Tires etc

[reality]

Copy from another car site but good info


$.02....... I like the leverage advantage that the lower (3.09) gear set gives you all the way down the track. If you have a hard time getting it to hook then you need to put more [/size]tire[/color][/size] on the track in addition to better weight transfer to get the job done. The biggest thing you can do to increase [/color][/size]traction[/color][/size] is more sidewall on your [/color][/size]tire[/color][/size]. Increasing the width of your [/color][/size]tire[/color][/size] is not nearly as effective as increasing the length of your footprint. The taller your [/color][/size]tire[/color][/size] the greater your sidewall. The smaller the diameter of your [/color][/size]wheel[/color][/size], the greater your sidewall. Consider this.... if your [/color][/size]tire[/color][/size] is 10” wide and the length of your contact patch is 2” long (like on a 20” [/color][/size]wheel[/color][/size])......you have 20sq in of rubber on the ground. If you widen your [/color][/size]tire[/color][/size] out to 11”.... you have increased you contact patch to 22”. A whopping 2 more sq in! Increase your sidewall so that the length of your footprint is 5” (like on a 15” [/color][/size]wheel[/color][/size]) and you now have 50 sq in of rubber on the ground. Instead of a 10% increase you have a 150% increase on a narrower [/color][/size]tire[/color][/size]. That’s like having 5 [/color][/size]tires[/color][/size] back there instead of 2.[/color]

[Steve Wood]

Copy from another car site but good info


$.02....... I like the leverage advantage that the lower (3.09) gear set gives you all the way down the track. If you have a hard time getting it to hook then you need to put more rubber on the track in addition to better weight transfer to get the job done. The biggest thing you can do to increase is more sidewall on your tire. Increasing the width of your tire is not nearly as effective as increasing the length of your footprint. The taller your tire the greater your sidewall. The smaller the diameter of your tire, the greater your sidewall. Consider this.... if your tire is 10” wide and the length of your contact patch is 2” long (like on a 20” )......you have 20 sq in of rubber on the ground. If you widen your tire out to 11”.... you have increased your contact patch to 22”. A whopping 2 more sq in! Increase your sidewall so that the length of your footprint is 5” (like on a 15” tire and you now have 50 sq in of rubber on the ground. Instead of a 10% increase you have a 150% increase on a narrower tire. That’s like having 5 tires back there instead of 2.

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[reality]

Thank You STEVE.

[Steve Wood]

 

[earlbrown]

I thought it was common knowledge that the actual contact area was diamond shaped?

[reality]

We are not talking bout motorcycle tires here Earl.

[Steve Wood]

 

[earlbrown]

We are not talking bout motorcycle tires here Earl.

  I'm not either.



Motorcyles are skinny ovals.  Car tires stand up in the middle.

[reality]

Because pneumatic tires are flexible the contact patch can be different when vehicle is in motion than when static.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_patch


I think we were assuming a specially made drag tire from static.


But yea if you right click on the image you posted and search google for image you get some
interesting stuff.


Then add this.
https://www.google.com/search?q=centrifugal+force&oq=centrif&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.17548j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[earlbrown]

 Physics are usually pretty picky about who gets to break the laws. Pretty sure drag tires are still subject to centrifugal and centripetal force.

ESP considering they usually have very weak and flexible carcasses.   They aren't built like a $500 low profile performance radial, so they should be much worse with the deformed contact patches.

[TexasT]

I'm pretty sure the "deformed" contact patch is the whole point of the drag tire and it's easily manipulated sidewall. Adjusting tire pressure can add and subtract the patch and the " drag" the tire exerts down the track at speed.