Width for 37s

[azwjowner]

As posted by phageghost, " any two tires will have the same size contact patch, because the pressure of the ground against the outside of the tire has to equal the pressure from the air against the inside of the tire". So, both the wider tire and narrower will have the same size contact patch.

You're right, it seems I mashed them together. That wasn't my intent, I just didn't create a new paragraph, which I should have. I meant those two sentences as independent.

I believe the narrower tire will have the same amount of tread on the ground, the same size contact patch, but it will be shaped differently. It will be longer, and I think that helps 95% of the time more than a wider patch. I think as you're driving forward or backward, the longer patch provides more traction than a wider tire does. No one has to agree with me though.

Separately, I think a narrower tire can be better in snow, as they cut through the snow; however, just as you pointed out, that's not always better in snow conditions.

No one has to agree with you, just observe that tracks on tracked vehicles are long and narrow, not wide and short.

Sponsored

 

[J0E]

Apple was pointing out an advantage for each, in its own paragraph. You seemed to have mashed them together. Yes, more surface contact from an aired down wider tire will have more grip than an equally aired down thinner tire.

And yes, a thinner tire will allow it to more easily cut through a layer of snow, to reach the ground below it. That's assuming the snow isn't deep enough to start burying the axle. At that point, a wider tire that can float on top is preferable.

Wider is always worse in snow, and lower pressure is always worse in snow. At least that's what the old timers told us and hundreds of tests validated. I've probably pulled out 200 mall crawlers with big tires. Deep snow seems to be the only time mall crawlers adventure out where 4x4 is required.

A tire can never float on snow, you're always going to spin and dig down. A skinny tire fully aired up or more can get down to traction and not form a ski on the snow.

Wet snow compounds the problem. Super dry snow, anything works until it gets really deep.

 

[Apples491]

No one has to agree with you, just observe that tracks on tracked vehicles are long and narrow, not wide and short.

Jeremy Renners snow plow would like to have a word on that point.

Seriously though. Most tracked vehicles are squat and wide, keeping the COG very low so they don't slide sideways. Nevermind that the entire track is the patch compared to the tiny one on each tire.

Put a skinny tire up on a rock in an off camber situation with gravity trying to pull it down the hill. Enough tilt and you will slide off the rock. Do the same thing with a wider tire and it's ability to laterally wrap around the top of the rock would be better able to keep you where you are where the skinny tire gives out.

Change the scenario to moving forward over the rock and the skinnier tire would have an advantage in grip in that forward direction.

IMO, because you've also got the engine driving the vehicle forward, I'd rather have the wider tire to give me the lateral control over said rock. But as I said before, that preference is subjective.

 

[azwjowner]

Jeremy Renners snow plow would like to have a word on that point.

Seriously though. Most tracked vehicles are squat and wide, keeping the COG very low so they don't slide sideways. Nevermind that the entire track is the patch compared to the tiny one on each tire.

Put a skinny tire up on a rock in an off camber situation with gravity trying to pull it down the hill. Enough tilt and you will slide off the rock. Do the same thing with a wider tire and it's ability to laterally wrap around the top of the rock would be better able to keep you where you are where the skinny tire gives out.

Change the scenario to moving forward over the rock and the skinnier tire would have an advantage in grip in that forward direction.

IMO, because you've also got the engine driving the vehicle forward, I'd rather have the wider tire to give me the lateral control over said rock. But as I said before, that preference is subjective.

That makes perfect sense to me. You're talking about a specific application where the wrapping around the rock provides extra grip, whereas I was talking about overall grip on a relatively flat surface. It depends what OP wants to do, I suppose.

 

[2nd 392]

The fine print doesn’t all apply, but correct on balance. ?

Sponsored