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Aluminum vs mag wheels, any real tests done?
From what I understand mag wheels are lighter than aluminum, so you get less rotating mass which should help with how quickly the kart responds. I think the idea is that it can show up in acceleration and maybe turn-in, but honestly I'm not sure how big the real-world gap is once you're on track. Has anyone actually run back-to-back tests between the two, or does it mostly come down to feel rather than clear lap time differences?
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Alum wheels 100% for the rain, need that heat cause the rain keeps the temp out of the tire... more heat = more grip in the rain
very rare to be running alum wheels in dry, maybe a track like NCMP with the long straight aways to have grip at end of straight
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The mass difference between magnesium and aluminum wheels is real, but the more consequential distinction on track is thermal. Tire heat is generated primarily by friction at the contact patch and then conducted into the rim. Aluminum has both higher thermal conductivity and greater thermal mass than magnesium, so it absorbs heat from the tire more readily and holds that energy longer. On a cold or wet surface where the contact patch generates heat slowly, that stored energy feeds back into the tire on low-load sections such as straights and helps keep carcass temperature up. On a hot track the opposite is useful: magnesium stays cooler, limits how much the rim warms the air inside the tire, and can support a higher cold pressure that brings the rubber up to working temperature more cleanly.
In practice the effect is a fine adjustment. Many club-level drivers will not resolve a clear lap-time difference between the two materials in back-to-back running; the change often sits inside the noise of setup and driving consistency.
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