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Thread: Oddity: Micra front vs. rear track width

  1. #1
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    Oddity: Micra front vs. rear track width

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    So I was looking over some of the specs for the Micra and its competitors and noticed an oddity:

    Micra's rear track is wider than the front:

    Front: 1460 mm
    Rear: 1465 mm

    It's the only car I know of offhand where that's the case. All of the Micra's competitors have narrower rear tracks by varying degrees (the F/R difference ranging from 4 to 25 mm).

    I thought it might just be a typo in the brochure, but it's there in the Mexican & UK specs as well (even where the track width is slightly different due to wheel/tire differences, the rear is always 5mm wider).

    One reason automakers go for a narrower rear track is to taper the bodywork inward at the back to reduce aero drag. Highly aerodynamic cars (e.g. 1st generation Honda Insight, GM EV1 electric, VW XL1) have significantly narrower rear tracks (on the order of 10-15 cm) than typical cars for this reason.

    5 mm isn't a big difference, but I wonder why Micra bucks the trend.


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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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    Senior Member AlphaMicra's Avatar
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    I'm guessing it's to improve the handling characteristics. When I threw that black Micra into a twisty off-ramp, it handled high speed turns like a champ. I'll bet they tweaked it to wring as much as they could out of the handling.

    In our culture obsessed with absurd excess, the Nissan Micra is my counterculture car of choice.
    Be sure to visit my blog at mymicra.com!

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra SV manual: 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.3 mpg (Imp) ... 15.7 km/L ... 36.9 mpg (US) ...


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    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    Could be - I just checked the Mini Cooper specs (known for being a fun, FWD go-kart), and it's slightly wider at the rear, too.

    Yet the Micra's high speed handling has not exactly been praised in the UK (where it doesn't get dual stabilizer bars, like we do). So it still strikes me as a little unusual. I wonder if the Versa sedan & Note specs are similar... Going to check!

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    Yup:

    2014 Nissan Versa Note specifications ... front track (inches): 58.3, rear track (inches): 58.5
    Same specs for the sedan.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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    Senior Member AlphaMicra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    Could be - I just checked the Mini Cooper specs, and it's slightly wider at the rear, too.

    Yet the Micra's high speed handling has not exactly been praised in the UK (where it doesn't get dual stabilizer bars, like we do). So it still strikes me as a little unusual. I wonder if the Versa sedan & Note specs are similar... Going to check!
    No car with a short wheelbase can be praised for high speed handling, but perhaps pushing the rear wheels outwards a little may help in overcoming the shortcomings that are inherent when high speed is combined with a short wheelbase?



    In our culture obsessed with absurd excess, the Nissan Micra is my counterculture car of choice.
    Be sure to visit my blog at mymicra.com!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra SV manual: 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.3 mpg (Imp) ... 15.7 km/L ... 36.9 mpg (US) ...


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