tires width and rolling resistance

[slawek371]

I'm planning to change my semi slick hurricane 26x2.0 tires to something narrower with less rolling resistance on hard surfaces but i'm not sure if it's worth to do so i have a question:

Is there any significant difference in speed between 2.0 slick tires and 1.5 - 1.6 on hard surfaces ?
Will it still be possible to ride through some light offroad paths in forest. ?

I'm from Poland so my English my not be so good.

[scubadude]

Narrow tyres are more aero but less rolling resistance? Not necessarily, they will weigh less making them easier to spin and accelerate, they'll climb quicker because of that and might make the bike "feel" faster, on the other hand they will likely cause a harsher ride which might cause you to go slower!

Be careful what you read and believe about rolling resistance, its hugely misunderstood and often talked alot of lies about!

[mudshark]

I'll bet my spare tyre that you'll find a 1.5" tyre a lot faster than a 2.0" tyre if the surface allows it - just get something with tough with a bit of tread - Schwalbe Marathon maybe? Not sure I'd go any smaller than 1.5" if likely to have some off road use.