A: The short answer to your question is “not necessarily.” Some tires do generate a relatively equal amount of g-load both laterally and longitudinally, but others don’t. Due to tire construction and tread design, a tire can generate more longitudinal (braking and acceleration) grip than lateral (cornering) grip.

To make things more interesting for a driver, some tires will generate relatively equal g-loads in cornering and braking on a dry surface, but in the rain, they will lose more lateral than longitudinal grip. A driver needs to be sensitive to feeling the differences to take full advantage of their tires.

Where it gets most challenging is when you have a tire that doesn’t combine g-loads as well as another. For example, some tires will have more grip in either one direction (longitudinal or lateral) than they will when combining these forces, whereas another tire can have lots of grip in the combined situation. This first tire will not reward trail braking as much as the second one will. Again, drivers need to develop the sensitivity to where different tires generate the most grip, and adapt their driving techniques to suit.