Contact patch vs. tire width
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
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'14 ML BT
Contact patch vs. tire width
I was recently told that contact patch is not a function of tire width and that you can get the same contact patch from a skinnier tire as you can from a wider tire?
Physics is not my strong subject, so any comments will be appreciated.
Physics is not my strong subject, so any comments will be appreciated.
TR Moderator & Tire God
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,545
Likes: 5
From: SouthBend, IN USA
depends on the weather
tire construction varies wildly from one manufacturer to another so, it is very possible to get a wider contact patch from the same tire size or the same contact patch from a norrower size .... think of it this way ...
if a box and a ball are both 10" wide
the box would put a 10" contact patsche on the grounf while the ball would only put about a 1" contact patch on the ground.
while not really quite as extreme as the example above the shoulder of a tire (area where the tread meets the sidewall) can be very squared of like a box or very rounded like a ball.
if a box and a ball are both 10" wide
the box would put a 10" contact patsche on the grounf while the ball would only put about a 1" contact patch on the ground.
while not really quite as extreme as the example above the shoulder of a tire (area where the tread meets the sidewall) can be very squared of like a box or very rounded like a ball.
