Eli5 – F1 cars have smooth tyres for grip yet on a normal car this would be certain death. Why do smooth tyres give F1 cars more grip yet normal cars less grip?
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Smooth tires can give normal cars more grip as well… under ideal conditions. Add a bit of rainfall and when running over water it can struggle to find a way out from under the tire surface and easily hydroplane, losing traction entirely. Similarly things like sand and grit can cause trouble, and smooth tires are often fairly soft to conform to the road surface and increase traction but also quickly wear out. Normal cars cannot take pit stops to replace their tires every 60-120 km.
It’s down to weather, normal road cars need to able to perform in the wet and dry conditions and need grooves to disperse water, otherwise they will aquaplane.
When it gets wet in F1 they change to grooved tyres for the same reason
It’s down to weather, normal road cars need to able to perform in the wet and dry conditions and need grooves to disperse water, otherwise they will aquaplane.
When it gets wet in F1 they change to grooved tyres for the same reason
It’s down to weather, normal road cars need to able to perform in the wet and dry conditions and need grooves to disperse water, otherwise they will aquaplane.
When it gets wet in F1 they change to grooved tyres for the same reason
Smooth tires can give normal cars more grip as well… under ideal conditions. Add a bit of rainfall and when running over water it can struggle to find a way out from under the tire surface and easily hydroplane, losing traction entirely. Similarly things like sand and grit can cause trouble, and smooth tires are often fairly soft to conform to the road surface and increase traction but also quickly wear out. Normal cars cannot take pit stops to replace their tires every 60-120 km.
Smooth tires can give normal cars more grip as well… under ideal conditions. Add a bit of rainfall and when running over water it can struggle to find a way out from under the tire surface and easily hydroplane, losing traction entirely. Similarly things like sand and grit can cause trouble, and smooth tires are often fairly soft to conform to the road surface and increase traction but also quickly wear out. Normal cars cannot take pit stops to replace their tires every 60-120 km.
The larger the area of the contact patch, the greater the possible traction. Racing slicks maximize the contact area. The reason these are not used on consumer vehicles is that roads can be wet, whereas racing is only conducted under very controlled dry track conditions. Once you have water on the road surface, a thin layer of water can be trapped between the tire and the road surface, causing the tire to hydroplane. Tire treads are designed to channel and expel water to the sides of the tire in order to keep the tread blocks in contact with the road. This is a safety issue because day to day consumer driving conditions are not controlled the way that they are on a race track.
The larger the area of the contact patch, the greater the possible traction. Racing slicks maximize the contact area. The reason these are not used on consumer vehicles is that roads can be wet, whereas racing is only conducted under very controlled dry track conditions. Once you have water on the road surface, a thin layer of water can be trapped between the tire and the road surface, causing the tire to hydroplane. Tire treads are designed to channel and expel water to the sides of the tire in order to keep the tread blocks in contact with the road. This is a safety issue because day to day consumer driving conditions are not controlled the way that they are on a race track.
The larger the area of the contact patch, the greater the possible traction. Racing slicks maximize the contact area. The reason these are not used on consumer vehicles is that roads can be wet, whereas racing is only conducted under very controlled dry track conditions. Once you have water on the road surface, a thin layer of water can be trapped between the tire and the road surface, causing the tire to hydroplane. Tire treads are designed to channel and expel water to the sides of the tire in order to keep the tread blocks in contact with the road. This is a safety issue because day to day consumer driving conditions are not controlled the way that they are on a race track.
My car’s tires were worn down almost smooth when I bought it. Just a little bit of rain and stepping on the gas while driving 65mph caused the back end to break free from the pavement. Driving over a railroad crossing on a curve, even when dry, same thing happened. After getting new tires, I stopped losing grip.
If the surface is dry and not metal, a smooth tire will translate the torque into speed. With metal or wet pavement the torque causes wheel slip
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