Originally Posted by re-rx7
Why make skinny wheels if there is not a need and they do not make a differnce? Plus the contact patch of the wider tires creates more friction on the surface of the road. This also soaks up some power. Take a wheel barrow put a skinny tire on say a 235 and push it. Then put a 275 or 295 on there and see if there is a difference in effort to push it.
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A wider contact patch doesn't "soak up" power. It just creates a higher friction force of which the car has to overcome. The power output is the same. As long as the wheels being compared are close to the same overall diameter, the effective gear ratio will be unchanged, thus negligible tq "loss."
Your wheel barrow example doesn't apply here. They are designed to work with a skinny tire to provide the ability to lean as they turn/pivot.
A wagon would be a better example to compare with a car.
A larger tire gives you a larger area in which to spread the load. This means the object will handle better because the weight ir more distributed on the tire surface, making it handle more precisely. The only difference having a 235 on a wheel barrow would make would be the rolling resistance, but once it is rolling, you wouldn't be able to tell the 235 and 295 apart.