Often larger tires with a greater thickness are used for moving across soft surfaces such as sand. In relation to the diameter and width of tires, how do these properties provide better movability on soft surfaces with regard to forces?
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1Possible duplicate of Why do people recommend wider tyres in car for better road grip? – Aug 25 '18 at 14:29
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Related, yes, @Chair, but not a duplicate. This question asks specifically about soft surfaces such as sand. – David Hammen Aug 25 '18 at 18:06
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Tall wide soft tyres create a bigger contact area which spreads the load of the vehicle over a large contact area. The purpose of this is to reduce the pressure at each point on the ground. Soft ground materials like sand, mud and snow are easily compacted, deformed or melted as the pressure on them is increased, causing the vehicle to sink into the ground. It then gets stuck in a rut which has steep slippery sides which cannot support much shear force.
The same reason is behind the advice to deflate your tyres in off-road situations such as a desert, beach or gravel, and behind the use of duck boards on mud and of snow shoes.
sammy gerbil
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