At only 5cm off the ground, the kart reactions and driving style are very often compared to a Formula One car - the state-of-the-art of motor racing. Due to its small dimensions and lack of suspension resources, the kart has in its tyre the most important element of contact between ashphalt and driver, together with the chassis' structure. This means that tyres are responsible for transmitting to the driver chassis behaviour and track conditions in each section of the track.

Due to the coefficient of friction between the tyre and the ground, and the elasticity of the rear end, it is possible to establish several ways through which a kart transfers the power to the ground, and how well the chassis is behaving through the turns. This can be easily noticed by the driver, due to the position in which they are seated.

At the braking point and into the corner, the front tyres play a big role transferring to the driver's hands teh roughness of the pavement and the behaviour fo the kart. This feeling helps the driver to find the best chassis setup and/or the best way to approach the corner, to turn in and the right time to get back on the throttle.

HOW DO MG TYRES COMPARE WITH THE OTHER BRANDS?

MG Tyres give you performance and reliability with at the same levels as the other brands, but their durability is up to twice as long as other top brands, giving you double the number of laps for your dollar, making winning more affordable.

Note that switching between tyre brands will probably require some changes on the set-up to adjust the chassis to that particular tyre, due to some differences such as overall circumference, sidewall stiffness, compound and even profile shape.

Remember that hardness is only one factor to consider as the sidewall stiffness is also important. Another factor to consider is the air pressure. Besides having a direct effect in the spring rate of the tire, it also affects the time the tire takes to reach its ideal working temperature.

Are MG Tyres directional?

The slick race tyres are directional, and, need to be mounted with the directional arrow facing forward. If you do not follow the direction arrow to mount the tyres, you will cause the tyre to wear quickly, and, possibly delaminate.

The wet tyres (WX) have a unique design that makes them a 2 in 1 rain tire. If you look at the tread pattern closely, you will notice that one side is rounded into the groove and the other is sharper.

If you mount them with the sharp side out, you have a tyre that is suitable for very wet track conditions. If you mount them with the "rounded" side out the tyre will be suitable for a damp track

Tyre Pressure Increase

Pressure increase refers to how much your tyre pressures increase from cold settings to hot (checked immediately after a race).

In general, pressures should not grow by more than 2 psi. If your pressures increase by 3 or more psi, the tyres are overheating, and steps should be taken to rectify the situation. Steps include reducing cold pressures, changing chassis settings or changing driving style.

'Running In' Tyres

The best way is to inflate them to the correct tyre pressures and complete 5 installation laps without braking hard or skidding the back tyres and drive through the corner and not slide through the corner.  In other words drive smoothly for 5 laps.

Using Nitrogen vs Air

Nitrogen can help reduce tyre temperature build up and pressure growth.

This is because Nitrogen is an inert gas and acts as a cooling agent. Also, air quality can vary, eg humidity, condensation in compressor etc where as nitrogen is supplied from a bottle and is a constant quality.

Wheel Alignment

In general, we have found the best settings for maximum performance and tyre life is to set your toe-in to zero, and set your camber so that the temperature across the tyre tread is fairly equal. If your front tyres are overheating, reducing caster may help.

Refer to your Kart Owner's Manual for more information relevant to your kart and the factory's recommended settings and adjustments.

Magnesium vs Alloy Rims

The simple answer here is that magnesium dissipates heat more efficiently than alloy and therefore magnesium rims will reduce pressure growth and tyre temperature and are an advantage in hotter weather, on grippy circuits or when using open tyres.

The material of the wheels is important to determine the temperature of the tyres after some laps. Magnesium is a more porous material with better resistance to the heat and rubber temperature tends to stabilize after a certain number of laps. When using aluminium wheels it is necessary to foresee the increase in air pressure due to the increase of the tyre temperature during the race. These factors shoudl be taken into account to find the right tyre pressure.

Below 12psi, the use of screws (bead locks) on the wheels is strongly recommended (this is mandatory in international events). Variations in geometry and measure of teh wheels may also have an influence on the tyre's performance.

Driving Style

The secret here is "Smooth", minimal steering input, controlled braking, smooth and consistent lines and technique etc.

Overdrive and your tyres will deteriorate rapidly. Watch the top drivers, they are so smooth it almost looks as if they are going slow.

Record Keeping

Finally, keep notes on your tyre settings, chassis settings, weather and track conditions, your performance and all data such as pressure growth etc.