Need advice on a new tire set up

[Reehar]

Hey guys. So heres a question for yall. Heres my current set up. Tires: 4.10x 3.50 x 4 on the front. 4.10x3.50x5 on the back. 1wd drive set up with 60t sprocket and brake drum. Predator 6.5 with header pipe currently and air filter kit with jet and new spark plug coming soon. I also wanted to remove the governor at some as well. But heres my problem: i fell like with current setup the kart fish tails here and there with the power. And with all these upgrades im nervous it well just worse. But im torn between what type of tire setup i should do. Obviously slicks would probably great if the rear ones were wider. But im worried it wont fit on the axle especially the side that has the break drum and everything. Plus the cost of getting new wheels and everything to fit the new wider tire doesn’t appeal to me that much. Do you guys think just the same tire size that are just slicks will work? My wheels are also two piece so I could always get longer bolts to fit in between the tire but than I would need new inner tubes and wouldnt be sure if it would fit with the brakes and stuff. Current set up im hitting about 25 mph and rear tire size is 11in. Let me know what you guys think?

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

I also have a 1WD kart, and it can get a little squirrely, so I know what you mean. Wide slicks are probably the way to fix it.

 

[Dingocat]

Just stopping and starting is squirly lol, ever go like 30 and let off all the way? Could've been the horrible steering idk.

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Just stopping and starting is squirly lol, ever go like 30 and let off all the way? Could've been the horrible steering idk.

Heck yeah, I know what that's like!
I've got play in the steering system, which makes it pretty sketchy sometimes!

 

[Hellion]

...i fell like with current setup the kart fish tails here and there with the power. ...Obviously slicks would probably great if the rear ones were wider. But im worried it wont fit on the axle especially the side that has the break drum and everything. Plus the cost of getting new wheels and everything to fit the new wider tire doesn’t appeal to me that much.

I'm not sure you can cure or minimize the squirrely handling with wider tires, but I much prefer slicks in the 4.10/3.50 sizes. They're a bit more durable than the knobbies.

It's squirrely because you're powering and braking only one wheel and it induces uneven forces on the frame. It's like rowing a boat with one oar but not as bad. It's just the nature of the beast.

My advice is to scour Craigslist, LetGo, OfferUp and Failbook Marketplace (at this time the only GOOD reason to have membership on that travesty of a site) on a daily basis until you find a good live axle go kart for sale, and at a price you're comfortable with.

Save your pennies. If it's missing parts, you can transfer your usable parts from your existing kart to the new one.


In the meantime, show us your current kart. I wanna see it. Karts are never boring. Roll it out on a nice freshly mowed patch of grass and snap some pics.

..........

 

[Reehar]

So yalls 1wd karts also swerve a lot as well? What do you guys have done to your karts? And any one that runs slicks, how do they feel compared to the previous tire you used? Also is dumb to have the sawtooth tires on the front smaller tires and slick bigger tires in the back?

 

[Hellion]

Oh, its'a preety nice kart, mijo.

Mixing and matching tires is no biggie. Should be no issue with different treads front and rear. Sawtooth is another sort of semi-slick I like.

I had no idea you had a nice frame. It's like a one-wheel Manco 225.
Retrofitting a live axle could be in your future.

 

[Dingocat]

I had no idea you had a nice frame. It's like a one-wheel Manco 225.
Retrofitting a live axle could be in your future.

Looks to me like it's the oposite. Someone's addition

 

[Budget GoKart]

1wd karts are the best drift karts unless someone can show me a live axel kart with a 212 and no pvc drift better than my kart

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Yeah, that looks like a rednecked 225.
It's a very classic frame, so you're lucky! Originally that thing had a live axle, so I'd put one back on.
Also, what's with all the engine risers? Chain tension? Because the engine does NOT need to be that high.
A live axle would also cure your handling problems.

 

[Dingocat]

Yeah, that looks like a rednecked 225.
It's a very classic frame, so you're lucky! Originally that thing had a live axle, so I'd put one back on.
Also, what's with all the engine risers? Chain tension? Because the engine does NOT need to be that high.
A live axle would also cure your handling problems.

Improve traction too. They're expencive so I'd say to see if you can find one used from failbook or craigslist or somewhere.

 

[bthompson224]

The live axle 388 swerved around as much as the peg leg 415, I always thought it was more because of the large volume tires and a pretty rudimentary steering setup. Depending on how/where it will be driven, you might not like the live axle. For running around the neighborhood, I don't think you'll tell the difference. Racing or offroad is a different story.

 

[Reehar]

Yeah, that looks like a rednecked 225.
It's a very classic frame, so you're lucky! Originally that thing had a live axle, so I'd put one back on.
Also, what's with all the engine risers? Chain tension? Because the engine does NOT need to be that high.
A live axle would also cure your handling problems.

The reason its so high is because I had a TC at first and was having clearnace issues with the tire so we built a mount for it but never tested it without the mount and the clutch setup.

---------- Post added at 12:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 AM ----------

Do you guys think a little bit of a wider rear tire would help? I have a two piece wheel that could make that work the only problem is fitting it on the axle.

 

[cleatusj]

The 2 piece wheel would need at least a solid spacer for the middle, to fit a wider tire.