How much of a difference do different brands of rims make on driver feel?

Chassis Setup, Tires & Handling Forum
1

So my son switched from CRG in cadet class last year to an OTK chassis in jr this year, so i got rid of all the CRG rims. The OTK came with a set of 130/180 AXP aluminum rims, and i bought a set of 130/180 MXP from a friend who was switching to 2 cycle. My plan was to get a second set of MXP, but I’ve been told by my OTK guy that he cant get 180mm mags anymore and suggests all his 4 cycle guys just use aluminum all the time.

So my question is if i have a set of aluminum for practice and magnesium for qualifying/race, is he going to feel a huge difference? Will it mess with setup?

If i grab a set of douglas LV mags for practice and use the MXP for race, will that feel significantly different?

2

The main difference will be in how quickly the tires come in and fall off. The aluminum wheels will be softer and run hotter than the mags.

The actual feel should be pretty similar but it will affect the kart’s handling over the course of a run.

3

I’d imagine running aluminum for practice and magnesium for races would be a bad idea. Wheels seem to be a tuning component and switching between brands and/or metal would be a significant change. Aluminum heats up quicker and runs hotter than magnesium. In 2-stroke sprint, alu is usually used for rain.

4

Thats what i was thinking, my original plan was to use the aluminum for rain, and get another set of MXP for slicks, but since 180mm MXP arent available anymore, i might grab some douglas mags, just worried they wont feel the same.

5

At a minimum his tires would come in quicker but I worry he’d be too hot 1/2 way through race and get looser.