Overhangs are the lengths of aroad vehicle which extend beyond thewheelbase at the front and rear. They are normally described asfront overhang andrear overhang. Practicality, style, and performance are affected by the size and weight of overhangs.

Along withclearance, length of overhangs affects theapproach and departure angles, which measure the vehicle's ability to overcome steep obstacles and rough terrain. The longer the front overhang, the smaller is the approach angle, and thus lesser the car's ability to climb or descend steep ramps without damaging the frontbumpers.^[1] Typically, the rear overhang is larger on rear-wheel drive cars, while the front overhang is larger on front-wheel drive cars.^[2]

Overhangs in the case ofrolling stock are the lengths from thebogie pivots to the ends of the car, or in the case of two axles the distances outside of thewheelbase to the ends of the car.

Journalist Paul Niedermeyer has proposed anoverhang ratio (OHR) to characterize the combined size of the front and rear overhangs, normalized to vehicle length, computed as${\displaystyle OHR=\frac{\left(length-wheelbase\right)}{length}}$ .^[3] Because most vehicles are styled so thewheelbase is typically equal to four wheel+tyre diameters,^[2] the minimum OHR (with no bodywork projecting beyond the front or rear wheels) is approximately 20%.

Large overhangs contribute to large vehicle dimensions, and the associated advantages of size. On front-engined saloon/sedans, measuring rear overhang is helpful in predicting the size of thetrunk. For these same vehicles, large front overhangs can accommodate larger engines. Large overhangs also contribute tosafety due to increased bulk, as well as space forcrumple zones that provide defense for passengers in frontal and rear collisions.

ThePorsche 911, produced since 1964, has always contained its entireflat-6 engine within its rear overhang, with the center of mass of the engine outside of the wheelbase. In the case of the 911, therear-mounted engine allows for increased practicality in the form of a small rear row of seats that would be impossible with amid-engined sports car.

Excessive weight that is concentrated outside of the wheelbase can interfere with accurate negotiation of corners at high speed. The rear-engined Porsche 911, with its engine far in the rear, was notorious for dangerousoversteer in its early days, and cars with engines far in the front often suffered from the opposite problem ofundersteer, for which many old American cars with heavyV8 engines were infamous.Front-enginedFerraris, such as theFerrari 612 Scaglietti place their engines within the wheelbase, so as to avoid the problem of understeer. Reducing overhanging weight insports cars is usually a priority, with the notable exception of the 911.

In contrast, the excellent handling of the Mini, with its wheels pushed far out at each corner, can be partly credited to its small overhang. The classic Mini and New MINI are both automobiles with very little overhang and thus handle very well under extreme conditions. The minimal overhang gives the Mini its bulldog-like stance.

Rear overhang may present a problem in large vehicles such as buses. Long rear overhang would require the driver to pay attention to nearby vehicles when turning at 90 degrees. Since the rear overhang is outside the wheelbase, it may hit a vehicle in the adjacent lane, especially when turning 90 degrees right (in a right-hand drive country).

Also, some specialized vehicles (such as the AM General HMMWV and the relatedHummer H1) are designed with no frontal overhang, allowing it to possess incredible abilities such as climbing vertical walls. This does, however, place these vehicles' front wheels as the furthest forward point of the vehicle, which can lead to disastrous results in the event of a frontal collision.

• Ideal handling characteristics