It seems rolling resistance increases with the load. So perhaps the same is true for hill climbing. If thats the case, and rolling resistance makes up a much higher proportion of power required to climb, then it stands to reason tires with less rolling resistance might climb faster.
That said some 50 mm tires have no more rolling resistance then some much smaller ones (28 mm). So if we use them the difference should be negligible when both tires are inflated to the correct pressure (15%drop). But often the wider tires have more tread, and if the casing is less supple they will require more power to motivate.
Also perception plays an important role. Unless we do controled trials it's hard to say for sure.
Last edited by xroadcharlie; 03-17-20 at 02:34 PM.