06-09-2021, 01:07 AM
Usually, grip on asphalt/tarmac/hard surfaces comes from rubber compound, and not from the tread design or depth.
Tread design and grooves are there to aid evacuating water, to be able to grip to loose surfaces (gravel, sand...), to avoid aquaplaning, and to grip on to soft ground (mud, snow..).
Racing tyres, for dry tarmac, are slicks. When in F1 they wanted to reduce the speed of the cars (1998 until 2008, IIRC), they diminissed grip levels by adding grooves (so reducing the effective contact surface of the rubber). For a given rubber compund, the more rubber in contact, the greater the grip on a hard&dry surface.
(grip on mud, snow, water... works in a very different manner).
Life on the tyre will deppend mainly on the hardness of the rubber. Usually, grip and wear go together, and both increase the softer rubber is.
Tread design and grooves are there to aid evacuating water, to be able to grip to loose surfaces (gravel, sand...), to avoid aquaplaning, and to grip on to soft ground (mud, snow..).
Racing tyres, for dry tarmac, are slicks. When in F1 they wanted to reduce the speed of the cars (1998 until 2008, IIRC), they diminissed grip levels by adding grooves (so reducing the effective contact surface of the rubber). For a given rubber compund, the more rubber in contact, the greater the grip on a hard&dry surface.
(grip on mud, snow, water... works in a very different manner).
Life on the tyre will deppend mainly on the hardness of the rubber. Usually, grip and wear go together, and both increase the softer rubber is.