Wheels and hubs

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

Hi and thank you for reading my post this is my first time building a go kart I have a 30mm axle and I have the hubs to fit all on my ebay watch list but when it comes to the wheels does the bore need to be 30mm or do I just get 50mm pcd wheels etc need help big time

 

[madprofessor]

What's a "pcd wheel"? 30mm axle has to fit into 30mm bearings, and if axle doesn't step down (get smaller) at the ends it has to go into 30mm hubs. Put any wheel you want on the lugs of that hub depending on its pattern, like say a 4-lug on 4" bolt circle for example.

 

[anderkart]

Post a link to the wheel hubs you want to use, otherwise we'll just be guessing.

Some 30mm wheel hubs (like this pic) have an extended lip to perfectly center rims with a larger diameter bore:

 

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

These are the ones u want to uae I have built my frame and every think just need to sort the axle out
I can go for some other ones if you can recommend any ..I wish to use a pair of jet rims

 

[madprofessor]

Is that 35 British pounds for the pair w/free shipping? Sounds fair enough to me, what do you think Anderkart?
All you need is for the hubs' lug pattern to match the wheels' lug pattern, and 6 lug nuts of the correct threads, likely metric, to fit the hubs.

 

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

Yeah it's English pounds so all I have to do is match the lug pattern yeah I can get my axle for about 60 pound full length key way just got my #42 sproket and chain in post today carnt wait until i get all the other parts sorted my ebay watch list keeps growing lol any help with my build would be appreciated
Thank you for you help

 

[anderkart]

Hi and thank you for reading my post this is my first time building a go kart I have a 30mm axle and I have the hubs to fit all on my ebay watch list but when it comes to the wheels does the bore need to be 30mm or do I just get 50mm pcd wheels etc need help big time

Racekart rims are 'Hub Centric', they need the rims center-bore to perfectly match the diameter of the protruding center lip of the hub. This perfectly centers the rim to the hub, way better than just the 3 lugs world alone.

Those screenshots you posted don't give any of the fitment specifications i was seeking, there's serveral different bolt circle and center-bore size rims & hubs commonly used on racekarts. I've posted a chart below to illustrate...
I'd suggest you confirm fitment of your hubs & rims by asking both of your sellers questions regarding bolt circle/lug patern, and rim center bore size, to sure they'll perfectly match together

 

[anderkart]

Is that 35 British pounds for the pair w/free shipping? Sounds fair enough to me, what do you think Anderkart?

Yeah that converts to $50, not bad if they're high quality.

 

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

I'm in to worlds at the mo I want to finish my kart but need all the help I can get I have found a 25mm axle and a pair of hubs hopfuly with the right information. ...I believe the fixing lugs are 50mm on new wheel hubs ...what would be the best rims to get .. I hope this is better information for you

 

[anderkart]

Those 25mm size axles, hubs & related componets are made for Cadet karts. Cadet karts are miniature sized racekarts made for children. I think you'd be much better off in the long run using stronger 30mm. (or preferably 40mm.) diameter axles hubs and related componets.

Here in the states, its common for race kart shops to sell Axles, wheel hubs, rims & related componets in your choice of metric or U.S./Inch-size bolt patterns & center hole sizes. I just spent some time researching axles, wheel hubs, rims and related componets at serveral UK racekart part websites and noticed they only sell metric sized componets (no USA inch-size listed). So that's why none of these UK parts shops give any detailed dimensions of their componets, because all of their wheel hubs will perfectly fit all of their rims.

So while I still think it's a good idea to email or call your local parts suppliers to confirm fitment compatibility, I've got a feeling that most all of the 3-bolt racekart wheel hubs sold in the UK, (that are made for 30mm. or 40mm. axles) will perfectly fit those JET rims you wanted to buy; and I'm also fairly certain those rims have a 50mm. center bore size.

 

[madprofessor]

Anderkart, did your research give you the size/tpi of the hubs' lugs he's looking at? They don't appear to come with any lug nuts, maybe you can help him out with getting the right size/tpi for those hubs.
I can see it now, all excited that the parts finally came in, slap the wheels on, fight to get SAE lug nuts started on metric lugs, buzz it with the impact driver, threads get stripped out, another several days wait for another set of new hubs.

