Originally Posted by
asgelle
You know tire size (width) has nothing to do with contact patch area, right?
I don't think that statement is accurate. Maybe in an academic sense of the word but generally speaking, the larger (wider) tire casing, the more air volume you can run which means you don't have to go crazy on tire pressure, meaning the contact patch is also wider. You can run lower pressure in narrow tires but a) you run the risk of pinch flats more and b) your contact patch is elongated, meaning your tire spends more time out of round and efficiency suffers.
A wider tire with more volume stays round longer with a wider contact patch and is safer in cornering. I have ridden both narrow and wide tire bikes. It's a real life difference.