why do the fastest bicycles have really thin tyres but the fastest cars have very wide tyres

Question

why do the fastest bicycles have really thin tyres but the fastest cars have very wide tyres

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Technically, for both cars and bicycles the fastest have thin tyres. The reason being thin tyres have less rolling friction, and this higher speeds can be achieved.

Take a look at the wheels of the world record beating cars like Thrust SSC or Bloodhound. They are very thin like a bicycle.

The fast cars you are thinking of are fast production cars, racing cars etc. These cars are not only built for top speed, but good acceleration. This requires a large contact area between the tyre and the road, as others have mentioned, to stop the tyre slipping under acceleration.