Are the M-1 tanks tearing up the streets of Baghdad?
Just curious about what these large tanks would do to urban asphalt roadways in warm weather.
Not sure, yet. Does Baghdad have mostly asphalt or mostly concrete roadways?
The ground pressure for the heaviest M1A2 is around 15.4 pounds per square inch (and the earlier versions may be as light at 13 PSI), so the weight is probably not a huge factor, although the metal treads are likely to be rough on soft pavement.
T[sub]h[/sub]anks!
A point of interest…
My father was a tank pilot in the Canadian militia stationed and trained in Calgary. When they drove their tanks through the streets of the city (moving them between their base and the training grounds, I guess) they had to put little rubber “booties” on the treads to prevent them from destroying the streets. What the streets were made of, I do not know… I also don’t know what types of tanks he drove.
He said it was quite a kick having a big convoy going through the main streets - they’d have to shut them down and apparently they became spontaneous parades… 
-n
Well at the factory they concrete everywhere they expect the vehicle to drive, inside and out. They won’t instantly shred a road like a Chitown Politician but they’re not easy on the asphault either. If you continuously drove them, yes damage would occur.
I’ve personally followed an M1 sans booties for about 4 miles on asphalt (it was being moved to a Nat Guard armory, for some reason or another). It tore the ever-living shit out of the road, and the city got really pissed about it (but ultimately just fixed it themselves).
Not of a huge help, but…
Whilst filming the tank chase in Goldeneye in St Petersburg, the film makers had to lay metal sheets down on the road so the tank didn’t destroy the sewers underneath the road.
Every year in my town, they have a parade, in which the local military takes part.
Several years ago, they had a main battle tank go the parade route. It totally tore up the asphalt. Since then, no tanks have taken part in the parade.