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pounds per square inch and water surface tension are the reasons that wider tires hydroplane easier. Think of it this way if you have a pen that weighs 10grams and drop it point first, into a bowl of water, it will go right through the water to the bottom because that 10grams is acting only on the small portion of water where the pen tip meets its surface (more pounds per square inch). Now if you had a wooden board that weighed the same 10grams and dropped it into the water flat, it would float because the entire weight is dispersed along the board's flat surface (less pounds per square inch). Now the explanation is that water has surface tension, meaning the water molecules do not want to separate from each other. This surface tension will hold up a certain amount of weight before it gives way. With skinnier tires the weight is acting on a small part of the water and can overcome the tension because all the weight is concentrated on a small contact surface. With a wider tire, the same weight is dispersed over the wider contact patch reducing the weight each part of the tire puts on the water. This increases the chance of hydroplaning RELATIVE to a tire wih the exact same tread design but narrower.
Makes sense?
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