Do wider tires get better traction?

 

if its a stick rubber..

the more surface area the better

 

That depends. An 8" wide slick will have better traction than a 10" wide Goodyear street tire. But considering you use the same tire brand/model, yes, the wider tire usually gives better traction. Width of the tire is not the only factor in the traction capability of a tire. Height, section width, tread width, sidewall design, and most importantly, tread compound all play a role.

 

If you go to global west they have traction kits for your car, they are like $550 but if you want alot of traction might be worth it

 

As stated, given the same rubber compound, yes. Except not in the rain. Wider tires give you worse traction in the rain because the weight of the car exerts less pressure on the tread footprint. When it's dry this is not really an issue.

If you have traction problems in a 3rdgen the best thing you can do is get LCA's and a torque arm. The rear suspension in these cars is pretty flexy from the factory and that kills your traction.

 

ta-rac-tion?

 

quote:
"given the same rubber compound, yes"
actually guys that is NOT correct. remember your basic physics. traction is basically friction between the tire and the road surface. and friction is solely dependent on the frictional coefficient of the two materials in contact and the mass(weight) of the object. if you are using the same tire compound that coefficient of friction doesn not change, nor does the weight of the car (except maybe 10+ lbs from bigger rims/tires, which is negligable).
think of it this way, if you take a brick and lay it on it's long side on a piece of wood. it will slide on that wood only when a certain amount of force is exerted on the brick. however, if you tip the brick on it's small side (the end), it will take the exact same amout of force to move the brick. that is because surface area has no effect on friction.

 

Well I guess I stand corrected. First thing tomorrow I am going to go to the local track and tell everybody they've been doing it wrong for years. The skinnies go on the BACK!

I'll take my 275/40r17 over a 235/50r17... Why? Better traction!