How does profile affect the tread patch?

[NSX_GTR_LM]

I am asking this question because it was brought up in another thread, and no one is their to see it. My point of view was that the lower the profile, the wider a tread patch will shift. I always used the idea that a high profile tire had sort of a lengthwise elipse, whereas a low profile tire had more of a widthwise elipse. I hope more people see this and reply, because now I am curious as to whether or not I have the right idea.

[autxr]

It's covered in the other thread, and you have at least one engineer trying to explain it there. NoCones isn't in a PhD engineering program for nothing...

Scott

[NoCones]

thanks, Scott, but I must confess...while I do have B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering, my PhD will be in Business Information Technology. :cool:

I think it was pretty well covered in that other thread. The tricky thing about the discussion is that it's rare to be comparing 2 tires where only 1 factor is different--there are a lot of contributing factors to contact patch shape and size.