Good post my man... You've articulated this well.
to yo motha!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic
OK - I read this yesterday and withheld comment, but now I feel compelled to chime in and correct some inaccuracies. For starters, braking isn't the only concern. You must first be able to get enough power down to actually get the car moving. You next must make sure you maintain sufficient traction to keep the car on it's course. The argument of narrow vs. wide is relevant with respect to the downward force on the driving surface.
Physics tells us that a large contact surface will distribute a given load better than a small contact surface. In this case, a larger/wider tire will "float" on the surface more so than its narrow cousin. The simplest of analogies I can offer is that of snow shoes. They're ridiculously large for a reason, and it's not aesthetics. But does this really matter with tires? Yes it does.
Snow and ice themselves are not slick or slippery. It's the thin film of water that results from compacting the snow while walking/driving on it. If temps get low enough, this can even be reduced. Narrow tires, which are exerting a greater force/area will do a better job at "grabbing" the underlying snow/ice than a wider tire. This can't be argued.
Now, as all with attest, everyone has had different personal experiences. There may be nuances between different regions that have huge differences in conditions. An area that gets very cold will generally be easier to traverse than a region that experiences lots of freezing rain and/or snow with temperatures hovering near freezing.
Finally, be very careful marginalizing specifics that you think may be trivial. The arguments of "it's only 3 cm" and "it's only an inch" can have far greater impacts than you might imagine. As stated the contact patch with the road surface is relatively small. The impact 3mm of width along with a 1" shorter sidewall would have on the total surface area of that contact patch would probably surprise you.
Running ANY size winter tires will be leaps and bounds better than the stock summer tires. The rubber compounds in summer tires turn to stone at low temps. They're like built-in ice! If the roads most frequently traveled will be treated and/or have relatively low accumulations of snow and ice, then there should be no worries. If it's expected there will be much greater accumulations to deal with, then the narrower the better. Of course the most significant limitation will be ground clearance which NO tire will be able to overcome.
All of that said, I may actually be doing the staggered set-up myself. I've found a really decent/cheap set of wheels that I like, but of course they're staggered. Since I'm only getting the snows as a bit of insurance (I'll use my truck for real snow), I figure they'll suffice. The key is knowing your own car and your own limits. It's very easy to get in over your head on slick roads. I'm reminded of this every winter as I pass all of the new BMWs facing the wrong way on the shoulder or on their roofs in the median...on SUMMER tires.
Cheers!
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