A Question of Rims

[josullivan]

I bought a set of used Bridgestone YGR rain tires on ebay. Size is 4.50/10-5 on the front and 6.0/11-5 for the rears. What rim do I need to use for these tires? Are the split rims better than the one piece rims? Name brands? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks :cheers:

[Mike Bean]

Josullivan,

I would recommend the 1pc rims because I hear you have to seal the 2pc and I think it might be more of a hassle than just paying a few extra bucks for the 1pc. The 1pc rims are also very easy to mount yourself if you have an air compressor.

There are various brands to choose from. It really depends on price and design. I opted for the 1pc Douglas rim polished.

If you go to apskarting.com (http://apskarting.com/), they have a nice selection there.

-mike

I bought a set of used Bridgestone YGR rain tires on ebay. Size is 4.50/10-5 on the front and 6.0/11-5 for the rears. What rim do I need to use for these tires? Are the split rims better than the one piece rims? Name brands? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks :cheers:

[josullivan]

Mike,
Thanks for your quick response. I want the one piece wheels in black. I checked out apskarting.com and found the prices competitive. I then checked ebay, and think i'll just buy new ones. I've never mounted tires before except on a Bobcat, using a can of ether and a lighter to set the bead to the rim. I wonder if this is an option on kart wheels? HaHaHa.. Thanks

[stool-sample]

Some of these tires are abit hard to mount. Ive got a tire band I use at the shop to mount ours. They can be a pain in the ass. Stick with 1 piece, you wont like the 2 piece at all.The next time we send out items for paint Im gonna get a set painted candy red or blue. Glenn

[josullivan]

Amen, I guess i'll just buy tires that are already mounted on rims for my first time out. I've noticed there are alot of tools associated with the many different aspects of BSR's and karting in general. Chain Breakers, Bead Breakers etc... :gunsfirin

[RUBICON]

Just to add my experience...it agrees with what those with more experience that I have....I started buying wheels with tires mounted on e-bay for my auto flea market parts wagon project several years ago. In the beginning I was looking for the cheap stuff. The tires were fair...some good...some bad..the wheels were average..some good...some beyond making good...Then I bought very cheap rim halves....plain ones....and spent a good 5-6 hours buffing and polishing them...then after several tries at sealing the halves...filling with $20 worth of "slime" to seal the leaks.....I bough my first used sets with black anodized 1 piece rims...they were a good value....but lacked the "look"...rather than gambling on more e-bay stuff I bought Douglas polished 1 piece rims @ $24 ea and new tires on e-bay...I will say that some...maybe most...of the "new" tires on e-bay may be old stock...a couple of my early tires were new but after inflation they showed age cracks...kart guys may verify this that they have a limited shelf life and get rid of them after a while....also used tires are often "doped" ...they have been soaked in traction compound and they are sticky....some have ugly wear patterns....but....some are a good value...especially for a good set of rain tires...just look very close and shop around....dont rush...it took me 2 month and I got a set of almost new for half of the avg e-bay price....good luck

[Mike Bean]

Amen, I guess i'll just buy tires that are already mounted on rims for my first time out. I've noticed there are alot of tools associated with the many different aspects of BSR's and karting in general. Chain Breakers, Bead Breakers etc... :gunsfirin

Josullivan,

Forget the chain brakers. I used a grinder to grind off the ends and then either a chisel or screw driver will pop the links apart.

As for a bead braker, I have not had to replace my tires yet, but I think it is a good investment after mounting mine.

:hot:

[tharaw]

talk with a carting guy yesterday he said find a short piece of pipe just slitly bigger than the rim and a 2x4 or 2x6 and stand and rock
far as getting them off small crescent wrench and some WD40

[josullivan]

I never really put much thought into exactly what all would be required for building a BSR. Initially, I thought that I could perform the fab of my frame in a short amount of time and that it would be sturdy and capable of hauling me around without snapping in two. It seems that i've got er done. I have yet to locate all of the other peripheral parts, and once I find em, not sure how to put them together and make them work... Before three weeks ago, I had never even seen a BSR, but when I did, I had to have one. I'm not sure if the appeal lies with the threat of a broken hip, or worse yet, neck... Or the looks by neighbors standing in their lawns with that bewildered look on their faces.
Any how, I have a multitude of questions regarding the setup of my machine and I'm glad that there are such knowlegeable guys who post on this forum. Hopefully when this project is done, and my questions are answered, I'll be able to return the favor and help the newest builders realize their dream of building and racing their BSR's... Even if the "emergency room" is at the finish line...

[RUBICON]

Advice...advice...advice....listen to all of it....learn from others mistakes and make a few of your own for the experience of learning...then use what works for you....I must have saved or printed every pic of a BSR...there were so many variations on the old BARSTOOLRACING.NET site....I studied frames...dimensions from eyeballing the relationship of known parts...styles....control features....the range of detail features...and what I have is a product of all of that and some ideas of my own....I have a box of parts that were installed that looked cool...but did not work as well as they looked....so for me...when I see some details that are traditional and look cool...I know which ones are for "show" and which are for "GO"...the next step was a lot of surfing kart websites for good on-line catalogs...the kind with good pics of the parts....that way you can plan...and buy or fabricate parts based on your resources and ability or interest...some machines are especially sanitary....clean design but all components are standard kart stuff...and new.....they are good...but even better are the ones that adapted or created something new that no one else has done...that is even better....The other day I saw an e-bay item being sold as a party-keg gas tank for barstools....I had a new polished stainless real sized keg on a 23 model T roadster I built 40 years ago....looked cool...the small one I mean...but after research I concluded that the material the party keg tanks were made of was carbon steel with a thin tin coating and internally varnished for the beer....it sure looked like stainless but all that you can buy for beer are tin plate...I wonder how many buyers will be shocked to learn this after buying....remember the saying...."It's not the Destination....It's the JOURNEY!"