I knew this would happen....it is a difficult concept to grasp. Surface area does not change your friction! Do what I said with the box....it proves it perfectly on a non-perfectly smooth surface!
The reason that dragsters use the big tires is:
-stickier rubber compound
-sidewalls that wrinkle under low pressure
-last much longer
-heavier for more traction
The width of the tire is irrelevant. Look at the tires when they hit the gas....the contact area becomes much smaller as the tire's diameter increases by almost 25%. The wider tire does help when you are in a turn, as lateral grip is an enitrely different thing. Friction is dependent on WEIGHT DUE TO GRAVITY. If what you all claim is true, then why get cross-drilled brake rotors? or gas slotted? That would actually give you worse braking due to less surface area(yes, I know they are to allow rotors to cool faster and to channel hot gases away). Cross-drilled/gas-slotted 12" rotors will stop no slower than a normal 12" rotor.
This theory works in our everyday lives, not under ideal conditions.
