Higher up this thread, I did the calculations for you. It turns out that each whee; would be LESS the 4 grams lighter. Thus, the TOTAL decrease in weight for the whole kart would be less than 16 grams.... which is about HALF AN OUNCE!
If RCExcel had shortened the stub bolts or removed the valve caps or used shorter wheel nuts, he'd have saved MORE weight than the Helium in the tyres had! I bet I could find up to 2 lbs of weightg that he COULD save from his kart nWITHOUT using Helium!
Not only that...but if it HAD reduced his weight by a significant amount, then he'd have needed to add EXACTLY that amount of weight to bring him up to the MINIMUM race weight! Thus, if he had NOT needed to replace that weight, then he could have replicated the effect by REDUCING the lead on his kart by half and ounce..... in the FIRST place.
Whatever ELSE the effect of Helium in the tyres, it DEFINITELY is NOT because it lightened his kart! It probably HAS lightened his wallet..... but not the kart!
Ian
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