Track Tac

Tire sizes, stagger, brand size changes/inconsistent

A

aaron78viper

Member
I finally got a measuring tape that is suitable for stagger measurements. and I wanted to check the stagger on the kart and record it on paper for reference. 4 different tire brands on the kart, and here is the info as follows:


left front
vega yellow 10.5 tall
33" circ.
measured at 7psi


right front
burris 11 tall s55
35 7/8" circ
measured at 10psi

left rear
Dunlop 11 tall
33 1/4 circ.
measured at 7psi

right rear
firestone 11.5 tall
34 3/4 circ
measured at 10psi

front stagger is really huge at 2.875inches. rear seems average at 1.5 inches. Has anyone else noticed burris to run huge on the circumference in relation to other brands?
 
aaron78viper said:
I finally got a measuring tape that is suitable for stagger measurements. and I wanted to check the stagger on the kart and record it on paper for reference. 4 different tire brands on the kart, and here is the info as follows:


left front
vega yellow 10.5 tall
33" circ.
measured at 7psi


right front
burris 11 tall s55
35 7/8" circ (11.389 tall)
measured at 10psi

left rear
Dunlop 11 tall
33 1/4 circ.
measured at 7psi

right rear
firestone 11.5 tall
34 3/4 circ
 measured at 10psi

front stagger is really huge at 2.875inches. rear seems average at 1.5 inches. Has anyone else noticed burris to run huge on the circumference in relation to other brands?
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I think if you go through your math you might get some different conclusions.
 
Al,

The "tall" numbers he gave are likely the diameter number on the sidewall, and not the actual diameter as mounted, obviously. 10.5, 11, 11.5, and 12 are all common numbers seen on the sidewalls for diameter but I've found they are irrelevant once the tire is mounted for racing.
 
alvin l nunley said:
I think if you go through your math you might get some different conclusions.
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I see that the numbers do not match, but the 11 inch tall is the factory measurement. and I understand that many may be different. What I did not expect was such a drastic circumference change with one brand to the next.
 
We only measure circumferences of tires, I measure wheels from insides of rims., you can do what ever you want, but why complicate things?
 
jack burroughs said:
We only measure circumferences of tires, I measure wheels from insides of rims., you can do what ever you want, but why complicate things?
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I don't mean to complicate it, and I bought the kart with these wheels on it. I did the best I could as it is now. If it means I need to dismount all the tires, I can do that for the sake of accuracy if that's what it takes for some good help. the measurements I displayed on the rims are outside rim, I would say the inside measurement is about 1/4 smaller than my posted sizes. So right near:
LF 6.5 wide
RF 9.5 wide
LR 7.5
RR 10.25
 
Tires NEVER come out of the box so to speak at the same size even if they are the same size and brand or compound.... close but not the same..... you need to either stretch or shrink the tires to your desired measurements ..... But may I ask why 4 different brand tires on the kart....sounds to me that whoever sold the kart to you just threw those tires in so it could roll.
 
LynnRacing said:
Tires NEVER come out of the box so to speak at the same size even if they are the same size and brand or compound.... close but not the same..... you need to either stretch or shrink the tires to your desired measurements ..... But may I ask why 4 different brand tires on the kart....sounds to me that whoever sold the kart to you just threw those tires in so it could roll.
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That is a possibility that he just slapped tires on it. It did have a Dunlop on the right rear, but it was ol and dry rotted. that's the only change I made. I bought the new firestone and a rim, and slapped it on. stagger seemed to work out on that one, but the Right Front is very big in comparison. maybe the narrower rim caused it, but it appears to be stretched just the same as the RR. Pictures can be posted if needed
 
Road Dog said:
Al,

The "tall" numbers he gave are likely the diameter number on the sidewall, and not the actual diameter as mounted, obviously. 10.5, 11, 11.5, and 12 are all common numbers seen on the sidewalls for diameter but I've found they are irrelevant once the tire is mounted for racing.
Click to expand...
I see said the blind man. Thank you. The sizes printed on the sidewall are like the sizes listed on men's pants. Different brands different sizes different printings. It seems all the Chinese makers of men's sweats have a different idea of what larges is.

