4 ms·
car tires are wide. Much wider than they need to be to do same speeds on normal roads. This is fashion driven and encourages drivers to go faster than they shou
by bigfudge 3y ago
car tires are wide. Much wider than they need to be to do same speeds on normal roads. This is fashion driven and encourages drivers to go faster than they should. It also wastes fuel and makes more noise.
We could tax car tires by width and gain a lot.
- WesolyKubeczek 3y agoNot only fashion, when driving on icy roads, every square centimeter of contact surface counts.
- vincnetas 3y agoIt counts, but does it in a meaningful amount? We are not on a race track. There is no need to be faster by 0.01 second. If road conditions are averse, slow down. You are not expected to WIN morning commute.
- lostlogin 3y ago> You are not expected to WIN morning commute. This is my favourite bit about cycling. The commute is a race. It’s often with others, but the likes of Strava gamify it such that you are racing yourself too.
- dagw 3y agoThe type of tire and depth and pattern of the tread on the tires matter far more than the width of the tire. My sedan with high quality 'skinny' winter tires will easily cruise on past an SUV with wide summer tires going up a snowy hill.
- giantg2 3y agoThis is also true for noise - tread design and compound are much bigger factors for noise than section width. Also, what you describe is not necessarily in conflict with the parent. Skinny tires are good in the snow because there's less plowing effect and more pressure to grip into the snow. However, more width is generally better on icy roads.