Editing Automobile handling (section)

=== Tires and wheels ===
In general, softer [[rubber]], higher [[hysteresis]] rubber and stiffer cord configurations increase road holding and improve handling. On most types of poor surfaces, large diameter [[wheel]]s perform better than lower wider wheels. The depth of tread remaining greatly affects [[aquaplaning]] (riding over deep water without reaching the road surface). Increasing tire pressures reduces their [[slip angle]], but lessening the contact area is detrimental in usual surface conditions and should be used with caution.

The amount a tire meets the road is an equation between the weight of the car and the type (and size) of its tire. A 1000&nbsp;kg car can depress a 185/65/15 tire more than a 215/45/15 tire longitudinally thus having better linear grip and better braking distance not to mention better aquaplaning performance, while the wider tires have better (dry) cornering resistance.

The contemporary chemical make-up of tires is dependent of the ambient and road temperatures. Ideally a tire should be soft enough to conform to the road surface (thus having good grip), but be hard enough to last for enough duration (distance) to be economically feasible. It is usually a good idea having different set of summer and winter tires for climates having these temperatures.