Originally Posted by b16aEGcivic
so then you are telling me that tubbing a rear end or big fat drag slicks on competition drag cars is stupid....:eh:
Well as far as drag slicks go, there's more to it then just simply more rubber on the ground. The compounds are different, the tread is different, and, going to my next point...
Originally Posted by TTT
Why? Why does more rubber mean better traction? The weight of the car will just be distributed over a greater area. Yes, I agree that if the roads were horrible then a wider tire would make a difference, but unless there are potholes all over the place, and you're launching in a big pile of gravel, then I doubt it would have any effect in something such as a 1/4 mile time.
... the reason is IMHO geometry. You're right, in a static situation where the tire does not deform, more rubber does not equal more traction because the pressure on the tire patch is the same. However, a wider tire of the same diameter is under less force per unit area, and thus areas like the sidewall benefit from having to deal with less forces, making the tire stiffer, meaning that when it comes to a dynamic maneuver, more tire remains in contact with the ground.
Of course, this is just something I came up with in about 3 min. So I could be wrong
h:
