braking question

[Lawrence Weeks]

Once upon a time (Tue Sep 09), Matt MA wrote:

>> The main factor in stopping distance is your tires. Wide, sticky
>> tires, will produce more energy through friction

> Larry - You bring up a point that I don't fully understand. Is it
> really the width that matters? Or is it just the total area of the
> contact patch, regardless of the shape of the contact patch?

It is the area of the contact patch, yes. All things being equal
though, for a tire on our cars to affect braking it is the width that
will matter.

Larry
--
Lawrence Weeks                                    lweeks@anabasis.net
Anabasis Consulting Ltd