I’ve been wondering why sport and race cars use very wide tires for improved grip. Friction is as far as I’m aware a function of a coefficient and pressure. So, with wider tires that pressure should reduce no? Why do fast cars then use wide tires?
In: Physics
Because the contact area isn’t really constant. As the car turns, the tires don’t have an even pressure to the ground across it’s width. A wider tire allows for better contact management overall. A lot of racing is “won” during the braking and turning phases of the track – so better traction in corners allows for much better track times.
The tires are also not totally dependent on “friction” as they are somewhat sticky when at operating temperature – the simple equation used for friction is not applicable. In general, the larger the contact patch, the better.
Latest Answers