Re: how tire size affects tire wear

["Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 10:24:40 -0400
>From: Nicolas.Roman@domain.elided
>Subject: Re: how tire size affects tire wear
>
>At 10:06 AM 6/7/01 -0300, Joao T. da Costa wrote:
>>>The contact patch is larger--otherwise there would be no advantage to 
>>>wider tires.
>
>>Hhmmm... isn't the contact patch of a 17 inch 245 series tire the same as 
>>the contact patch of a 18 inch 245 series tire?
>
>NO IT IS NOT THE SAME... AN 18" HAS A LARGER CIRCUMFERENCE AND THEREFORE 
>THE CONTACT PATCH WILL BE LARGER IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION....

What?  Prove it!

If you have two tires, both with equal width, and both on equal width rims, 
the air pressures are equal, and the weight on that corner of the car is the 
same for both cases, why will a larger circumference make a difference in 
longitudinal contact patch?

The size of the contact patch (square inches) will be the same.  And, in 
this case, it will be the same shape, too.

- -rb

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