Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang
This part seems counter intuitive to me. I would have thought that a wider tire would have more rubber on the ice and thus more traction. I could see how a narrower tire would cut through snow better though.
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A more narrow tire is better because it has more pressure per surface area. There is a limit of course, too narrow and there will not be enough contact area for effective traction. But in the range of a normal tire, the narrower the better for winter driving. This differs for example if you drive in mud, you need the widest possible tire to keep you from sinking, the same can apply to very deep snow but how many of us actually drive in such conditions.
edit - but I think a much bigger factor is using winter tires versus all-season, the rubber compound of a good winter tire is so much better. And I don't like the trend of larger and larger/wider wheels and lower and lower profile rubber, it may enhance the look but it hurts ride quality significantly.