Power Kite Forum

Would these tires fit?-Test drive update

beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 10:00 AM

So I went to drop off our trash at the local landfill this morning and I see a nice set of ATV worn down paddle tires on white plastic rims.

Instantly I think "Those would be awesome on the Buggy!" so I ask the dude if I can take and he is good.
He said they came off a beach cart so it must be destiny.

21x12x8 are the size- light too- 2lbs most? Now, will they fit my standard 8 inch rims? I already have 16x6.5x8 on my rims.

I just need to shave off 1/2 inch of the remaining paddle and Bigfoots!

So who wants to kill my Mojo? y/n?

cheezycheese - 1-2-2013 at 10:51 AM

They should fit. Most buggy rims are 8" diameter. :thumbup:

DAKITEZ - 1-2-2013 at 11:23 AM

Yes they will fit. If you put those on your regular 2" wide plastic wheel that would be considered a big foot light setup. You will want to keep the psi low. I believe 5-10 psi is norm for these. On the beach I would run toward the higher end of 10 psi to keep the sand from creeping in between the wheel and tire bead.

elfasa - 1-2-2013 at 12:05 PM

I may be wrong, but i'm not sure I understand why you'd want paddle tyres on a buggy ?
Paddle tyres are designed to when a vehicle with a lot of torque has I put it down on a loose surface it can get more traction. They're often used on dune buggys/ those mudding 4x4s. The power source is different on a buggy (they kite obviously) the wheels are just for rolling, no power needs to be put down.

Plus, as far as I know, on paddle tyres the rest of the tyre structure is very thin and smooth. The paddles are made for getting traction, the rest of the tyre isn't, so may be prone to punctures..

Im no pro by any means, so don't quote me. And please don't think i'm trying to get you down, try them for sure ! But don't get rid of your normal ones. (I love finds like that :) ) I'm happy to be corrected by people that are more in the know.

Tim

beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 12:59 PM



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beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 01:01 PM

There is not alot of paddle left and I am going to shave that off to make the tire smooth[ish!] The tire feels meaty enough in thickness to withstand my beach riding.

The whole idea is probably a waste of time but I like to tinker!!

beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 01:13 PM

Forgot to ask, why is this a "light" setup? I thought that would be the smaller size tires? And explain the tire pressure deal- I get the higher for the sand/rim deal but the lower?

elfasa - 1-2-2013 at 01:21 PM

Ah okay. They look neat! And not what i had in my head. Ignore my last comment :)

DAKITEZ - 1-2-2013 at 01:28 PM

lower to keep it from blowing off the rim. I will say most people will run 5 psi. I ran mine at 10 psi with no issues. I would not go higher than that though. If others have I would be interested to hear about it.

big foot lights is just easy terminology to explain exactly what you have without explaining it all.

big foot lights is 21x12 on standard 2" rim

full big foot is on 8x8 rim

asemetrical is the 8x8 off set wheel

all running same size tire

beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 01:28 PM

Like I said- Headed towards 3 hours of my life wasted...again!:dunno:

cheezycheese - 1-2-2013 at 02:55 PM

I had mine at 25psi last WWBB. I overfilled them to get out the ripples and never let the air out. Well you will feel every pebble in the sand... Maybe not that bad but definitely a hard bumpy ride.... Rough on the kidneys, but I was having too much fun to stop and adjust. From what I understand lighter tire pressure is also better in softer sand.

cheezycheese - 1-2-2013 at 02:56 PM

I would at least get a session in before shaving the tires. You might actually like them the way they are... :wee:

beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 04:59 PM

I have no patience on these type of things- I go right for it and think later. great thought process huh?

Time check: 30 minutes wasted shaving this bad boy. was actually easy with a standard bread knife [don't tell Wifey!!]

You can see the shavings on the floor.


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beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 05:00 PM

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beachrights - 1-2-2013 at 05:03 PM

Going to go with the white current rims- I tried to take the tire off and it is BEEFY around the bead and won't come off. I need spacing reducers and bearings to make it work.

John Holgate - 1-2-2013 at 11:58 PM

Quote:

I would not go higher than that though. If others have I would be interested to hear about it.


I was complaining to another buggier recently about my Kenda Beachracers not being really true....he fixed his by putting 30psi in them (they say they are rated to 35psi) he has a sysmic S1 with 8" rims on the back and 4" on the front...seemed to be working well for him.

RedSky - 2-2-2013 at 02:15 AM

Those paddles look wild. You're going to kick up some wicked rooster tails. Bet they will be noisy tho.

beachrights - 2-2-2013 at 06:00 AM

Picture still looks like they have paddles but they are actually smooth- issue now is the rims have a 1 inch hole and I need to reduce that so a 12mm bolt will work. They do not have a stop for the bearing as my current wheels do- meaning the bearing can be pushed all the way through the white rims.

I tried taking one off last night [15 minutes] and the bead is BEEFY and I could not get it to pop off no matter what trick I tried.

rocfighter - 2-2-2013 at 07:21 AM

Those are sweet. I ran ATV knobbies on my first buggy. I also have a set of worn down 21" ATV tires for the back of my libre. I find them at my buddies bike shop for free!

sand flea - 2-2-2013 at 07:45 AM

I like the tires beachrights but is that wheel going to be strong enough to handle the side loads?


