[Land-speed] Contact patch size

[Elon]

It can't be as simple as that. I'm not an engineer but it has to do with the
way load members reacting to a force. My guess tire construction has more to
do with it. Radial vs. bias ply geometry distributes load differently.
Nylon, Kevlar, steel fibers, all react to stress in a different way. Then
you are forgetting surface. Take the identical tire and pressure and place
it on sand, concrete, and snow. Obviously, the patch size will vary with the
surface medium. You did say 'patch' and that means the amount of surface in
contact. So 'function' is not as simple as pressure in my book. -Elon



From: Jon Wennerberg

That is, the contact patch -- the number of square inches of tire

that's contacting the ground -- would be a function of tire pressure

and the weight that's on those square inches.