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?

Question

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?

In: 3088

Answer 1

F1 car tires lifetime is measured in laps; their structure and behavior is quite different than normal cars that are measured in 10,000-mi increments. You could get a lot closer to that behavior if you were willing to replace your tires every week of normal driving.