| The condition of your tires plays an important role in | | | | may be experiencing by observing the wheels. For |
| racing. This is true for those who race for recreation | | | | instance, if you notice a go kart that develops a |
| or for competitive sport. A go kart will go much | | | | "push" through the turns, this is an indicator that the |
| faster around the track depending how the tires | | | | front tires are starting to "feather," meaning that it's |
| make contact with the racing surface. One of the | | | | sliding rather than gripping. To correct this, you will |
| essentials to having a good set of tires is the ability | | | | have to plant the front end of the kart and give the |
| of all tires to work together. The amount of contact | | | | tires more grip. You can widen the front wheels to |
| with the ground must be balanced equally among | | | | achieve this result. |
| each one. Also, tires perform best when raced within | | | | If you notice the go kart "hop" while moving through |
| their specific temperature range. For instance, tires | | | | the middle of a corner, you may want to narrow the |
| that become too hot will blister or feather, which | | | | front tires. You can also lower the front frame height |
| results in less gripping to the race track. If the tires | | | | to help open up the front end. If you experience the |
| are too cold, it may result in sliding across the race | | | | go kart sliding while entering a corner, this indicates |
| surface or possible pick up rubber pieces from the | | | | that you may have to put in a stiffer axle, add |
| track. Ideally, all four wheels should have smooth | | | | longer hubs or stiffen the seat struts. Another |
| wear throughout the surface with no signs of | | | | method to increase grip for the entire go kart is to |
| blistering. | | | | add caster to the front kingpin. |
| Other factors which affect the tires include chassis | | | | These are just simple steps you can take to ensure |
| adjustments. This will play a role in how your go kart | | | | the tires on your go kart are in good shape and |
| handles the corners. In addition, a kart should be | | | | functional. Paying attention to these signs will help |
| scaled accordingly to the size of the tires. Often | | | | you drive more efficiently. |
| times, you can tell what underlying problems the kart | | | | |