Yikes guys.
You've all got *part* of it right.
Define "race tires"......It depends on the type of racing you are doing,
I've done a lot of both
road racing, and more recently drag racing.
Yes, the "stickier" the tire, the better the traction, at the compromise of
mileage. There are lots
and lots of different compounds available to the general public, and you buy
what suits your
driving style and needs best. You always have to compromise if you want an
"all round" daily
tire.
When drag racing, we use very wide, very "sticky" tires, little or no
"groves", a very soft
sidewall, and very low air pressure. (The trick is to use just enough air to
prevent the tire from
spinning on the rim during the launch). Drag slicks are usually "crinkle
walls". Absolute maximum
contact patch, the tire actually gets fatter (it crinkles) when you launch,
as the weight transfers to
the rear of the vehicle. So yes, no treads, as wide as necessary, and as
soft a wall as practical gives
the best traction *in that application*! I sure wouldn't want to try to
corner on them, you'd loose
control in a hurry!
When autocrossing, for example, which is extreme cornering and braking
throughout the course, you
again use a very sticky tire, with a moderate tread, and extremely strong
walls, and high, high, air
pressure in the tires. We actually chalk the sides of the tires, throw it
around the track, and check the
chalk marks for wear, and increase air pressure as necessary. You don't
want the tire wall to "roll"
during cornering or braking, that is as important as how "sticky" a tire, or
wide a tire you run (I run
a soft compound street tire, only slightly wider than stock when on courses
like that).
So for extreme braking and cornering, a wider tire isn't nearly as important
as one with strong
sidewall strength. Again, these aren't that great in the rain.
As I live in Canada, and experience quite a bit of snow during the winter
months, a snow tire
has a very aggressive tread (even more-so than a dedicated rain tire), and a
narrow
"footprint". In this case (and rain as well), you want a narrow tire that
will "cut through" the
snow or the rain, and make contact with the pavement. Using wide tires in
snow, is just asking
to "wallow" on the surface and get stuck in even light snowfalls. Wide
tires in the rain is
just asking to "hydroplane", where the tire "floats" on the thin film of
water, completely removing
any steering ability, and severely compromised braking ability.
So there is no "one answer" as to what kind of tire provides the best
"traction". Drag slicks may
provide the maximum gripping force for a straight launch on a dry track (and
btw, most "race tracks",
drag, and road course have *way*, *way* more crap on them than a normal
road!!! Tons of what
we not so affectionately call "marbles", small pieces of rubber from the
tires everywhere!) but would
have you kissing a guard-rail in a hurry on the highway in the rain. Those
great narrow, large grooved
rain tires that let you fly down the road during a monsoon, would just sit
and spin and fry on drag
track.
Oh, and you never, ever, drag race if the track is even damp. It's
impossible and way, way
dangerous. Cars tend to "launch" sideways with undesirable results.
What do I run on the highway every day to work and back? A stock width,
medium-compound,
rain tread. I don't "overdrive" my tires (space around vehicles, speed) in
dry weather, and the
medium compound allows for some fairly aggressive "emergency" manoeuvres,
and man, do I feel
safe when it rains......
K. Jones
I guess that's 20 cents worth!
Moosh:] said:
Motoring experts. Examine the tires of race cars. Pay special
attention to the rear tires of cars on the drag strip.
Not relevant to cars on normal roads. Drag slicks are heated to almost
melting. The compound is almost like glue, and so the bigger "glue"
area the better. There is no loose material on the track, unless it
rains, and then the tyres are changed to increase the contact
pressure. QED.