so i got into this stupid internet debate between narrow and wide tires. given the same car, same power. same brand tires, same compound, same pressure, same weight put on both tires.. etc.. and the only difference is the tire width.. which provides more traction?

other people argued that running wider tires do not give a significant traction advantage.. and that it's mostly for show.

i commented that a wider tire with more of a contact patch will give you more traction.

so.. who's correct?

I say wide, but hey, what the hell do I know?

On dry pavement, wider tires have an advantage.

In heavy rain or on snow-covered roads, the more narrow, the better (as they will bite better).

In general wider tires would be better I imagine, just because the more tire you have in contact with the road, the more grip you're getting from those tires. I don't think car companies like Porsche make their tires wider just for sure, I'm sure they have a purpose...

Actually this is an interesting point that not a lot of people think of. Your contact patch (Meaning the area of rubber that's in contact with the road) is the SAME for tires of the same pressure no matter their width. Its because the wider tires grip more laterally and skinnier tires grip more longitudinally.

BUT what you want is more lateral grip for better cornering so wider tires are better.

What abou in rally when they put on those really skinny tyres for the ice/snow stages?

If it's too wide then there would be too much flex in the chassis, kind of like old front wheel drive cadillacs hanging on for dear life in 20mph turns. This all depends on the car, a the tires are part of the suspension so it varies according to it's other parts. Wider tires also need more horsepower to be moved. Having too much width for a car is possible. The tire can't be so wide that the sidewalls are at a bad angle, or the wdith is not working in your favor. Now the alignment gets messed up and loads aren't distributed properly. So-as long as the tire is not too wide for the rim and there is sufficient sidewall-you are right diesel.

Ah ha see skinny tires are better for traction in those conditions because you need a longitudinal stripe of grip with the studs to get the best grip. A longitudinal contact patch means that the same stud is in contact with the ice longer and has more of a chance to grip.

Skinnier tires just don't provide as much resistance. Do you try eating soup with a fork?

... Resistance to what?

The soup silly. A Spoon is wide and hydroplanes in your Cambells tomato easily. A fork just swirls around your oregano.

Ok if we're talking about hydroplaning than that is more a function of treadpattern than it is the width of the tire.

now I am hungry...

Wide tires are made for better grip on wet and dry pavement. On snow and ice, they are useless.

Tire manufacturers recommend putting snow tires on all four corners to keep the car "connected".

you're 100% right

yeah.. well these tards think otherwise. towards the bottom of the thread. http://www.genmay.net/showthread.php?t=498057

"Wider is Better"

I hate to post in this thread, because every point has been covered, but here's my attempt at being comprehensive:

Wider tires are better for dry traction, narrower is better for snow, and there's a happy medium for the wet, depending on how wet the roadway is.

Of course, you CAN'T just put THE WIDEST TIRES POSSIBLE on any car...there are a bajillion problems involved with that. All it takes you to realize that is if you imagine my car with 13" wide Viper wheels all round...yeah, ain't gonna work.

And I think there's something to be said for snow tires that are 4" wide being better than bicycle-width tires, if you know what I'm saying...the point isn't to get the narrow-EST; there is an ideal width, and it all depends on the car and the exact quality of the roadway.

Snap! But all I will say is that wider tyres look much cooler!

I read something about the new m5 some time ago. That they're not useing significantly wider tires than the stock 5 series because its not good for turning. I'll try to find the article, because my recollection isn't what it should be.

Wrong.

Why do you think dragsters use wide tires? A wider tire, when matched with the right width wheel and correct air pressure will provide better lateral AND forward grip. The only place where skinny tires have the traction advantage is ice/snow and certain offroading environments.

Well anything in excess is bad. You have to have tradeoffs. If your tires are too wide, you'll probably hop all over the place in the turns.

Atmosphere, the road, your drivetrain....

The fact remains that dragster tyres expand and contract, thus not having a clear distinct contact patch

That's why they have to be so wide. They only have about 10-20% of their static contact patch when they accelerate.

Of course I am talking about top fuel dragsters here.

Can't find anything to back that up, so just forget i mentioned it.

Hello idiot, how are you doing today?

You don't seem to know much about cars. Again, why do you think dragsters use such wide tires?

Obviously you are the idiot, since you don't know what kind of drag skinnier tires reduce...

Oh you're going to do JUST fine on these forums.

You won't answer my question. How come you don't see top fuel dragsters running 6 inch tires, since skinnier tires are better for dry traction in your opinion?

Did I say that? no. Learn to read.

If you knew anything about drag tires you'd know that their traction off the line comes from their flexable sidewalls and not in their width.

He said they were better for CORNERING. Have you ever seen a dragster tearing up a slalom?

They NEED wide tires. The sidwall flex just creates a larger useable contact patch. Without wide tires, there would be no potential contact patch of any significance anyways.

I am fine, thank you keke

Hahaha I just thought of that actually

That's not what I saw

"Its because the wider tires grip more laterally and skinnier tires grip more longitudinally."

Unless the meanings of longitude and latitude have suddenly switched, it looks like he was saying the wider tires are better for cornering, and skinnier tires are better for straight line traction.

That's what you get for putting words in my mouth.

Lateral acceleration, numbnuts.

I guess you just don't know what lateral grip is

THAT IS LATERAL GRIP. SIDE TO SIDE.

... That's what I said...

What are you arguing then?

you said wide tires are good for that. thats fine and dandy, but you also said that skinnier tires grip more for longitudinal acceleration, which is not true.

Anyways, I'm off to watch the super bowl

Actually what you want is a combination of both. Especially for drag racing. Slicks DO grip more longitudinally because of their wrinkle walls. The tires overall ARE skinny as well if you compair their width to their height.

<<<<< Has no idea whats going on.

DZ302 Get over yourself.

He stated that a skinnier tyre grips more longitudinally than wider tyres, IF the conditions are not dry or mildly wet.

THIS IS THE DUMBEST THREAD EVER.

Anybody who posts in this thread automatically loses 20 IQ points, myself included.

STFU clark.

Yes, it is, but isn't it just stupid to buy two sets of tires for the same PSI?

Not nessisarily.

Overall though tires are EXTREMELY complicated and to some extent I have to agree with clark. Making broad generalizations about them is pretty stupid. There are so many factors like sidewall strength, surface friction, tempurature, tread pattern, and so on that affect the traction that your car has.