Vintage speed tire question

[Brad Rose]

Ok
11x4.5x5 on Tri star wheel without spacer.(top)

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Same tire with 1 inch spacer. (Bottom)

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One question. I just cut the other half of the valve stem hole out of my spacer. This offsets the valve stem from the tube inside putting a side load on the stem. Will this be a problem or should I drill the valve stem hole in the center of the spacer so the stem is in direct line of the Center of the wheel?

[ted johnson]

Shouldn't hurt as long as it's 3/4" or less offset. Tubes are pretty tough; even the Chinese junk we have today. TJ

[steve welte]

Ted is correct on the powder. Use plenty of it because you can often have a wrinkle in the tube. I always just used electrical tape on the half /spacer part of the wheel I don't remove to to do a tire change. this covers the part of the tire stem hole you don't use. It helps keep things together, gets rid of a place for tube pinch.

[ted johnson]

I remember in '58 when I had my first dead axle Bug. I managed to pinch a tube in one of the steel wheels. Pop told me to always inflate the tube a little bit to help keep it from getting pinched, and if I needed to use two longer bolts to get the assembly started together, I could remove them after the next two were tightened. Of course that doesn't work with Azusa or Go power wheels with only three bolts holding them together! Talcum powder, Brad! Besides, it helps keep your kart smelling baby fresh!  TJ

[Brad Rose]

Good advise Steve! I'm finally making some good progress on the Alley Kat. And it does smell baby fresh Ted.

[ted johnson]

AH, Nostalgia.... Takes you back to when you were first a papa. TJ

[David Luciani]

tubes can take ALOT of abuse sometimes.
few years back i installed a tube with not enough talc and no air.
sure enough i pinched the tube.
i didn't find the problem till i unloaded at barnsville.
the tire had held the air just fine but about an inch was visible along the seam of my margay rim..
i had left the spares box with tubes home to reduce my track package so i asked around and nobody had a spare tube. rather than find out the tube was ruined i just watched the air pressure that whole weekend.
held fine.
i'm not great at keeping track notes and forgot about the tube.
couple times i noticed the issue watched the air and promptly forgot before i got home.
at rigp my first year i missed the first race because of a stall .
then second race i lost my chain second lap.
i discovered a flat tire had let the sprocket bang the pavement and derailed my chain.
turned out it was the same pinched tube i'd basically ignored for almost four years.

so i learned tubes can take alot of abuse but i don't advise doing that extreme an experiment!!!