barry cooper
Actually tyres generate most heat not due to friction but due to a curious
phenomenon called "Hysterysis". The Stress-Strain curve for rubber compounds
curiously doesn't follow the same path back when the stress is removed. A
quite significant amount of the stored energy (represented by the area
between the two curves) is released as heat. By increasing tyre pressure,
the tyre sidewall and tread will flex less when rolling, hence lower heat
build up.
I still wouldn't recommend playing around with the tyre pressures. The big
tyre companies continue to spend an awful lot of money on R&D.
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