Wheels for rain tires, what width?

Chassis Setup, Tires & Handling Forum
1

Probably a dumb question, but I couldn’t find the answer.

I run 130mm front/180mm rear in LO206. What is the right size aluminum wheels to buy for rain use?

Dry tires = 4.5" wide = 130mm wheels
Wet tires = 4.2" wide = ???mm wheels

I see Douglas Alumilite wheels come in either 4.625" (~117mm) and 5.125" (~130mm) widths. Which is correct?

1 Like
2

I would stick with 130/180 for your rain tires. Then you will have a uniform set that you could use in low grip dry situations (if you needed to) and one less variable to worry about. The great thing about rain racing is that it is a lot less dependent on minor set up details (like wheel widths).

3

My son runs cadet lo206, so 4.6 dry, 4.2 wet tires all around. I use 130mm rims for all of them.

4

130/180. You might want to consider Spoked aluminum wheels. Spoked wheels should provide more grip which can be helpful in the rain or low grip conditions.

Here is something on wheel design that you might find useful.

Kart Wheels Explained

5

what size wheels in inches would be good for rain tires?

6

Something like 5 1/8" front and 6 1/2" rear-ish…

7

Thanks, I am still learning the rain setup process.

8

The best intro video to rain setup I’ve found is Kart Republic’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW8b7k5W-4s, which I can summarize as:

  • Raise your tire pressure (e.g. 18-20 psi, or higher depending on how wet it is)
  • Stiffen your front torsion bar (in the dry I leave it completely disconnected)
  • Widen your front track (i.e. use all the spacers you’ve got, meaning flip all spacers that are on the outside of the wheel to the inside)
  • Add a few more teeth to your rear sprocket (i.e. more power at lower speeds)