system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: i was told that wider tires don't equate to more area of contact with the road. Then why are all high performance tires wider than everyday tires?
gpt
Wider does, in general, mean more contact with the road.  However, there are a lot of considerations that go into the design of a tire and its traction and handling qualities.

Bluntly, your "contact patch" is your traction.  That's the surface area of your tire that is in contact with the road at any given moment.  The width, inflation, rubber compound, tread pattern, and flexibility of the tire control the size and effectiveness of your contact patch.  The setup of your vehicle's suspension is also a big factor in traction and handling.

A performance or racing car on smooth, dry pavement should generally have a wide tire, a "slick" (no tread), and a rubber compound that is perfectly suited for the temperature and handling required by the course or road being used.

A tire that is too wide might give exceptional traction in a straight line (i.e. drag racing), but is a poor choice for a road course.

A wide tire is also a poor choice for standing water, snow, or ice.  A narrower tire in this case puts more weight per tire area on the ground, helping the tire to push through the water, snow, or ice and make contact with the ground.  This is what tread patterns are for, also.  Those grooves channel water and other debris away from the tire and increase the weight per area.

I grew up in an area that received a lot of winter weather.  A Corvette, even with snow tires, is practically uncontrollable on snowy or icy roads due to the light weight of the car and the large contact patches of the tires.  When foul weather is involved, a wider tire equals less contact with the road.