Quick question: Does the lenght of a car actually do anything

>but what advantage would a medium lenght car have over a shorter, more driftier car?
Other than purely practical stuff like a shorter car being easier to park, shit like that, the main difference comes to wheelbase length.
The Lancia Stratos for instance was so great because its short wheelbase made it handle considerably better and faster than its competitors. It contributes a lot to the size of your turning circle, etc.

>>16282282
Shorter car = better turning radius
Longer car = better high speed stability

>>16282307
Really? So it's just more mass=greater force & higher grip on the wheels? That makes a lot of sense, actually. Cars are part of a very fluid science.

>>16282304
>Lancia

i don't want to die

Longer wheelbase means more stability at speed because reasons, and better ride comfort because more time passes for the rear wheels to pass over bumps and holes after the front wheels. That's part of why American truckers swear on conventional cab layouts and long wheelbases even though shorter trucks are easier to navigate, and why European trucks have double and triple air suspended cabs to compensate for their short wheelbases.

>>16282325
No, it's a length thing, not a mass thing.

>>16282282
Stability, mostly. Too short and it's unstable, hence why smart cars are shit on highways and can be made to wobble and shimmy just by nosing up close to one corner in a bigger car.
Try it sometime, the driver's reactions are often priceless.
In general, more length = more stability in a straight line.
Too much out back means you get lift-off oversteer in corners, and understeer as all that weight pushes the front wheels straight, especially with RWD.

It's the ratio of width to length that matters most, though, rather then absolute length.

>>16282350
OP here, is that why jeeps are so short? To be able to make snap decisions about where to drive off-road?

>>16282385
>Car has to be extremely maneuverable
>Why is the wheelbase short
I mean in real life Jeeps are never taken offroad but the reasoning is obvious.

>>16282395
I really don't know. I just drove a Toyota Astra before a Plymouth Barracuda. Both felt too "long" for my usual Mini Cooper driving style.

>>16282385
That and in the case of Jeeps, not having the bottom of the car touching the ground when going down a gulley. For an off-roader, the closer the wheels are to the end of the car, the better since it means you are less likely to get stuck.

>>16282408
One isn't better than the other, is what you are saying?

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>>16282385
The original Jeep was short because it had to be air-portable in a C47 or a glider.
The Wrangler inherited that trait. The original Jeep was awful at off-roading, because the short length tended to pitch the occupants out the vehicle.
The Wrangler is longer, but has many of the same traits. But you can't be too long for off-roading, or you risk grounding on bumps.

>>16282408
>For an off-roader, the closer the wheels are to the end of the car, the better since
For moving slowly, yes. See pic related.

For off-roading at higher speeds, you want a longer wheelbase for stability and lack of pitching movements.

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>>16283102
Like pic related, or your stereotypical dune buggy. Or those stupid vehicles they drive up cliffs and over lakes in Iceland.
A longer wheelbase is more stable front to back, less prone to frontal rollovers, and more stable laterally due to any changes in the yaw axis at the front translating to less movement in back.

>>16282282
>shorter, more driftier car
Wat. Shorter wheelbases are harder to drift. Why do you think the 240sx is the drift car of choice? It's long, it has less grip in corners. Pendulum effect.

other than being aware of the car size when reversing/parking , not really