Consider the point of heat dissipation:
In track and hard driving conditions, tires can and do overheat. Normal driving habits will rarely see this unless a tire is severely underinflated, so it's not really a concern for most of us.
If two tires have the same overall rolling resistance, they are producing the same friction and heat.
A larger tire has more total rubber and more surface area and will have proportionally larger heat capacity and ability to dissipate heat. Ditto with wear. In order to wear a tire down which has 10% more tread, there would need to be proportionately larger friction.
As for rolling resistance vs size, I've read conflicting things. I know that manufacturers tend to put very tall, narrow tires on their super economy cars. Taking for example the BMW i3, BMW and Bridgestone published information on their choice of a very tall, very narrow tire:
Quote:
BMW has achieved a genuine milestone with the i3 electric car. Doing justice to its unprecedented levels of both efficiency and performance demanded more than just a new tyre but an entire new tyre concept. Bridgestone’s answer came in the form of the ologic technology, which capitalises on the synergies of a large diameter coupled with a narrow tread design. The result is a tyre that delivers significant improvements in aerodynamics and rolling resistance, while still offering outstanding grip in wet weather conditions.
Combining a large diameter with a narrow tread pattern has several advantages. While the tread on smaller diameter tyres is typically inclined to excessive movement or “deformation” during driving, the larger diameter and higher belt tension significantly reduce tyre deformation and therefore conserve energy that is otherwise lost through internal friction which helps to reduce rolling resistance. By the same token, the narrow tread concept improves aerodynamics. The most spectacular achievement, however is that these improvements do not involve a trade-off in terms of safety. The tyre’s long contact patch (relative to its narrow width), revolutionary tread design and compound still ensure outstanding grip in both wet and dry conditions.
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I think there are a few takeaways from that. Worth noting that VW did the same thing with the XL1.