Karting How To: The Perfect Tire Pressure (Basic)

Karting tire pressure has been one of those things I never really new what was good for me. in this Karting How to video I try to learn as much as I can about tire pressures for me, my driving style and my tire pressure gauge. All I did this practice event was change my tire pressure and nothing else, I started at 13 and went down to 9 to see what the best reading was for me.
Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/TrueRacer?ty=h
Facebook is where I post most of my Karting Content and bigger life happenings / iamtrueracer
Twitch is where I do live sim racing twice a week on Tue and Thu nights / profile
Twitter is where I post most of my Sim Racing contents and small life happenings / true_racer

[@voodoobluetaco]

one the things i miss most about the track is the help total strangers give to one another, whether its karting, drag racing, auto-x, or open track its the same everywhere that ive experienced.

[@True_Racer]

+SimRacin Jordan yes comroderie amongst racers is second to none

[@jeffcornelison888]

Answered all my questions about tire pressures. Great video and awesome driving!

[@ebaako]

Awesome video. Very good of you to go out and work on one thing to improve on over the course of the day. Now that you have a good feel on the difference at the various starting PSI, focus on HOT pressures. Keep a tire pressure gauge on pitlane or with you and measure as soon as you come to a stop. Mine has a magnetic back plate, so I actually have a place for it to mount to when driving my car.

[@True_Racer]

+Emmanuel Baako yes I always have the gauge right there for when I get off

[@TMERUNNR]

I'm proud of my OVER DRIVING TOO BRO!!!! hahaha! That was funny! Miss the Auto Club, keep up the Good Work GQ Racer (sporting those GQ glasses)....

[@True_Racer]

+T1MERUNN3R 414 Over Driving champion

[@jamesc5993]

Love the camera pointing at the disk 👍👍

[@speeddemon32]

I agree with others. more of these how to's / learning videos! I've seen your others, they are good watches as well. the "how NOT to tire change" was pretty awesome! made me feel not so stupid. lol. I learned tires left in the sun go on SO much easier than cold tires.

[@True_Racer]

+speeddemon32 yes the sun can be your friend

[@monstermashie3714]

Love your karting videos mate, you should do a few more tips n trick style ones (real karting life ones are still the best) watching you all the way from Perth in Western Australia... keep up the great work!!

[@True_Racer]

+Monster Mashie cheers man more are coming

[@lvchlann]

Monster Mashie damn never see people from perth haha. Do you race? If so what class?

[@parkitplo3575]

Hey Matt, I was just dealing with this yesterday. I found an average of +3 psi from cold to warm. CRG Magnesium wheels on a low grip circuit maxed out at 15 psi, not sure if that's too high for my track but, i'm working on it. Thanks for the great clip.

[@stignielsen2133]

Great camera setup, thanks for sharing.

[@True_Racer]

cheers more to come

[@slowanddeliberate6893]

I know nothing about karting, but my general knowledge is that higher tire pressures improve grip in high speed turns. Lower pressures provide more grip in low to medium speed corners.

[@True_Racer]

+Ennernet Trolle yes generally speaking that is correct

[@tretoyo]

Thanks for the videos they are real helpful.

[@True_Racer]

+shifterkart 28 cheers no problem

[@boardr373]

excellent video, I think you need a digital tire Guage to be more accurate. also that one tire that was more than rest needs to be little less cold pressure.... that front camera is awesome.....

[@miwadabest1isgood476]

Digital games are less accurate and have habit of being inconsistent and wrong, and digital ably go in increments of 0.5

[@jackf498]

may i ask what size front and rear sprocket you run...im completing my kart with a tm KZ R1 and need some idea what ratio to start with...thanks

[@iceshard989]

optimum tyre pressure for a 125cc shifter kart with the MG whites you guys run is about 11psi depending on weather. Also put a softer axle in if you haven't already to help with the rear tyre graining as that kind means you are sliding too much therefore need more rear grip. Try that and you should see an improvement

[@True_Racer]

+iceshard989 it only grains like that on this track it is a weird surface

[@josephlabelle9148]

What is that on the rear shaft that you see ? It kind of looks like a weight On the rear axle there is a rectangular cut out rounded on the edges

[@BBridder12]

Hi true racer. i have no info of MG tires. but here in Europe we run white vega tires. If we go on the track we set them on 7 psi. because if we come off the track after 9 laps we want them be around 11 or 12 psi when they are hot.

