Whether you\u2019re finding the 150 and 200cc single-player tournaments too difficult or want to improve online (or in local multiplayer against your friends and family), bragging rights are important \u2013 and we\u2019re here to help you earn them.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, you can improve your chances of success by selecting the best set-up of driver, kart, wheels and glider.<\/p>\n
Your choice is represented by five stats: acceleration, speed, weight, handling and traction\/grip. You need to pay attention to each of these stats to perform at your best.<\/p>\n
Read on to find out what the best Mario Kart 8 set-up is and to learn our top tips to improve your times on the track.<\/p>\n
Best Mario Kart 8 set-up: Top tips to dominate on the track<\/b><\/h2>\n
From our experience on the track, the best Mario Kart 8 set-up is Bowser<\/strong> on the Streetle <\/strong>with the Cyber <\/strong>Slick tyres<\/strong> and Super Glider<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This set-up is great because it will nearly max out your speed without compromising on handling or grip, which will make taking corners easier. Plus, the massive Bowser looks a little funny sticking out of that beetle-themed kart.<\/p>\n Aside from this set-up, we also like the following combinations (we\u2019ve thrown in a few more heavy character combos, a great light build which emphasises kart control and acceleration, and the best all-rounder):<\/p>\n [squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=\u201d653\u2033 \/]<\/p>\n The primary school of thought when it comes to the best Mario Kart 8 set-up is to choose a heavy character<\/strong>, and we think the best heavy character is Bowser<\/strong> \u2013 but that might just be because he\u2019s the coolest.<\/p>\n Heavy characters have the highest maximum speed, but come with the lowest acceleration. Therefore, it\u2019s best to pick characters such as Donkey Kong<\/b>, Wario<\/b>,\u00a0Dry Bowser<\/strong> and Bowser<\/b>.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, the heavy characters are the best as they will drive the fastest (as long as you can race cleanly and avoid obstacles).<\/p>\n On paper, the best Mario Kart 8 set-up looks something like this: Ultimately, the choice is yours. While a heavy character is best for maintaining speed in first position and staying there, it can be trickier to reach the podium in first place given the items being thrown your way.<\/p>\n The best set-up will differ from person to person. If you prefer an instant zip of acceleration and improved handling, you need to pick a lightweight character such as Baby Mario, Baby Peach or Dry Bones. Those looking for an all-rounder will need to pick someone in the middle like Luigi, Kamek or Yoshi.<\/p> Once you have your character and kart combo sorted, you\u2019ll need to bear some of our other top tips in mind to dominate the race track.<\/p>\n Our first? Earn the starting line boost by pressing and then holding the accelerate button just as the number two locks into place in the countdown<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Our next tip is to always be drifting<\/strong>. Earn drift boosts like your life depends on it. Press and hold the R button to drift around a corner. The longer you drift, the stronger your boost exiting the drift will be.<\/p>\n You can also earn boosts by tapping the R button as you head over ramps and just before you start gliding<\/strong>. Drive into other racers during hover sections to earn small boosts, too.<\/p>\n Finally, you can speed up by driving behind other players and earning a slipstream boost<\/strong>. Perfect for when you\u2019re further back in the line-up and overtaking pesky rivals!<\/p>\n Other tips aside from increasing your speed include holding an item behind you to stop incoming Red Shells and using the Super Horn item (red block with a speaker on it) to destroy Blue Shells before they hit you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Check out more of our Gaming<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what\u2019s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n You’ll be racing into first place in no time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":52841,"template":"","categories":[6,8],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest.jpg",1600,1066,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/best-mario-kart-8-set-up-kart-building-tips-to-be-the-fastest.jpg",1600,1066,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"You'll be racing into first place in no time.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/52840"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/08\/Best-Mario-Kart-8-set-up-bowser-3d434ec-1-e1717754781433.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Best-Mario-Kart-8-set-up-bowser\\"\/")
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![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/08\/Best-Mario-Kart-8-set-up-wario-0d112c6-e1717754838481.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Best-Mario-Kart-8-set-up-wario\\"\/")
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Other tips to help improve your Mario Kart 8 game<\/b><\/h3>\n
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