Frequently Asked Questions

Here are expert answers to some of the most commonly asked questions regarding Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Table of Contents

• What do coins do?
• How do the stats work?
  • Speed | Acceleration | Weight | Handling | Traction

Coins play a major role in Mario Kart 8, both while racing and also in the game's overall feedback loop. During a race, collected coins increase a driver's top speed, until they have collected the maxmimum of 10. Coins also provide a brief moment of increased acceleration—regardless of whether or not they have reached the maximum.

Perhaps even more importantly, collecting coins also unlocks new vehicles and vehicle components. Upon completing every grand prix, the sum of the coins all human players have collected is added to a hidden lifetime grand total (which is tied to the currently licensed Mii, as designated from the Main Menu).

Parts and vehicles unlock at a set interval that expands as more coins are collected. New components are unlocked for every 30 coins until 450 total are collected. The interval then expands to every 50 coins until 1500 total are collected. After this point, new options are unlocked only with every 100 coins.

There are only two kart/component options which cannot be unlocked this way.

In almost any racing event, a vehicle's two most important stats are (1) the amount of ground it can cover at it's absolute fastest—in Mario Kart we simply call this Speed—and (2) the rate at which it can reach that speed—referred to in MK8 as Acceleration. Every player should aim to maximize the amount of Speed and Acceleration when selecting the combination of components used in their kart.

The Weight is very important, though it is overlooked and misunderstood by many players. Lightweight characters and karts accelerate quickly, but also necessarily reach lower top speeds. Heavyweight characters and karts accelerate slowly, but also achieve higher overall top speeds. (This is admitedly counterintuitive, given that IRL racers almost universally consider mass to be a hinderance to both top speed and acceleration). Weight is primarily affected by character choice, so consider it before kart selection.

It is worth keeping in that Mario Kart is known for it's friendship-annihilating wheel-to-wheel combat. As such, some players opt for a heavywieght character and a kart with high Acceleration, in order to effectively bump other karts out of the way and recover from hazards respectively.

Handling affects the turn radius a kart has whenever the kart is not drifting. Karts with low Handling will require lots of input before they turn. Some players describe karts with low handling as "laggy" or say they handle as though they were "underwater".

Also referred to as Grip in the PAL region, Traction affects the turn radius a kart has while drifting only. The more Traction a kart has, the tighter it will be able to drift around a turn.

It is for this reason that Traction directly affects where a driver will need to initiate their drift for any given turn. Less Traction requires a driver to begin turning into their drifts relatively early as to make up for the kart's overall larger turn radius through the corner. (See figure below). Karts with little Traction not only require earlier commitment when initiating drifts, but also more finesse when navigating the turn while drifting. A lack of traction generally means a kart will be less responsive to corrections made mid-corner, so swerving to avoid projectiles or traffic is more difficult.

In so few words the advice is: A high weight and your favorite combination of handling + traction are typically a good way to go. When a tie-breaker is needed among multiple good options, maximize either speed, traction, or acceleration. If you'd prefer a light weight character, be sure to priveledge speed when you go for a parts combination since you'll be at a disadvantage in that department (as compared to heavier charaters).

Tier List

A formalized ranking of characters, karts, and components, based upon both agregated data from top-speed runs and expert anecdote..

Tier Lists:

• Characters
  • Remember: Heavier characters have a higher top speed than lighter characters.
• Vehicles
• Wheels

Tier List - Characters

Tier List - Karts & Bikes

Tier List - Wheels / Tires

Stats	Vehicle
Speed 90% Acceleration 90% Weight 90% Handling 90% Traction 90%

Contact

Elements

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