Wheelbase is the distance between the front and the rear axles of your RC car.
Wheelbase is usually adjusted by adjusting the spacers around the suspension arm - in the front of the car you would put more spacers behind the arm to lengthen the wheelbase and put fewer behind it to shorten the wheelbase. Any spacers you remove should be put on the other side of the arm, so there is not too much play (the arm doesn't slide forward and back.)
Some cars provide spacers on the pivot that holds the hubs, so the hubs can be moved forward or backwards to adjust the wheelbase. A few cars have options to move the entire suspension mount forward or rearward thereby adjusting the wheelbase.
Wheelbase changes will have different effects depending on whether they are done at the front or the rear.
Front wheelbase changes
Wheelbase of course gets shorter whether you shorten it at the front or the rear, but moving the front wheels back has a different effect on handling than moving the rear wheels forward, so we list their effects separately:
Shorter at the front
- Better jump landings
- Worse handling over small bumps
- Generally suited for tight/technical tracks
Longer at the front
- Better handling over small bumps
- Worse jump landings
- Generally suited for open/bumpy tracks
Rear wheelbase changes
Shorter at the rear
- More entry / off-power steering
- Less exit / on-power steering
- Generally suited for tight/technical tracks
Longer at the rear
- Less entry / off-power steering
- More exit / on-power steering
- Generally suited for open/bumpy tracks
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