[@jakedouglas8321]

Nailed it.

[@macdonmt]

Back in the day we used to shoot for a 2psi increase from cold to hot pressure for the session for all 4 corners. So, actually you wouldn't get even pressure all around even when hot, as long as all tires gained the 2psi. As I recall we learned that from the Lobaughs at MRP (but caveat... that was 15 years ago).

[@True_Racer]

+Mark MacDonald you are very ring it seems to be 3 psi increase for me but it could be from over driving

[@xupd18gld1]

One more thing to take into consideration is how the kart feels on the long run. The higher the pressure the longer it will take for the tires to get up to max temp. Higher pressure equals longevity. The kart May feel better only running 3 to 4 laps on a lower pressure vs 9 to 10 laps on a higher pressure.

[@True_Racer]

Very true

[@Jan-vc1qg]

Start with a clean water free air compressor for your tires. My tires works the best with 1 bar. Start on cold most of the time with 0.8 bar.

[@andrewcollins1932]

Also try a stagger in hot pressures front to rear instead of same pressure all around (should be aiming for hot pressures not cold as it will vary at different tracks and track temps).

[@True_Racer]

+Andrew Collins yes I will be doing that I just wanted to keep it same for this test

[@off-brandjesus9442]

Don't forget temperature is arguably the most important factor. Out here in Wisconsin we just ran 16ish at 40 degrees but for like 80 or 90 we run like 13. I also think you should try staggering your pressures. I run usually (x) up front, (x-1) for the inside rear and (x-2) for the outside rear. Just a suggestion to toy around with

[@tony514790]

+TIATO if its 80 or 90 you should be running like 10.5

[@off-brandjesus9442]

+Ace High Signs and T-Shirts Salinas thinking back it might've been 10 or 11. We only ran in that heat once but I know I never used 9

[@Richard25000]

The real target seems to be 14 to 15psi for your operating temperature. Using your end of session pressures you can judge if your starting pressure was too high. For today 11psi is your best starting pressure. On a cold day 11 might only warm up to 13 so you might start at 12 on a colder day. On a real hot day you might come off at 16 17psi so you might decide to start at 10psi. Other than pressures I'm starting to carry an infrared laser gun to test tyre temps after a session and record track and ambient temps to try model a good starting pressure. Also another note is session length. You might want a higher starting pressure for a 7 min sprint to get up to temp quicker but that would over heat in a longer race. Maybe in a 30 min race you'd start lower and allow a longer switch on time to be more stable for the session. But theres no right answer for everyone and practice days and experimenting is what will teach you what works. Cant wait for covid to be over and get back out I've got so much testing to do with all sorts of setup options.

[@tretoyo]

what's up True racer. Do you run a air filter holder on your kart. Or do you run without one. I am trying to figure out what I am going to do.

[@True_Racer]

+shifterkart 28 no holder just a zip tie

[@TristanDeshaies]

So I need pro advice for a karting noob here, just bought a 125cc 2 stroke rotax on a tony kart and I was wondering when I should check my tire pressure and when to change it

[@aedsy]

Get them roughly correct before you go out and then check them again as soon as you come in.

[@TyroneMerwood]

7:12 I could watch that sidewall flex and rear-inner wheel lift all day #kartporn

[@True_Racer]

+Tyrone Merwood indeed that is what I was going for next time I will have to put like 5 PSI in and try this again

[@WillSalisbury]

What compound are you running? MG yellows or whites? or are those the new Evinco?

[@True_Racer]

+Will Salisbury Evincos which are just rebranded MG whites

[@p.c.h.6721]

Great video. Soft tires low psi, hard tires higher psi, that’s my experience.

