Some cars appear to have front and rear tires that have the same track (distance between left and right side tires), some have rear tires that are bit further apart than the front and some the opposite ( I think). What determines this? Further apart in the back for added trunk space?
Front wheel drive cars tend to have wider front tracks than rear. The engines are stuffed in sideways so they need a little more room side to side and I think the wider track also helps to reduce the turning radius a bit by giving the wheels a bit more room to rotate. The truth is though, as much as I like cars, I find the difference in front and rear track to be almost unnoticeable with most models. Unless you’re talking about something like an early Honda Insight. That car had a particularly narrow rear track to enhance aerodynamics.
The Grumman LLV (the ubiquitous US postal truck) has a noticeably narrower track in front. As I understand this was done to give the truck a tighter turning radius, for better maneuverability in dense urban areas.