KiwiMike
February 6th, 2010, 01:42 PM
There seems to be some confusion over New vs Used in the tire department.
Hopefully this will be of some help for builders on a budget or new builders.
Firstly new tires are always best. If you can afford it, buy new tires as they will be matched in compound and age.
When buying new tires make sure they arrive with plastic wrap on them, this protects them from harmful UV light that breaks the rubber down. Do not remove the wrapper until you are ready to use the tire.
The new tires will feel kind of slick and sticky to touch, this is a protective coating from the manufacturer.
Wash this off with tire cleaner or soap and water before you go out for your first ride.
This will save some embarrassment and skin loss due to contact with the asphalt.
The directional arrows on the tire are a guide and you can mount them any way around you want unless you intend to go over 100mph.
Tires and wheels come in two popular sizes 5" rims and 6" rims.
Basically 5" rims are used on shifter karts/sprint karts and can stand speeds of 100mph+, whereas the 6" rim is used on LTO karts (Left Turn Only) and will come with more variations of size compound and manufacturer.
Most 6" slick tires are made for dirt, however there are some crossover brands that can be used on both asphalt and dirt, Firestone, Maxxis and Dunlop.
Most LTO karts use 3 different sized rims, using the widest tires on the R/H side, the smallest on left front and an intermediate size on the left rear.
Now bear with me, this is getting a little long winded.
If you are going to buy used tires from Ebay, Amazon or Craigslist, stay away from used 6" tires.
Some racers will mismatch compounds on the kart for more bite in the corners.
A lot of 6" tires are cut tires, which means they have been put on a machine new and had rubber peeled off them to make them slightly cone shaped. They do this for banked tracks to increase the tire patch area in the corners. If they are not cut then they will be slightly cone shaped because of use.
Some racers will heat and cool the tires in an oven to increase or decrease the size of the tire, this develops stagger for speed and attitude in the corners.
Most used 6" tires have had tire prep used on them and/or in them, chemicals used to alter the compound as the tire heats up.
The 5" tires are better to buy used as there are less compounds, less sizes and usually the racer will stick with one tire compound that suits his/her track and driving style.
Hopefully this will be of some help for builders on a budget or new builders.
Firstly new tires are always best. If you can afford it, buy new tires as they will be matched in compound and age.
When buying new tires make sure they arrive with plastic wrap on them, this protects them from harmful UV light that breaks the rubber down. Do not remove the wrapper until you are ready to use the tire.
The new tires will feel kind of slick and sticky to touch, this is a protective coating from the manufacturer.
Wash this off with tire cleaner or soap and water before you go out for your first ride.
This will save some embarrassment and skin loss due to contact with the asphalt.
The directional arrows on the tire are a guide and you can mount them any way around you want unless you intend to go over 100mph.
Tires and wheels come in two popular sizes 5" rims and 6" rims.
Basically 5" rims are used on shifter karts/sprint karts and can stand speeds of 100mph+, whereas the 6" rim is used on LTO karts (Left Turn Only) and will come with more variations of size compound and manufacturer.
Most 6" slick tires are made for dirt, however there are some crossover brands that can be used on both asphalt and dirt, Firestone, Maxxis and Dunlop.
Most LTO karts use 3 different sized rims, using the widest tires on the R/H side, the smallest on left front and an intermediate size on the left rear.
Now bear with me, this is getting a little long winded.
If you are going to buy used tires from Ebay, Amazon or Craigslist, stay away from used 6" tires.
Some racers will mismatch compounds on the kart for more bite in the corners.
A lot of 6" tires are cut tires, which means they have been put on a machine new and had rubber peeled off them to make them slightly cone shaped. They do this for banked tracks to increase the tire patch area in the corners. If they are not cut then they will be slightly cone shaped because of use.
Some racers will heat and cool the tires in an oven to increase or decrease the size of the tire, this develops stagger for speed and attitude in the corners.
Most used 6" tires have had tire prep used on them and/or in them, chemicals used to alter the compound as the tire heats up.
The 5" tires are better to buy used as there are less compounds, less sizes and usually the racer will stick with one tire compound that suits his/her track and driving style.