[@luisantonioalvesdasilva4962]

yes bon video

[@bonedar333]

measure the heat of the tire asap off the track measure inner middle and outer temps of each tire if the tire is hot in the middle it has too much pressure if the outsides of the tire is hot uoiu need more when the heat is even across the tire you have found the correct tire pressure. that's how you do it a a pro

[@callumtanner1128]

Do you run higher psi at the front?

[@True_Racer]

a little sometimes it depends on track and condition

[@ryanmatthews7469]

How much laps do you do each run?

[@True_Racer]

+"Flyin" Ryan Matthews about 8-10

[@tretoyo]

you can also find it on amazon.com

[@shawnnharmonn]

When your driving make 1 turn, what i did to correct it was i put zip ties on the the steering wheel so i knew how many times i would turn in the corner and right now your not going as smooth as you need to be so make it smooth it saves tires and time. good luck in Monetery this weekend.

[@jj81Studios]

+Shawn Harmon Can you elaborate? Your sentences were running on a bit. Why would zip ties tell you how many times you turned in? That doesn't make sense.

[@monstermashie3714]

+Joshua Jensen - You put them on your wheel with the tail sticking up into your line of site... it helps you be more conscious of your steering inputs as you are driving. ; )

[@shawnnharmonn]

yep thats what you do with them, sorry i didn't explain it really good when, i work with drivers i tell them what it does a lot better than i did.

[@tylersnow4551]

True Racer, I got a challenge for you. Once you get to Sonoma Raceway in quali try to get a lap time of 45.00 or faster. the average lap time is 47.60. My fastest lap at Sonoma in my Kosmic TaG kart was 54.82. Would you accept the challenge?

[@shawnnharmonn]

+tyler snow did you run national reverse?

[@tylersnow4551]

+Shawn Harmon believe so.

[@shawnnharmonn]

im racing there this weekend

[@tylersnow4551]

+Shawn Harmon What chassis, Class and number -I'll be there.

[@True_Racer]

+tyler snow ok challenge accepted

[@6wide]

what the name of the track behind you at 2:21

[@True_Racer]

+Chris Avramov that is Autoclub speedway

[@6wide]

thanks

[@christianbuczko1481]

I dont think nitrogen is going to make a difference, especially if you check tyre pressure often.

[@tylersnow4551]

True Racer, I like this track, where is it located and what is the name of the track

[@True_Racer]

+tyler snow califronia Calspeed

[@tylersnow4551]

Thanks!

[@scottdunlap2148]

+tyler snow They run 5 or 6 different configurations at this location. calspeed is an awesome track located in Fontana California

[@brodeur212]

Should do more to show amateur karting anthousiast how to take carr of the kart etc ;)

[@monstermashie3714]

+brodeur212 - I agree, more tips n trick style vids.

[@True_Racer]

+brodeur212 gotcha more coming in due time

[@austinharrelson9969]

What camera do you use?

[@True_Racer]

+Austin Harrelson gopro session and hero 4

[@austinharrelson9969]

+True Racer is it expensive lol😂😂

[@Merto6]

Did you let the tires cool down after every stint? Did you deflate all of the hot air inside before changing pressure? If you didn't your cold pressure readings are bogus.

[@True_Racer]

+Merto6 yes there was 30 min between sessions

[@godzillaboy6145]

Dnt forget about tire wear

[@ColinGminder]

I think 0.80BAR (12PSI) WARM is a good Pressure

[@True_Racer]

+Colin Gminder yea I am not far off that

[@mr.coconut2123]

The tire pressures change due to track conditions

[@tobiashauge1224]

you are driving with a really low tyre pressure. I'm normal driving with 17 psi

[@Ryan_Micallef71]

Different track temps. different tyres. Different rims. All plays a big factor man

[@svn0svn]

what the fuck is squeaking in your car, that would make me bat shit crazy

[@simonallen4814]

Interesting video, I’m a new kart racer and I’m still getting a feel for tire pressures Follow my Facebook page at Simon Allen Kart Racing

[@simonallen4814]

Interesting video, I’m new to kart racing and still trying to understand tire pressures Follow my fb page at Simon Allen Kart Racing