2 replies to this topic

[F1Fanatic.co.uk]

I've been discussing a point about the merits of grooved tyres in Formula One. Someone suggested to me that grooved dry tyres are better than slicks in conditions where a track is dry but rain begins to fall - they believed grooved tyres give more grip in those conditions.

I wasn't sure about that point of view because I'd previously heard that in these conditions slicks are better as they retain their heat for longer than grooved tyres and therefore give more grip.

Please understand I'm referring specifically to the kind of grooved tyres used in F1 - not road car style tyres. Any information that could help me understand this better would be appreciated.

[Ben]

The main factor for me here would be tread stiffness. For a given pattern this is obviously dictated by the compound stiffness.

For a given tread stiffness requirement the grooved tyre will need a stiffer compound. So if we're talking about a dry tyre being used in the wet, whilst the grooves may clear some water the compound could be too hard to grip well enough.

Also if you look at an inter or wet pattern the groove direction is considerably different to the circumferential grooves in the dry tyre, suggesting that they wouldn't be oriented correctly to clear any residual film of water.

In the end you could make a slick or a grooved slick work better or worse than the other depending on what compound you had on it.

Ben

[imaginesix]

Originally posted by F1Fanatic.co.uk
I've been discussing a point about the merits of grooved tyres in Formula One. Someone suggested to me that grooved dry tyres are better than slicks in conditions where a track is dry but rain begins to fall - they believed grooved tyres give more grip in those conditions.

The typical misunderstanding I encounter regarding treaded and slick tires is that treads only help if they can clear water away from the rubber-asphalt interface. Basically the point is to avoid aquaplaning, obviopusly because rubber doesn't grip water nearly as well as it does asphalt. When it starts raining it takes some time before standing water accumulates on the road, where the tread can start to have any impact on the dispersion of water and therefore grip.

So as long as the tire contacts the ground one way or another, grip is affected primarily by tire compound/construction, and treaded tires necessarily present a stiffer, smaller surface area to the road so they will necessarily provide less grip.

In fact given the mandated geometry of grooves in F1 tires they probably aren't discernibly better than slicks even in standing water, or if they are a teensy bit better it would only allow one to drive at a slightly faster snail's pace than one would with true slicks. So no, grooved dry tires do not afford more grip than slicks in any measure that matters.