Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: The Fastest Kart Setup In The Game

In "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," Nintendo has found a "Mario" game that grows more popular every year, driving people to the franchise to the tune of nearly $50 million in sales (per Nintendo). With so many players racing each other from couches across the globe, many have likely settled on a favorite character and kart combination befitting their play style. "Deluxe" rolled out a derby of customization options: 42 characters (including Miis) and dozens of karts, wheels, and gliders. But only a handful of these options can make the racer as fast as mechanically possible.

Behind the stats for speed, acceleration, handling, and traction, developers of the game implemented a hidden set of stats that sites like Neoseeker have explained for all to see. Between the statistics tables offered on these sites and a handy calculator for "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" builds created by Tobias Mattsson, gamers can discover the speediest of kart setups. For the setup with a maxed-out speed state, the secret ingredients are villainy and heaviness.

If gamers seek to define speed strictly in terms of top speed, that will require selecting one of two heavyweight characters. As a rule given the trends on Neoseeker, heavier characters directly correlate with greater speed. No other arrangement of parts and characters calculated through Tobias Mattsson's program appears to match the ground speed of Dry Bowser (or Wario) riding the B-Dasher, P-Wing, or Circuit Special karts, equipped with the Slick wheels, Cyber Slick wheels, or Golden Tires, and the Plane Glider, Gold Glider, or one of the two "The Legend of Zelda" gliders.

At a ground speed stat of 5.75, this kart combination has a nearly maxed-out speed rating on the ground and decent-to-great speed in water, air, and anti-gravity portions of the game's tracks. Speed on non-ground terrain will vary based on which of the above wheels and gliders the player chooses.

The setup offers subpar traction, acceleration, handling, and other stats in exchange. Depending on the skill level of the player, the fastest setup in the game may not translate to the easiest to control given how it shortchanges the other stats. As an alternative for players seeking a fast but controllable kit, Mario Kart World Records has cataloged the setups for all "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" record holders in time trial races.

Given the number of courses in the game including "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" booster courses, players will have plenty of options for testing the most speedy kart combination or whatever setup their hearts desire.