In a message dated 1/24/98 6:05:28 AM !!!First Boot!!!, tboicey@brit.ca
writes:
> Scott Gardner wrote:
> > The coefficient of friction
> > between to surfaces does not rely on the amount of surface area in
> > contact, only on the weight of the object being moved.
So how does this apply to handling vs tire width? I have a running argument
with some of my buddies about this. I maintain that wide tires don't improve
handling all that much, and I use the coefficient of friction reasoning. But I
notice that the current trend is toward wider tires, especially on the
performance
cars.
Pictures of old race cars always show tires of normal looking proportions. But
the tires on a modern Indy car look like they're a yard wide! Could it be that
such huge tires are required just to dissipate the heat from all that
horsepower?
Anyway, I always found the stock 'skinny' tires on 60's vintage sports cars to
be satisfactory. And fat tires just seemed to make the steering heavier.
Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
EMAIL - BOBMGT@AOL.COM
52 MGTD - under DIY restoration NEMGTR #11470
71 MGB - AMGBA #96-12029, NAMGBR #7-3336
|