Q.Why does the car with a flattened tyre stop sooner than the one with the inflated tyres?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →A flattened tyre presses against the road over a larger, more deformed contact area, which increases rolling friction/resistance, producing a larger retarding force and a shorter stopping distance/time than an inflated tyre.
What changes when a tyre is flattened. A properly inflated tyre stays nearly rigid and touches the road over a small contact patch, so it rolls with relatively little resistance (mainly the small rolling friction of a rigid wheel). A flattened (low-pressure) tyre bulges and deforms where it meets the road, increasing the area of contact and causing continuous flexing of the rubber as the wheel turns.
Why this increases friction/retardation. This larger, deformed contact patch increases the rolling resistance (an effective friction force) opposing the car's motion, and energy is also lost continuously in flexing the rubber (as heat). Both effects act as extra retarding forces on the car in addition to normal braking/air resistance.
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