I keep my Beach Racers at 15 to 18 psi. I believe it puts a little better crown on the tire and reduces rolling resistance.

bigkid - 2-2-2013 at 07:55 AM

If the bearings are going to slide through to the other side, then you need to put a spacer/sleeve between the bearings. It needs to be the same diameter as the inside race of the bearing. Most wheels are done this way to help eliminate wheel wobble. Most wheels with out the spacer are used for slow travel such as a wheel barrow, hand towed wagon, etc. Anything that will build up speed and be put into a side load need to keep the wheel as true as possible, so the use of a bearing spacer is paramount.

Any tire shop or motorcycle shop will be happy to break down the tire/wheel, and for a small fee or free, will mount the tire on the new wheel.

csa_deadon - 3-2-2013 at 02:43 AM

The only concern I would have is with the rims the tires came on. Being how you found them at a landfill you have no way of knowing why they made it there. Heed Dino's advice about tire pressure. We don't want to hear about you getting new facial accessories by accident.

Most of the riders in the Pacific NorthWest are running 4-10 psi on the beach.

I hear bigkid is running less pressure though! :lol:

beachrights - 3-2-2013 at 05:56 AM

I was overthinking the hub issue and I realized all I needed was a spacer after I posted yesterday.There is a nylon sleeve/bushing which you can see in the picture. I hear you on the quality issue of th material for the rims- they are marked abs-11. I worked in the Plastics Manufacturing business for 6 years and can never look at a piece of plastic without giving it an exam for quality!

They are engineered plastic but I do not know the filler which gives them the strength level but trying to cut a piece of plastic with a knife is a quick test and these passed. Too brittle and they will "chip" as you cut. Too soft and it will cut like fudge. And this is why I wear a full face helmet when I ride!

I am going to run these at a lower pressure as Dino suggested. No high speed runs till I get some miles on them and see if issues arise.

beachrights - 3-2-2013 at 06:13 PM

Well- there on the Buggy! Add 1.5 hours to the running total if you're counting!

My spacers from my "old" wheels and 2 nylon spacers/washers and it hooked up nice...almost too easily!

Looks like a 1970's VW Bug Baja Racer! The unexpected good part of this is I was able to drop my seat about 6" so I am finally "within the rails" I am 6'6" so I was always high centered but now I feel contained within the Buggy. This will probably help me in the crash when these unknown rims blow apart and I look like Steve Austin- Six Million Dollar Man impression.

No pics- was dark out when done so will post when I can.

DAKITEZ - 3-2-2013 at 06:28 PM

Standard axle and side rails or extended?

beachrights - 4-2-2013 at 03:44 AM

Everything is standard- Kite trike does have a wide back axle though.

DAKITEZ - 4-2-2013 at 07:09 AM

Just be careful of your elbows with that big tire so close to you.

rocfighter - 4-2-2013 at 08:33 AM

I would lso warn about your lines with those tires. I got my lines caught in my knobbies a couple times! I made extensions for my side rails after that. Not a fun thing to get your arm sucked into the tires!:wow:

beachrights - 4-2-2013 at 02:30 PM

I hear both of you! Elbows are good and clear.....the lines.... well we will just see!

rocfighter - 4-2-2013 at 03:27 PM

:wee: :o :smilegrin:

beachrights - 25-2-2013 at 05:44 PM

So I took them out for a spin today......get it?


Quick thoughts:
-Why are those large tires so close to my head?!
-Redneck Muffler sound....think Big Ford/big tire sound! "BBBBBRRRRR"
-Flotation galore!!! Never sunk into anything!

Pleased with my new to me Ghetto Bigfoots- nice cushy ride thanks to Dino's pressure guide. Worked great till the Bearing came off the hub!!:shocked2:

I bought spacers, washers for the Bearings to keep them from sliding around internally side to side but forgot the hub does not had a "seat" for the Bearing to fit into. Meaning when you push the bearing in it will keep going to it falls into middle of Hub. I did a Equipment check after riding for 15 minutes and found one bearing completely on the outside of the Hub.

The tire/Hub had slid off the bolt, Spacer and Bearing while I was turning. So, I need to put Washers on the outside of each side of the Hub to prevent this.

And yes, I did catch my Elbows on the tires a few times! Yikes!

rocfighter - 25-2-2013 at 06:40 PM

But I thought they where clear?:eekdrull::(:wow:
If the bearings are slipping in to the center cut a peace of tubing that fits over the axle just long enouph to fit between the bearings. OH you probably no that!!:moon:

beachrights - 26-2-2013 at 06:03 AM

They were clear in my Basement! Buy in the field they can rub if the kite heads to the back of the buggy.

I do have spacers on the axle bolt- its the actual tire/hub that is sliding across the entire axle bolt with spacers. Took me a few seconds of looking at yesterday to figure out what had happened! Had to pound the Bearing back in with using the buggy axle- Can you believe I cound not find a rock on the beach to use as a hammer?! Not one!

If I put Fender washers on the outside and inside of the hub it should solve my issue. Guess that's what you get with dump tires!

Mainekite - 26-2-2013 at 09:22 AM

If the washers don't work you can get some size bearings with a clip thing built into a groove around the outside of the bearing to keep them from sliding through