From the desk of Al Nunley
Comments compliments criticisms and questions always welcome.
If the data does not support the theory, get a new theory. (Al Nunley)
 
if your racing on dirt get yourself on 4 tires of the same brand/compound the RS wheels should be 10" the LR should be 8-1/4 or 8-1/2 wide and the LF should be 6 or 6-1/2 (wheels are measured on the inside from bead to bead)...... otherwise you will be chasing your setup and never get fast..... Post what kart you have and maybe where your going to race and im sure someone can help with that track..... as for circumference of tires most right sides should be around 34" and you may need to shrink or stretch them to get there.... the LF is normally 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 smaller than the RF.... LR can vary from 3/4" to 1-1/2 smaller than the RR depending on track.
 
LynnRacing said:
if your racing on dirt get yourself on 4 tires of the same brand/compound the RS wheels should be 10" the LR should be 8-1/4 or 8-1/2 wide and the LF should be 6 or 6-1/2 (wheels are measured on the inside from bead to bead)...... otherwise you will be chasing your setup and never get fast..... Post what kart you have and maybe where your going to race and im sure someone can help with that track..... as for circumference of tires most right sides should be around 34" and you may need to shrink or stretch them to get there.... the LF is normally 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 smaller than the RF.... LR can vary from 3/4" to 1-1/2 smaller than the RR depending on track.
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thanks for the help, going to run a paved short track. fairly small, bull ring I would say. got a little bank. not flat not steep. nice smooth surface that bites well. kart is a phantom stalker, which obviously was run by people on a tight budget. I don't have scales, and not sure if anyone I know even does(unfortunately). I have been contemplating running a wider left rear like the dirt karts run. any advantage or disadvantage?
 
aaron78viper said:
thanks for the help, going to run a paved short track. fairly small, bull ring I would say. got a little bank. not flat not steep. nice smooth surface that bites well. kart is a phantom stalker, which obviously was run by people on a tight budget. I don't have scales, and not sure if anyone I know even does(unfortunately). I have been contemplating running a wider left rear like the dirt karts run. any advantage or disadvantage?
Click to expand...
Paved tracks are out of my realm but I'm sure someone else will chime in
 
if you run asphalt get a good temp gauge...set the pressure at what you think is going to be optimal....run a few laps HARD....immediately when you come in get tire temps and pressures...do this a couple of times so that you get an idea on how much the pressure increases and tire temps....a good rule of thumb is that you want the tire pressures to come in after about a lap and your stagger will be set right then...trying to set it with cold tires and you'll find yourself fighting a push or loose condition right from the start. your gonna put lots more heat into the tires than dirt...specially the right front, it's gonna take the brunt of the pressure in the corners. on the tire temps, try and get them the same across the face of the tire (left, center, right) and about the same on each side...your coolest tire is going to be your left front...

at least that's what I've been seeing....but i'm on a 3/8 mile medium banked "D" shaped oval....BIG track!!
 
Here's the scoop:

I assume you plan to run at Pomfret or Rt 106 based on where you live, both tracks use the same set up. Those wheels were just stuck on the kart to roll it out the door, the 6.5 is the only one that you would want to run. A wider left rear tire, like on a dirt set up, will make you push like a truck

Get 2- 10" for the right and another- 6.5" for the left Then get 2 right side and 2 left side Vega Yellow (think) tires.

If mounted properly the right sides will come up at 34.25"

Shrink the LR to +- 32.5" and the LF to +-32.25", you'll find a ton of good posts here about shrinking tires.

Run the pressures at 10lbs on the right and 8 on the left.

Good Luck!
 
MikeleoneCT said:
Here's the scoop:

I assume you plan to run at Pomfret or Rt 106 based on where you live, both tracks use the same set up. Those wheels were just stuck on the kart to roll it out the door, the 6.5 is the only one that you would want to run. A wider left rear tire, like on a dirt set up, will make you push like a truck

Get 2- 10" for the right and another- 6.5" for the left Then get 2 right side and 2 left side Vega Yellow (think) tires.

If mounted properly the right sides will come up at 34.25"

Shrink the LR to +- 32.5" and the LF to +-32.25", you'll find a ton of good posts here about shrinking tires.

Run the pressures at 10lbs on the right and 8 on the left.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...
10 lbs is enough? I was wondering what was good.. thanks for the help
 
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