Quote:
Originally Posted by masraum
Contact patch doesn't increase as tire width increases. The contact patch just changes shape.
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What also changes is the contact patch's relationship to the sidewall. With a skinny tire, you get enough roll in a corner that you may need to over inflate the tire to maintain a more even contact patch. With a wider tire, you can retain your contact patch and run lower pressures for an optimal footprint.
Part of the reason we run negative camber on track alignments is to optimize contact patch on a distorted tire. You look at that early Michelin, and you will see a pronounced heavy tread on the outside of the tire. In heavy cornering, the inside of the tire is going to have very little loading. Your contact patch is going to go from a long oval to a sausage shape. With a wide tire, teh contact patch is going to go from a sideways oval to a rounded triangle. The contact patch is still going to increase on the outside, but overall, you are going to maintain more contact patch, and use more of the tire. The contact patch will actually grow on teh outside of the tire, and not decrease drastically at the limit.