Snow Tires??

[schreibdave]

My son's carbide has terrible traction in the snow. Anybody change to snow tires in the winter time? And if so, where did you get them? How about tire chains? Is there such a thing for go karts?

[metalstudman1]

Don't know if there's chain for a buggy but I wouldn't want the additional weight and the ply thickness of most buggy tires wouldn't hold up very well. I thought slipping and sliding in the snow was the whole fun of it!!!! Hole shot type tires do very well on dry,muddy and snow conditions.

[wasjustlooking]

I don't know what you'd call snow tires on a buggy, but on my son's carbide I run 22x11x10 ITP Muddlites on the rear and 21x8x9 Kenda Front Max on the front. These are the normal tires on the buggy as we do alot of off roading with very extreme conditions. Went today and there was nothing but mud from all of the snow melt. These are not tires you would want your kids running around the yard with because there would be no yard left. The stock tires that come on them are not very good for traction, but running the larger more aggressive tires requires some engine and cvt upgrades.

[schreibdave]

but running the larger more aggressive tires requires some engine and cvt upgrades.

What do you mean about the cvt and engine upgrades? Not sure I am up for that. I just want the kid to be able to ride the thing in the snow rather than look at it in the garage.

We live in Syracuse and already have had 4ft of snow this year. And the stock tires are useless with even an inch on the ground.

[Rarerat]

I don't know what you'd call snow tires on a buggy, but on my son's carbide I run 22x11x10 ITP Muddlites on the rear and 21x8x9 Kenda Front Max on the front. These are the normal tires on the buggy as we do alot of off roading with very extreme conditions. Went today and there was nothing but mud from all of the snow melt. These are not tires you would want your kids running around the yard with because there would be no yard left. The stock tires that come on them are not very good for traction, but running the larger more aggressive tires requires some engine and cvt upgrades.


X2 on the ITP Mud lites, I run a set 24" on the back of my Pilot and they are a great tire for extreme conditions. Amazing traction!! :biggthumpup:

[wasjustlooking]

What do you mean about the cvt and engine upgrades? Not sure I am up for that. I just want the kid to be able to ride the thing in the snow rather than look at it in the garage.

We live in Syracuse and already have had 4ft of snow this year. And the stock tires are useless with even an inch on the ground.

Not talking about tearing the engine down for a big bore kit. Just making the engine produce a little more power and changing the rollers in the cvt for lower gear ratio. It's not a hard task and the only special tool needed is an impact gun to remove the variator. Larger dia. tires will create a higher speed ratio making it harder to get under way from a stop. Lighter rollers will keep the cvt in low gear for longer. A combination of lighter rollers and stiffer main spring behind the clutch works best. A performance DC-CDI will really wake that engine up along with a UNI air filter and larger main jet in the carb. I know it's for your son and you probaly don't want to mod it to much for his saftey, but you don't want him to get bored with it either. There are plenty of members on here along with upgrade vids that can walk you through it.

[GX150]

These work well:

http://www.4atvtires.com/atvTires/showProduct.php?id=5092&cat_id=3

http://www.4atvtires.com/uploads/productImages/Maxxis_4Snow_Huge_Large.jpg

[CartinAK]

Go to your neighborhood hardware store and get a handful of 1/4" sheetmetal screws and fire a few around the tread. I guarantee a major improvement.

[KID4LIFE]

Not talking about tearing the engine down for a big bore kit. Just making the engine produce a little more power and changing the rollers in the cvt for lower gear ratio. It's not a hard task and the only special tool needed is an impact gun to remove the variator. Larger dia. tires will create a higher speed ratio making it harder to get under way from a stop. Lighter rollers will keep the cvt in low gear for longer. A combination of lighter rollers and stiffer main spring behind the clutch works best. A performance DC-CDI will really wake that engine up along with a UNI air filter and larger main jet in the carb. I know it's for your son and you probaly don't want to mod it to much for his saftey, but you don't want him to get bored with it either. There are plenty of members on here along with upgrade vids that can walk you through it.

DITTO what WJL said...
...i don't know if i would want to chance the sheet metal screws in the tires plan...:suspect:

[CartinAK]

What are you chancing? Might get some traction? Some people....

[CartinAK]

If you can wait for them to get there these are even better!
http://compare.ebay.com/like/320629245087?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=192469405637&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=%3F*I8&GUID=2696acdb12d0a47a267062a0ffdf0684&itemid=320629245087&ff4=263602_304662
I like to dip the threads in rubber cement, seems to help them stay in longer.

[schreibdave]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will check out one of the snow/mud tires that were recommended. If it seems like the beefier tires slow the cart down, I will be back to ask about engine mods that might quicken it up a little. Since my son is 12, I dont mind having the thing be a little on the slow side for now. I just want him to be able to drive it 12 mos a year.

I am having a problem adjusting his parking break, so I will create a seperate post on that issue. Thanks

[Pogo]

I have Carbide (that never stops to impress me) bare bones stock (except for some lights and other goodies) but stock tires. Had a pretty good snow fall up here(Canada). My first chance to try it out in the snow. WOW did it ever blow my mind away. It did a whole lot better than I thought it would. I didn't take it out in the bush but I did tear up my front yard pretty good. Went through pretty deep ditches good. Except if I stopped at the bottom of the ditch. It would just spin the wheels and not pull out unless I backed up about a foot then no problem getting out. I am talking about a foot of snow or maybe a bit more. Did dougnuts like Jake the bear. Probably going to pay for it when I see my front yard in the spring. When I was finished the whole front end was packed solid with snow. Any way I was really impressed. If you are thinking about chains I think they would likely cause all kinds of problems and damage at high speed. They really expand and start flopping around hitting things at higher speed. Good luck. Pogo

[GX150]

You'll need a wider axle, wheel spacers or different offset rims to run chains. Otherwise, I don't see how they would clear the swing arm. I have cable chains for mine, but never needed them.

[BuggyMaster]

We used to have a set of Honda EX400 tires on the back of our Helix and they worked great! Just find a good set of used rims and tires and bolt them on. Same bolt pattern and they can usually be had pretty cheap!

[CartinAK]

Borrowed this link from another forum.....
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/atvs/2009/11/top-10-tire-tips

[mikesova@gmail.com]

Just ordered a set of snow chains for the Yerf Dog. Can't wait to try them.

[zman007007]

I see a new repair thread, damage from snow chains coming soon. lol

[mikesova@gmail.com]

Maybe turf repair...

[mikesova@gmail.com]

Before:

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1506573_10101943690291088_2120429812_n.jpg

After:

https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/993816_10101943810959268_991303317_n.jpg

Worked amazingly well in the snow. Over a week ago, I was sliding around and spinning the tires without any traction in barely any snow. It has since snowed a lot more and with the chains, I was hooking up great. I can't wait to take this out on a frozen lake or something. :)