why do car tires have tread/ grooves?
In: Engineering
The chief reason is: they channel water away from the tire so the tread can make solid contact with the road. Otherwise with smooth tires (known as ‘slicks’ in the auto world) even a tiny amount of water would be like driving on sheer ice.
Race cars, particularly like you see on the Indy 500, have slicks, for maximum traction. But that’s why the track must be absolutely dry when they race.
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