Quote:
Originally posted by CigarJohnny
It shows me what a low tire looks like from the cross section ...snip.....
That is the mystery that you are not explaining. 
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I think Trevor came closest to explaining the situation. Or at least it may have turned on a bulb in my head. Trevor, if you're still reading this drivel, let me know. Here goes my explanation....
Your concern (mine too originally) would be valid if all wheels were in locked hubs (that's the part I forgot - they aren't - I need a 'duh' slap). The critical difference for this explanation is that they are allowed to differ in the number of rotations between side to side & front to back.
The tire rotates based on the radius at mid-patch contact. To go all the way around, it still has to use all the belt, but it doesn't have to turn around at the speed that the other tires do. So if one tire is at full pressure, it will only rotate at say 90% of the rotational speed of the half-flat tire because it has a larger effective radius at the contact point. Hence, that's why the differential gets taxed by differing pressures/sizes.
Porter/Trevor, either I'm getting closer, or one of you is gonna have to come shoot me and put me out of this misery
