On car tires, shoes and other such items, having less of the material in contact with the surface underneath increases traction. Why is that? Isn’t friction a function of the contacting area and speed?
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For tyres, in ideal conditions, a bigger contact area means more friction. That’s why racing tyres are wider and usually don’t have any grooves on their surface.
Now, on the road however, we usually don’t have ideal conditions. First of all, there can be water or snow on the road. The tyre profile helps to push water/snow away so the tyre can actually have contact with the road in first place. Otherwise the water would have nowhere to go and you’d basically “swim”. It’s similar on a rough surface – the profile helps the tyre to basically move around the rough surface, providing an overall bigger contact area rather than only on the peaks of the surface you’re on. For shoes, it works similarly. The grooves in the bottom make sure that the sole can adapt to rough ground which overall increases the contact patch.
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