Incorrect Scaling...?

[Exige]

Hello all,
this post may be seen as similar to another, but I decided in order to not "steal" that persons post, and because it has its differences, I would post a new thread.
With my TT-01 on its way, and me looking for different bodies for it, I got thinking.
Two bodies I like the look of are the Lotus Elise body and the Audi A4 body. However, the "life size" versions of these cars are very different in size, and below are their measurements:
Lotus Elise:
Wheelbase - 2300mm
Overall Length - 3726mm
Overall Width - 1701mm

Audi A4:
Wheelbase - 2648mm
Overall Length - 4586mm
Overall Width - 1772mm

Obviously, the overall lengths can be kept to scale, but the wheelbase of each RC car is the same, when the "life size" model's are quite different.
I have little experience in RC, so I haven't seen either of these bodies, but I would imagine if the Elise was next to another TT-01 with a body like the A4 (much bigger in real life) then it would look rather odd.
Does it? Or do you not notice?
Technically, is each body a slightly different scale - e.g., the Elise could be 1/10.5 and the A4 actually 1/10?
Many thanks.

[zakerid]

umm ok

[Bunsincunsin]

Most bodies will have different lengths and widths, and usually overall different measurements, so they will be slightly different in looks and scale.

HPI Lotus : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFCB3&P=7
Length: 16.5" (419mm)
Width: 7.5" (190mm) (at center)
Height: 4.25" (108mm) (cut-out)
Wheelbase: 10" (254mm)

Tamiya A4 : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLKZ4&P=7

Length: 18.1" (461mm)
Width: 7.3" (185mm)
Height: 5" (128mm)
Wheelbase: 10.1" (257mm)

I am not sure if these are the bodies that you are looking at or if this even helps.....

[SerpentKing101]

yeah, the cars would be dfferent scales, although they are made to fit a 1/10th.

going by wheelbase, the closest car bodies to 1/10 I liked would be the 350z and supra. But Id look for a car that would end up being a 1/9th or 1/8th since the width would be to scale also.

I'm kind of picky about these things, too...

[Exige]

Thanks Bunsin and Serpent,
yes Bunsin those are the bodies I have been looking at, and that helps considerably, but your figures show that the Audi A4 body has a wheelbase longer than the Elise's, so do the wheels look slightly off centre in the arches with one of the bodies?
Thanks Serpent, I didn't imagine that there was as big a scale difference as 1/10th - 1/8th!

[tog435]

These aren't scale models, they are bodies designed to fit around a standard wheelbase that happen to look roughly like a 1:1 car :D

The idea of most of these onroad cars is a chassis that performs well, not one that is a scale model... the body is incidental.

[desfjr1300]

Exige, if you try the Elise let us know how it fits. I've been looking for something that would look right on a TT-01 as well but the problem with Tamiya's is the 185mm width. I've gotten around it by using thicker hexes and highly offset wheels. I love Tamiya's bodies but they're hard to find and quite a bit more expensive-Whereas the Elise is here in my LHS for all of $17.

[InspGadgt]

The scale in these cars is more of a general indicator of size in comparison to other RC Cars. Originally it probably had more to do with the ratio of size from real to RC but not really anymore. The rules for racing are very specific about the width and wheelbase of the cars racing so most cars are built to that spec. This is necessary for more then just racing too. Imagine how hard it would be to find different bodies to fit your car if all of them had different wheelbases. You would be stuck with only 1 choice of body for your car. Many RC race kit cars don't even come with a body. Also if you scale up the rims we use you'd end up with like a 30 or 40 inch rim in real life.

desfjr...well other bodies shouldn't look too far off. With a 190mm body your only talking about an incorrect wheel depth of 2.5mm on either side...hardly noticeable.