Comments by "Mikko Rantalainen" (@MikkoRantalainen) on "NASCAR Fan Reacts to How Rally Cars Go 200kph on Snow!" video.

  1. The studs in these rally tires are sticking 7 mm outwards from the surface of the tire. Here in Finland, the max legal limit is 2 mm and that's for worn tires where the rubber has worn away but the stud is still there. For brand new tires, the legal limit is 1.2 mm so the studs are barely sticking out of the tire. This is the reason why studded winter tires will get better traction on ice when used a bit. And the longer studs are really important if there's some snow on top of the ice. Imagine situation where there's 5 mm worth of snow on ice. The rally tire can still grab the surface of the ice with studs, the street legal tire is fully floating on snow.
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  2. Even on dry surface, the best tyre width is defined by the weight of the car. You basically want the narrowest tires that are strong enough not to shear away with the forces caused by the weight of the car during cornering and braking.
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