How To Measure Wheelbase Of A Car – Complete Guide

The wheelbase measurement is the distance between the center of the rear tire and the front tire of your vehicle. There are some vehicles with more than two axles. In that case, measuring the wheelbase will be different. In this article, you will learn how to measure wheelbase.

Knowing the measurement of the wheelbase of your vehicle will be essential for maintenance, and the wheelbase measurement will help you to know about the car. If you have no idea how to measure wheelbase, then by reading this article, you will be able to gain some knowledge.

Some people tend to take the vehicle to a mechanic even to do some simple stuff, but you can save money if you learn and do it yourself. Similarly, you can do it at home by acquiring knowledge on the method to measure your vehicle’s wheelbase.

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Some people believe that by measuring the wheelbase, you can find the vehicle’s actual length, which is impossible. In contrast, you can know how large the interior is and the rough measurement of the passenger compartment.

Most people often wonder how to measure wheelbase, and if you are also planning to measure it for the first time, then following the steps given in the article will be helpful.

When you purchase a vehicle, you can get information about its wheelbase. Many people check the wheelbase measurement when planning to get a new vehicle to clarify whether the car will be spacious enough.

The vehicle owners who need more interior space will tend to get a car with a long wheelbase, whereas if you don’t need much interior space, you can go for a vehicle with a short wheelbase.

When getting the truck, it is very important to know about the wheelbase measurement as it will help to decide the quantity of load the truck will be able to carry.

How To Measure Wheelbase Of A Car?

You might have come across different shapes and designs of automobiles, and if you are planning to find the exact wheelbase measurement of your vehicle, then the process is simple.

You will only need a few tools like the measuring tape, a square measure, and a piece of chalk. Let’s now look in detail at how to measure the wheelbase of your car.

• Park The Car

Initially, before starting the process, you must ensure that you park the vehicle on a flat surface.

When you park your car on an irregular surface, the measuring method will be complicated, and you will also get errors; hence the measurement will not be accurate.

You can use your driveway or garage to park the vehicle, but if you are parking on a flat surface outside, ensure you are allowed to park.

If you don’t do this process correctly, the time you spend on measuring will go in vain as you will not be able to get the exact measurement; therefore, ensure that you park the vehicle properly.

• Marking The Point Using Chalk

Now you will need the carpenter square. By using this tool, you have to mark two points.

First, take the carpenter’s square, and you must go along it vertically so that it touches the center cap on the wheel. The center cap will represent the center point of your vehicle’s wheel.

Then you have to mark a point where the carpenter’s square touches the ground. Do the same thing for the other wheel.

If you start with the front wheel, you will have to repeat the process for the rear wheel and mark the point.

• Measuring The Wheelbase

You will have two chalk marks on the ground, and now by using the measuring tape, you can measure the distance between the two points.

This reading will give the wheelbase measurement, but as you have only measured on one side of the vehicle by repeating the process on the other side, you will be able to clarify whether both the values are the same.

In most cases, the wheelbase measurement on both sides of the car will be the same, while there are places where you may see a negligible difference.

If there is any issue with your vehicle, then you might observe a difference in the wheel measurement of the two sides.

The wheelbase will be shorter for sports cars, and for a truck, it will be long. Hence according to the different models of the vehicle, the wheelbase will differ. So, if you need to know the exact wheelbase measurement of your passenger car, then you can use the above method.

If you have a bike, you can follow the steps below to measure the wheelbase.

How To Measure The Wheelbase Of A Bike

First, you must park the bike on a flat surface by setting the fork straight ahead.

Using a tape, you can measure the distance between the center of the rear and front axles.

To ensure the measurement, you can take the tape, place it back and check on the reading.

Repeating this process three to four times will ensure you get the most exact measurement.

There are many other ways, such as measuring the point where the tire touches the ground or getting the measurement between the dropout of your bike’s frame will also help to know wheelbase measurement.

Although there are several methods, taking the front axle to rear axle distance will be more accurate.

You can also make the reading more precise by getting the reading on both sides of the bike.

If you get a different result when taking the repeated measurement, you can obtain the average as this will give you the most appropriate wheelbase measurement.  

Importance Of Knowing Wheelbase

Often when you check the car’s appearance and compare two models, you can figure out which will have a longer wheelbase as the vehicle having a longer wheelbase will be spacious.

Knowing the exact wheelbase measurement will help to detect the stability as a vehicle having a long wheelbase will be highly stable.

In comparison, it is easy to maneuver a vehicle with a short wheelbase. Hence depending on the preference and the usability, you may choose the vehicle. You cannot say the long or short wheelbase will be best as they both will be helpful for different purposes.

We hope this article helped you understand the method you can use to take the wheelbase measurement on your own.

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