Quote:
Originally Posted by slicer
I don't agree with you. My understanding is that wider tires can provide better lateral grip. The shape of the contact patch changes to a more horizontal oval. Why do you think race cars have fender extensions and wide tires front and rear? It's not only for wheel spin reasons. It's for lateral grip. Tires can also adjust certain handling characteristics of the car (just like suspension can). For example - Changing to tire widths in the front that more closely match the rear will reduce under-steer. Making that change is best done with a corresponding adjustment to wheel widths. Did you ever notice that Porsche specs 911's with 295's in the rear and 235's in the front? A base 911 has just over 300 hp. The 295's are not there for wheel spin. They are there because the car is rear weight biased. The extra width adds lateral grip, which helps dial out oversteer - making the car more neutral handling. Again... Wider tires require wider rims to support the width /sidewall. I wouldn't go with super wide tires without adjusting the wheel width.
|
You can not agree but its physics. Wider tires in and of themselves are not grippier laterally. They are used on race cars because those cars have lightness and engine power which necessitate that wide of a contact patch to allow a slip angle that is reasonable and to prevent wheel spin throughout corners.
You can buy fatter tires and put a bunch of rotating weight and unsprung weight on and go have at it. To each his own!