulty adjusting his directions at each turn and sometimes go out of the race. But by using wheel wideners, the racing car also becomes more stable and easier to control.
In addition to this technical side, using track wideners is a good economical resolution, to have a stable and fast racing car. Wideners are less expensive than other mechanical parts to balance a race car on the road, such as buying a front axle, for example.
But the aesthetics of a race car is also important, because it is the first one that spectators watch. A wheel expander reduces the rim offset and pushes the rim back to the edge of the corresponding wing. Thus, the rim is more observable and enhanced. Hence the aesthetic effect of a track widener.
How to choose a track widener?
Choosing a track widener for a race car requires a certain rigour. First, the car brand focuses on the choice of a wheel expander, as they are specific to each car. A BMW track widener is, for example, different from the widener of a Mercedes. Then, the number of holes in the rim and hub must also be considered when choosing a track widener. The type of expander also depends on these parameters. For a single bolt expander, it is to be screwed on the hub only. For a double bolt expander, the bolts are tightened both on the hub and on the rim. Thus, for a 4-hole rim, for example, the expander must also have four bolt holes.
Measuring the thickness of the rim and tires is also an important step before purchasing a race car track widener. Indeed, the regulations require that the wheels do not go beyond the limit of the plumbing of the vehicle's wings. A good measurement therefore makes it possible to determine the exact thickness of the track widener required by the car. In addition, these parameters define the reference of the compatible track widener to the race car. For example, the 5 x 112 track widener means that the widener contains 5 bolt holes with a diameter of 112 mm.
The pro-touring
Pro-touring is an expensive practice in vogue in the United States and is available in France. The personalization of the car by respecting the rules of pro-touring lasts for months. Change of bodywork, parts ordered from the United States, the transformation can reach 20 000 €.
Lowriding
Lowriding consists in equipping a vehicle with a hydraulic suspension generally recovered