Originally Posted by
Oso Polar
It is not exactly true. It is less for wider tires AT THE SAME PRESSURE but wider tires AT THE SAME PRESSURE will not be any more comfortable, and if you reduce the pressure then your rolling resistance benefit is lost - unlike tire weight penalty.
Sorry to dig up a zombie thread, but you are mistaken.
Wider tires at the same pressure as narrower tires will deflect more easily because of the larger volume of air inside the tire, so will be marginally more comfortable.
And since wider tires at the same pressure have less rolling resistance than tires that are narrower but otherwise identical, you can lower the pressure and get the same rolling resistance as the narrower tires and have noticeably more comfortable ride.
Please not that I am not saying wider tires are necessarily faster, but that they have less rolling resistance, which is a small component of the overall drag you must overcome when riding, especially when speeds go up. The aerodynamic resistance of the fatter tire cutting through the air will probably claw back any advantages of lower rolling resistance if you are riding over 30km/hr or so. You still get the additional comfort and traction and pinch-flat and rim damage protection, but the bike will be a bit slower.