A student asked me last week, during a friction lab, why, if the
coefficient of friction is roughly the same regardless of the contact area
between two surfaces, wide automobile tires are commonly considered to have
"better traction" than narrow ones. I couldn't come up with a good answer.
Is the superior traction of wide tires a truth or a misconception? Does
"traction" for tires depend, at least in part, on factors other than mu?
Your comments, please.