Quote:
Originally Posted by CSBM5
Do you have data for that? Clearly an increase in wheel width (holding section width constant) increases the spring rate of the sidewall and steepens the cornering force vs slip angle slope; i.e. makes the tire more responsive to transient inputs.
However, do you have empirical data on identical tires showing a decrease in maximum cornering force with increase in rim width (staying within the TRA rim width window for the tire size of course)? I've only seen the opposite of that, so I'm curious what data you're referring to.
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I don't have any empirical data on hand, but it is what I've read in quite a few specialized literature on the science of tires. It is essentially the same general principle as with suspension tuning, a stiffer suspension will yield improved response at the expense of ultimate grip while a softer suspension will yield better ultimate grip at the expense of handling response. A softer tuning allows the tire to stay more in contact with the tarmac as it faces irregularities which improves its ultimate grip.
If there were only performance advantages to stretched tires (wider wheels for a given tire size), we would see all sports, super and hyper cars on super stretched tires, which often is not the case. Like everything else in life, it is all about the desired compromise.