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yudalicious · 04-11-2005, 05:32 PM

I did some research and came up with this:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=328261

Quick summary:
"For anyone who liked the "wider tires aren't any faster" debate...
I would suggest running out to Barnes and Noble and picking up the March issue of Racecar engineering. The very last article in the mag (last 2 pages actually) deals with this exact topic. The author admits that everyone 'knows' that wider tires are faster, but also that, scientifically speaking, they really shouldn't be. That is a huge and horrible oversimplification, but in case anyone was looking for a definitive answer I want them to know this isn't it. What is in this article is a couple of theorys as to why wider tires appear to be faster and also a quick explanation of why they shouldn't be. There is also supposed to be a second article in the series in the next issue so keep an eye out for that as well.

I'm not trying to start the whole debate again, but the article was a good summary of the whole tire paradox and at least one of the why-wider-is-better theorys was something I'd never heard mentioned before. Anyway, just go read it, it's quick and interesting."

And, this from a guy who read the article and summed it up:
"Here's a brief synopsis though. (of my posts, or the article...? hard to tell... )

- Columb's law for friction
- Tires contact patch area does not vary with its width.
- Tire width, construction, and inflation pressure change the contact patch shape, not size.
- If we take a narrow tire and make it wider, the contact patch stays the same size, but gets wider and shorter.
- A wider tire has a greater surface area in contact with air to surface area in contact with the ground ratio.
- Wider footprints (contact patch shape) have smaller region of acceptable slip angles that are within the grip zone of the tire."

Basically I think this is very interesting, as it seems zilvia.net isn't the only forum having trouble to explain WHY wider tires are faster, hope this helps.

04-11-2005, 05:32 PM	#30
yudalicious Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Atlanta Posts: 700 Trader Rating: (3)	I did some research and came up with this: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=328261 Quick summary: "For anyone who liked the "wider tires aren't any faster" debate... I would suggest running out to Barnes and Noble and picking up the March issue of Racecar engineering. The very last article in the mag (last 2 pages actually) deals with this exact topic. The author admits that everyone 'knows' that wider tires are faster, but also that, scientifically speaking, they really shouldn't be. That is a huge and horrible oversimplification, but in case anyone was looking for a definitive answer I want them to know this isn't it. What is in this article is a couple of theorys as to why wider tires appear to be faster and also a quick explanation of why they shouldn't be. There is also supposed to be a second article in the series in the next issue so keep an eye out for that as well. I'm not trying to start the whole debate again, but the article was a good summary of the whole tire paradox and at least one of the why-wider-is-better theorys was something I'd never heard mentioned before. Anyway, just go read it, it's quick and interesting." And, this from a guy who read the article and summed it up: "Here's a brief synopsis though. (of my posts, or the article...? hard to tell... ) - Columb's law for friction - Tires contact patch area does not vary with its width. - Tire width, construction, and inflation pressure change the contact patch shape, not size. - If we take a narrow tire and make it wider, the contact patch stays the same size, but gets wider and shorter. - A wider tire has a greater surface area in contact with air to surface area in contact with the ground ratio. - Wider footprints (contact patch shape) have smaller region of acceptable slip angles that are within the grip zone of the tire." Basically I think this is very interesting, as it seems zilvia.net isn't the only forum having trouble to explain WHY wider tires are faster, hope this helps.