Can someone explain this?
In: Physics
People are wrong about the size of car tyres being for grip, this is a common misconception. The vast majority of grip comes from friction which is independent of surface area.
The ideal car, train, bike, or any other wheeled device would have as thin a tyre as possible if grip was the only concern.
However, for cars the tyres have to hold a lot more weight at higher speeds, and higher accelerations. As such, the rubber gets worn away faster. If you increase the surface area over which this wearing happens, the tyre lasts longer.
For fast cars, you also use a softer rubber which creates even more friction, but is weaker so you need an even wider tyre to get a decent life out of the tyre.
Finally, thicker tyres look good, and that’s important when you’re selling cars.
Latest Answers