KART tire rule?

ClarkSr

Member
Kelly, what tire rules does KART require for your CIK LO206 Sprint classes?
WKA currently requires 7.00 rear tire width minimum, open brand and compound. But there's been some talk of allowing 6.00's as well.
I'm not sure that's a good idea, but I'd like your thoughts. Especially since WKA and KART are sharing events on occasion.
Take care, be safe.
Clark Gaynor Sr.
 
The way I read the WKA rules is that is says open tires, rears 7 inch minimum width. So you can run a 6.00 tire as long as it is overall 7 inch width stretched on the rim. It used to say 7.10 rears last year. Now is says 7 inch minimum. The wording is different.

Almost all club tracks and regional series such as CKNA run 6.00 tires. If you want sprint cross overs to come try road racing your making them buy 7.10 tires which most are not going to want to do just to try out a road race.

There is no need for 7.10 in a 206, but if you want to run them go ahead. It should read 6.00 or 7.10 tire with a minimum width of 7 inches. Most people stretch the 6.00 on a 210mm which is about 8 inches. So a 6.00 on a normal sized 180mm rim is about 7 inches.
 
Actually Scrad it was 7 inch minimum tire since it was first approved as a class. The same as IAME Sprint, Tag Heavy, Stock Honda, Jr Tag, etc. The intent was that any Tag or shifter chassis could be used as is. And it does say "tire", not wheel. So 6.00s are not legal in WKA.

I was looking for feedback on everyone's thoughts. AKRA allows 6.00 minimum as I recall. We races with them at Pitt and MidOhio with 7.10s.

My concern is that the CIK 206 Sprint class is now the largest class in WKA Road Racing, and that has grown with the use of 7.00 in. minimum tire width. At this point we couldn't require 6 inch, but could allow 6.00 minimum. We'll see.

As far as cross over goes. Many sprint racers run with spec tires; size, make and compound. So even sprint to sprint crossover costs the competitor a set of tires. But for a sprint racer to go road racing, they only need a set of rear wheels and ANY 7.10 they want.

The biggest thing is, we don't want to alienate all the current WKA road racers who have been supporting WKA and it's affiliate clubs all along.

Thanks for the input, and stay safe,
Clark Gaynor Sr.
 
I would like to also point out, if my memory is correct, that WKA has a minimum brake disk thickness for CIK LO206 class. If you are trying to align rules, it should go away as well. Seems to be going a little overboard dictating brake disk thickness.....
 
That's actually not called out for CIK 206 Sprint (but maybe it should be), but it is for the other CIK non-gearbox classes. When the requirement for front and/or duel brakes was eliminated for some of the classes a few years ago, there was a concern that some may choose to run something like the MCP Mini Lite setup. I think we can all agree that wouldn't be the safest for Tag road race kart. They're just not designed for that. Maybe dirt ovals?

The standard MCP rear disc is 3/16" by about 8" diameter as I recall. The standard for most American karts, like the Ignites and Eagles. And of course the euro karts have WAY more brake then any 206 needs. I mean you could stop a dump truck full of rocks with some of those brakes.
Clark Sr.
 
I swore last year the rules said 7.10 rear tire and not 7 inch. That is why I read the rules at overall minimum width. I can make my overall tire width 7 inch with a 6.00 tire. The wording seems a little confusing to me. Do they even make a 5 x 7.00 rear tire? If it said 7.10 I would read it differently and know you can't run a 6.00 tire. Or tread width of 7 inch wording.

I normally race with CES in the Animal class, but I do sometimes run my CIK 206 and I pointed the rear tire issue out last year before the combined event at Gateway. CES originally called for 6.00 or 7.10, but switch to the wording of 7.10 to align with WKA. However CES doesn't have hardly any guys that continuously run CIK 206. Now we are trying to find a way to get 206 guys out to run. But almost every local series and tracks in the Midwest run 6.00 rear tires for 206. You got to remember 206 racers are cheap. If they didn't have to buy 7.10 tries that they would never use anywhere else but to just to come try road racing I bet we would see some guys coming out to road race. They don't have to buy anything but a front driver and there is no additional cost.
 
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If KART and AKRA allow 6.00 what would it hurt to allow 6.00 and 7.10? You would only be increasing the potential for other 206 guys to come try road racing that don't already have a 7.10 tire and don't want to buy them. Then all the road racing series would have the same set of rules for rear tires.

I've been running my 206 for years and the only 7.10 tires I even have are old used Tag tires. All of my 206 tires I currently race with are 6.00.
 
I appreciate your thoughts. Like I said before, we'll see.

As I recall MANY years ago Dunlap made a 6" 7.00, that's why the 7 in. minimum tire. We just never changed it to 7.10.

Ya, I get your point about stretching a 6.00. But no, that won't pass tech :)

Thanks for your input, stay safe,
Clark Sr.
 
Clark,
SORRY it took me this long to answer but RETIREMENT is AWESOME!! (LOL). KART doesn't have a SPEC tire for the LO206 class. Keep in mind that KART is mainly road race. That being said, you can run any size tire under KART. One reason that I'm comfortable with this rule is that some karts (mainly the earlier sprint chassis) may or don't handle good with the 7.00 rear tire up to that we have had racers from other classes hop onto the LO206 class and ran say 6.00 tires in their other class. Lindsay used to have a kart that had 5 x 11 x 6 tires as wider tires didn't work for her driving style in the class she ran back then, Now then, if KART was to mandate a SPEC tire size (don't see that happening), I would recommend a SPEC max/min rim as well!! Normal rule of thumb (mine) is to use a wheel that is the same width of the tire to 1/2" narrower or wider then the tire, I've seen people have rims much wider then the tire they are using, WHY?? I know the answer but won't say!!! I know that all major organizations try their best to adapt sprint rules to road racing for cross over but there are sometimes road race rules need to be a little different just like sprint is for road race karts.
 
Thanks Kelly....ya, retirement is great. I'm in my 12th year!!!:)
As you may know, WKA allows 6.00s in the CIK LO206 Sprint class now. That was a resent change to get more in line the you guys and Gene/DART/AKRA.
There certainly is an effort to get most road race groups on the same page rules wise. It allows all our folks to race with each others orgs much easier. Of course you're already aware of that. All good stuff.
By the way, you're not going to have as much free time as you expect!! Even with the virus, I swear I have less free time now then when I was working. Still good though!!
Take care, stay safe,
Clark, the Old One.
 
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