Re:Apple Scales Back Its Ambitions for a Self-Driving Car
by nradov on Wednesday August 23, 2017 @01:35PM
(#15083442)
No that's not how it works and you're missing the point. In order to achieve an equivalent size contact patch a spherical tire will have to deform more than an equivalent cylindrical tire. With current materials this means you'll have to run it at a lower inflation pressure in order to achieve the necessary deformation, leading to all the problems described above.
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Re:Apple Scales Back Its Ambitions for a Self-Driving Car
by ars on Wednesday August 23, 2017 @02:12PM
(#15083742)
Yes, it is. The forces must all balance exactly.
> a spherical tire will have to deform more than an equivalent cylindrical tire
This is true.
> With current materials this means you'll have to run it at a lower inflation pressure
This is not true. Yes, the strength of the rubber plays a part (adding to the effective PSI), but not a large effect unless you are almost flat.