| The importance of balancing your go kart racing tires | | | | have now determined the lightest point of the the |
| can not be overstated. Most people wouldn't even | | | | wheel. |
| consider putting a tire on their car or truck that has not | | | | 5. Cut a piece of weight and attach it to wheel using |
| been balanced. Yet some of those same people will | | | | racers tape for now. Try to get weight as close to the |
| mount up a new tire for their racing go kart and not | | | | hub as possible. |
| balance it at all. The truth is that it's of much greater | | | | 6. Now turn the wheel until weight is at the 3:00 or 9:00 |
| importance to balance your go kart racing tires than | | | | position. |
| any other tires. Even when using today's fully | | | | Let go of wheel. If weight falls to 6:00 position then you |
| machined go kart racing wheels, there's a need for | | | | need to remove some weight. If weight goes to 12:00 |
| balancing. There are are several styles of go kart | | | | position then more weight needs to be added. |
| racing tire balancers on the market. If you have metric | | | | 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until tire is balanced. This has |
| wheels instead of American pattern wheels you will | | | | been achieved when weight can be placed at any |
| need a metric adapter kit. Every karter should balance | | | | position and the tire does not move. |
| all their karting tires before ever putting tires on go kart. | | | | 8.Then remove racers tape, put weight back in the |
| With the purchase of a go kart racing tire balancer | | | | same place by peeling the paper off the back of |
| anyone can learn to balance tires for their racing go | | | | wheel weight. Apply a small piece of racers tape over |
| kart. Besides for the balancer you will need a | | | | weight to insure it doesn't move. You have now |
| permanent marker, wheel weights, scissors or cutters | | | | balanced your first racing go kart wheel. |
| and some racers tape. Then just follow the instructions | | | | I've been asked several times just how much faster |
| below: | | | | can this possibly make the go kart. The answer is |
| 1. Attach the wheel to the hub and slide hub on to | | | | most likely 1-3 tenths of a second per lap. That is not |
| spindle. | | | | much but racing, of any kind, is a game that consists of |
| 2. Center wheel on spindle and put ends of spindle in to | | | | maybe hundreds of little things. So even though one |
| balancer sides. | | | | tenth of a second isn't much, if you find 10 things that |
| 3. Spin wheel lightly and allow it to stop on it's own. | | | | give you that much more speed then it's all of a |
| 4. Mark the wheel at the very top with marker. You | | | | sudden a whole second. And that is a lot at any track! |