Tire Pressure/Contact Area/Weight
If you inflate a tire to 50 psig. If the contact patch of the tire is 6" x 12" (74 inches square). Is the weight on the tire 3700#? :h
Forum Discussion
Simplified answer; Yes, you are correct. Give the parameters you describe, ceteris paribus, the weight (on the ground) is 3,700 lbs.
Longer answer; In reality there are many things that come in to play. First and foremost is one's ability to accurately measure the total surface area of the contact patch. Typically a tire has a tread pattern on it, in addition, the surface that a tire is sitting on is not likely to be flat. Most importantly, modern tires have a mechanical structure (e.g. steel/nylon/kevlar) inside them which significantly alters the shape of the contact patch.
However, it sounds to me like you're asking a basic physics question. In that case, 50 PSI is 50 PSI, and if that is the pressure inside your tire then 50 is also the average PSI on the contact patch.
Cheers,
-Mark
Longer answer; In reality there are many things that come in to play. First and foremost is one's ability to accurately measure the total surface area of the contact patch. Typically a tire has a tread pattern on it, in addition, the surface that a tire is sitting on is not likely to be flat. Most importantly, modern tires have a mechanical structure (e.g. steel/nylon/kevlar) inside them which significantly alters the shape of the contact patch.
However, it sounds to me like you're asking a basic physics question. In that case, 50 PSI is 50 PSI, and if that is the pressure inside your tire then 50 is also the average PSI on the contact patch.
Cheers,
-Mark
