FBinNY -- thanks for that helpful reply. Follow-up question: I surmise that the contact patch of the tire will also increase when the tire is mounted on the wider rim. If that is the case in my specific instance, if I can no longer fit a 38mm tire, and instead must fit a 35mm tire, if my assumption that the contact patch increases with rim width, would the resulting feel of the 35mm tire on that wider rim be close to the feel of a 38mm tire? I ride a lot on gravel bike paths and have a return trip planned for the Great Allegheny Passage, which includes the often rough and muddy C&O Canal towpath, and I sized up from a 35mm tire to a 38mm for my last trip and really like the improved ride comfort and enhanced grip in the mushy stuff.