lasttime78 said:
The width of the tire only determines the shape of the contact patch - long (from fr to rear) and narrow, or short and wide. the wider the tire, the wider and shorter the contact patch (but overall area remains constant). The physics are the same. Moving a certain amount of weight with x-high, and x-wide of a tire...thats why they just make them really wide to get the better contact patch
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't arguing with you about the rim size. I said I thought they
looked pinched. An 8.5" rim isn't bad at all for that tire size.
As for the physics for tire patch size, even though it would seem to be irrelevant, there is more to it than just square inches. How the patch is oriented to vehicle travel does make a difference. A taller tire gives a wider contact patch front to rear, which is what you want for forward acceleration traction. A wider tire gives a wider contact patch left-to-right, which is what you want for lateral traction.
A tire 40" wide and 5" high is going to offer very little traction for a drag race, but great traction for a skid pad trials & vice-versa. A tire 40" high & 5" wide is going to have very little skid pad traction, but really good off the line traction.
That's partially why top fuel cars run 36" h /17"w -16" and Formula One cars run a 660mm x380mm, or 25.9" h x 14.9" w. The sizes aren't what matters, it's the aspect ratio that matters. The TF tires are a LOT taller than they are wide when compared to the F1 tires. One is for forward traction, one is for lateral traction.
Either way, I'm not trying to argue with you nor am I saying there's anything wrong with your setup. As you said, you're just putting the info up so others can benefit. I'm totally on board with that & your car looks great.
Tommy