Quote:
Originally Posted by jofro6
Thanks for all the info guys. Definitely understand all the math parts (my major) you were explaining with per inch weight distribution and the understear. The only thing i dont grasp is the loss in length by going wider that you mentioned? maybe i just havent been awake long enough yet to see it though lol
edit: nevermind now i got it lol obvi the less per inch pressure doesnt cause the tire to flatten out as much shortening the contact patch.
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Exactly, so it really seems that there is no advantage to going with a wider tire, or a bigger wheel/lower profile tire setup, even tests proove that all they really do is add more weight...thus making the car slower and less fuel efficient.
However, the difference isn't really big and most of us do it for the look/stance of the car. The other advantage though is that because you have a wider tire, it has more surface area, so you need less pressure in your tire to hold the weight of the car vs a skinny tire, so you can run at 30-34psi instead of 35-38 like some do, and that will give you a larger contact patch with the road because the tire will flatten out better, which is good for saving your tire under wheelspin and overall wear...because less weight per square inch = less stress / less heat and overall less wear on the tire compound, it would also help on the track, since the wider tire would build heat slower than a skinny one, giving you overall better traction after a few laps, since the skinnier tire would already be overheating and possibly disintegrating, while the wide tire would last much longer under similar conditions, and wear less over time too.