The wider tires offer a lot more comfort for the ride, and also allow me to go faster knowing that any bumps along the way will be absorbed by the wider tires. And I have found in practice this to be true. The old school thinking was if you want to go fast, put on the skinniest tires you can find and pump them all the way up to 115psi (or so). And this is what I used to do. But tires that are rock solid also transmit bumps right in to your hands and wrists as well as your torso via the seat. Not fun and I'd usually slow down on rough roads. Modern data proves that a wider tire inflated to around 60-80psi (depending on preference) can offer more comfort and nearly just as much speed if not the same speed, thus the trend toward wider tires. 700x32C tires were standard on my 2021 Trek FX while 700x28C were standard on my 2012 Trek FX. Before purchasing my new bike I had my old 28C tires upgraded to 35C tires and loved the improvement in ride quality and I had no decreases in my speed, in fact, I found my times for my riding routes around my city went down after the wider tires were installed. Hope this helps.