Will airing down your tires give you more traction on pure ice?

Question

Two schools of thought:

1: air down to get more surface area = more friction = more traction

2: air up to apply more psi of force on a smaller location

Answer 1

I use studded snow tires at regular pressure.

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Answer 2

Check this...

"the COF for any two materials depends on system variables like temperature, speed, atmosphere, as well as on geometric properties of the interface between the materials." [See source.]

The "geometric properties of the interface" refers in large part to the contact area A between the surfaces. As F = kmg and k ~ A (k is proportional to the contact area), we have F = k(A)mg so that larger area (airing out) will in fact increase F, the traction or friction force on the ice.

But, and this is a big BUT, k for black ice, which is about as "pure" as one can get on the road, is very very tiny; so F is very very small no matter how much area the contact area covers. [NB: Black ice is called black because it's so clear that we can see through it and see only the black asphalt of the road itself. This is the most dangerous of the ice forms because we cannot see it and because its k is as low as it gets for ice.]

Option b is totally useless. The increased pressure will not change F = kmg. That is, the normal force N = mg is the weight of the car (divided over four tires) and k is the COF. None of these is affected by tire pressure. In fact, the contact area A might very well be lessened by adding pressure...clearly airing out increases A; so airing in would decrease the area.

Answer 3

I can't answer that specific question, BUT doing that will make your car handle poorly when you do hit pavement. The car will possibly be dangerous. I had low tires one time and almost spun out while going around a turn. The same turn I have made many times, but I had 1 low tire and almost spun out.