Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob22315
Not necessarily. As long as you're not skidding (creating a thin layer of liquid rubber under the contact area), braking and acceleration forces are limited to the force due to friction. In the simplified view (read constant coefficient of friction), the friction force is independent of contact area as long as the normal force (weight) is the same. If the tire and conditions are such that this holds (which is fairly reasonable since we're not dealing with sand or snow), then the size of the contact patch has no impact on braking or cornering forces up until the tire loses grip.
I don't know enough about tires on road to know if a tire on normal asphalt has a constant coefficient of friction but it isn't a violation of a law of physics for an increase in tire pressure to have no effect on braking or cornering as long as the tire hasn't lost it's grip. The same could hold true in the rain as long as the tire isn't hydroplaning and the coefficient of friction isn't otherwise affected by water.
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ok ok, I see what you are saying. Same reasoning behind using thinner snow tires for added traction because the weight is more concentrated.
Where I am coming from is surface traction on bare road. We all know using wider tires allows you to corner better becuase it has a wider contact patch on the road. That same grip allows you to brake better as well in the same conditions.