 

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

I have been talking to sellers on eBay and I think I may have found a matching pair of rear rims and hubs and I think I'm going to take the advise and go for 30mm axle now I no what I'm sort of doing lol my frame is made from 25mm square steel 470mm wide by 1.2 meter long so it's not a big kart

 

[madprofessor]

Yeah, short. About 9"/22cm shorter than me. Good luck on the rear set, as long as everything's the 30mm you want you'll do okay, 30mm axle, 30mm hubs, 30mm bearings, and rims to fit hubs.
Are you going to be able to mount the tires yourself? BMI's build-a-tire charges $10 apiece to do it for you, GPS gets $5 apiece, it's a hateful job. Watch a bunch of youtube how-to videos.
Make double-donkey sure of the correct lug nuts. Stripping those lugs should be followed immediately by you kicking your own assets.
BTW: Use LUG nuts only! Don't even attempt to use machine nuts! You must have the beveled face of lug nuts.

 

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

Yeah I've got all that sorted out now and I will use lug nuts I have a mate with a garage and all the tools ...he's just to old to help he said lol he don't mind watching me to make sure I do it correctly ...I'm going to use pillow block bearings 30mm etc ...hopefully by the end of summer it will be built as I'm building on a budget ...just love building stuff

 

[anderkart]

Make double-donkey sure of the correct lug nuts. Stripping those lugs should be followed immediately by you kicking your own assets.
BTW: Use LUG nuts only! Don't even attempt to use machine nuts! You must have the beveled face of lug nuts.

3-bolt Racekart rims are Hub centric, that feature keeps the rim perfectly centered to the hub. The lug holes aren't beveled on racekart rims, they just use flange nuts that mate up to the flat surface.

 

[anderkart]

Yeah I've got all that sorted out now and I will use lug nuts I have a mate with a garage and all the tools ...he's just to old to help he said lol he don't mind watching me to make sure I do it correctly ...I'm going to use pillow block bearings 30mm etc ...hopefully by the end of summer it will be built as I'm building on a budget ...just love building stuff

Sounds good Robert, the lug nuts you need will be the M8 size and look similar to these:

Silver M8 K Nuts

White Zinc M8 K Nuts for kart wheels.

www.lmrkartstore.com

 

[madprofessor]

I constantly learn new stuff from this forum, the flanged nuts being used on a wheel is another new one on me. Shows my nearly complete ignorance of metric-focused equipment's mechanical aspects. Some facets are universal though, such as.................
The need to prevent loosening via vibration. I notice that none of those M8 flanged nuts are locking type flanged nuts, with serrations machined into the flanged faces. Are they intended to be used with separate lockwashers, or maybe locking star washers or similar?
Of course, my crazy OCD self would be using lockwashers under them followed by another nut, double-nutting them so I could completely put them out of my mind insofar as worrying about them ever coming loose is concerned.

 

[anderkart]

I constantly learn new stuff from this forum, the flanged nuts being used on a wheel is another new one on me. Shows my nearly complete ignorance of metric-focused equipment's mechanical aspects. Some facets are universal though, such as.................
The need to prevent loosening via vibration. I notice that none of those M8 flanged nuts are locking type flanged nuts, with serrations machined into the flanged faces. Are they intended to be used with separate lockwashers, or maybe locking star washers or similar?
Of course, my crazy OCD self would be using lockwashers under them followed by another nut, double-nutting them so I could completely put them out of my mind insofar as worrying about them coming loose is concerned.

Nope no extra hardware is needed, I raced karts on tracks for quite awhile and never had a lug loosen. The center bore of these hub centric rims fit over the hubs so tightly, I always had to knock the wheel off the hub with a rubber mallet after removing the lugs. That tight fitting hub connection is actually carrying the weight and centering the rim instead of just relying on the taper of the lug nuts, this reduces the possibility of the lugs loosening. Those flange nuts also have a much larger contact patch than conventional bevel faced lug nuts, which probably helps to

 

[madprofessor]

I understand the perfect mechanical sense of that, know it's correct. Understand this, that being OCD is a mental problem, and forces people to go beyond what makes sense to the rest of the world. The bright side of that is that I never think about stuff again after OCD'ing it, and that addresses the problem of my thought space being overcrowded. Keeps me too busy, but keeps me the right side of crazy. And keeps all of my hardware all over the kart from ever vibrating loose.

 

[Roberthawkins1990@outlook]

Hey guys sorry I haven't been on for a while been having some issues at home etc...when talking about nuts and bolts I'm using lock nuts with washers in the nuts for the frame then it's going to be welded my engine came today just need to get my axle and hubs ordered next and I just want to say how greatful I am for all your guys help and support...I'm sure I'll have more questions soon lol