All of the numbers you quoted are from the number of preorder ratings according to you not the amount of preorders. So where are you getting these facts that SMS has nothing to lose because they are that far behind with preorders?
That's a MASSIVE assumption you are making there. That ratings equal the number of preorders. The special editions sold out instantly and have been continuing to every time they are restocked. I think SMS is doing fine.
You want to see the reviews as a customer to base your decision on whether to buy the game right? Why would you want to have a review of a version you will never play. Why not wait for the reviews of the version you will actually play, as in the Day One Patch version. Look at F1 2017 as a prime example of this.
That would still be several seconds off the pace due to the profile.
They don't have a factory effort as such but do support teams like Manthey, I think this livery is something used in testing and PR. There is also a Porsche running this livery in the Swedish GT championship but I doubt that is works supported, either a dealer team or somebody who likes the colours.
This is not entirely true. Wider tires made of the same compound inflated to the same pressure as a narrower tire and with the same load on them will produce more grip. This is because the contact patch, while having the same area as a narrower tire, will be shorter and wider. As we know the contact patch starts to slide starting at the rear and moving to the front as the limit of grip is approached. The sliding part of the contact patch generates less grip than the stuck non sliding part at the front of the contact patch. In a shorter contact patch less of the rear of the contact patch slides for the same slip angle as a longer contact patch. This means the contact patch uses its area much more efficiently with a smaller percentage of its area sliding and can generate higher peak grip. This comes at the trade off of being less informative and progressive which causes the contact patch of wider tires to break away all at once instead of progressively like narrow tires. Just like the 2017 F1 cars, when interviewed a lot of the drivers say "the car felt fine then it just went and I couldn't recover it." This is strictly about grip. There are other positives to wide tires that you all ready mentioned in that you can use softer compounds and lower pressures because the wide tires dissipate the heat more efficiently and operate at lower slip angles which also produces less heat and wear.
