Between Place Card and Max Cold PSI, where should I be to maximize traction on icy roads (not snow)?
Quote:
"If larger contact patches made any difference, you'd see fewer "bubba buggies" (4X4's with big tires and lift kits) in the ditch during an ice storm."
What matters is how much tread with traction is in contact with the ice. The hillbilly BMWs (big mud wagons :^) seem to usually favor big mud terrains, which have lots of voiding and very little if any siping. Decent non studded ice tires seem to have lots of siping with lots of rubber in contact with the road, with voiding not much more than a mud and snow tire. Tires adequate for the conditions seem to usually favor larger contact patches for better traction.
Quote:
Although lower pressure will alter your contact patch in terms of evenly distributed ground pressure, the added drag will produce more traction. Try pushing a car with a flat tire sometime.