Endurance racing tire life vs diameter

 Question for those that endurance race,does a taller tire equate to better wearing tire?

 Rs4's on a 230whp civic,currently running 245's on 9.5x15's.

 Notice newer civics running 225's on probably 17x8" wheels seem to get slightly better wear.

Obviously many possible factors,just curious if the taller tire with less revolutions per mile equates to a cooler running tire

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

It would certainly equal less miles of rubber/pavement contact per race, so if everything else remains constant they should last longer. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah that's what I was thinking.  A 25" tire should last around 9% longer just because it has 9% more tread to begin with.  I am curious to know if the additional diameter reduces heat further magnifying the wear difference.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Yes that's the same question I have,hoping to hear from someone with experience with this situation.

 Tires are a black art,logic doesn't always apply:)

ProDarwin said:

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah that's what I was thinking.  A 25" tire should last around 9% longer just because it has 9% more tread to begin with.  I am curious to know if the additional diameter reduces heat further magnifying the wear difference.

This theory is sound.

In addition to just having more wearable rubber from the larger tire size, each incremental unit of tread will be exercised less often, generating less heat. Though this thread is about larger diameter tires, the same thing can be said of wider tires, too.

There is also the factor that the taller tire is effectively gearing down the final drive so you accelerate slower resulting in more time for the tire to cool between corners, and slower lap times.

In reply to tomtomgt356 (Tommy) :

This was our finding, switching from a 27” diameter tire to a 225/45/15 tire made a huge difference in our acceleration.  Our brakes don’t work as hard either, still can’t use fifth gear due to a lack of power.

In reply to akylekoz :

But did the smaller tires increase wear rates?

akylekoz said:

In reply to tomtomgt356 (Tommy) :

This was our finding, switching from a 27” diameter tire to a 225/45/15 tire made a huge difference in our acceleration.  Our brakes don’t work as hard either, still can’t use fifth gear due to a lack of power.

Jesus, that is a huge diameter change.  What car?

89 Mustang.  It’s light, we get two to three races out of a set, same for brake pads, only changed the rear shoes once in six years.   No real difference in wear rates.  With 120 hp in a light car it’s easy on consumables.

With the same car we've jumped from 195/65R14 to 225/50R16 to 235/45R17 each has worn RT615Ks so I've got the same car and same tire in different sizes for comparison sake. Each step up has come with an increase in tire longevity. We used to kill 4-6 tires per  14.5 hour race and now we're killing 2-4 tires per race.

In reply to buzzboy :

Awesome intel,thank you :)

A reply from John at Maxxis:

The answer is yes – the taller tire should run cooler however we believe the wear difference to be small for the following reasons:

1. Going to a taller tire on the same car may change the contact footprint area, shape and pressure distribution and thus affecting wear.

2. A taller tire means the lateral stiffness may be lower and thus affecting wear once again.