Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man
There's a 'cross-over' point where the AREA (width×length) of the tyre's 'contact patch' with the road surface reaches a minimum value:
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Just thinking out loud, but ...
Wouldn't the area of the contact patch always be equal to the weight the tire is supporting divided by the tire pressure, regardless of the geometry of the tire (and ignoring the contribution of the tire's ability to support weight on its own, without relying on the air pressure inside it)?
During braking, I would expect most of the friction to come from the front of the contact patch, and during cornering, most of it to come from the sides of the contact patch. Thus, wider tires would be better for braking, and narrower tires better for cornering.
We have a few automotive engineers working at my company, at least one of whom has expertise in tire dynamics, so I may need to ask them.