If the Grand Prix wasn’t enough for you and you still want to challenge yourself, look no further than the heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping Time Trial mode! Here you can push your kart and your skills to the absolute limit while trying to beat your personal bests. It’s a race against the clock; Only the fastest and most skilled drivers will come out on top.
If you want to dominate the competition in Mario Kart 8’s Time Trial mode, you need the right build. With so many kart combinations to choose from, it may take some time to know where to start.
But fear not, we’ve researched and tested countless builds to bring you the top 5 setups for Time Trial mode.
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Top 5 Time Trial Builds in Mario Kart 8
These builds will help you shave precious seconds off your lap times and set new personal records. So get ready to take your racing game to the next level because with these builds in your arsenal, those Staff Ghosts don’t stand a chance.
Precision Handling Build
- Character: Any lightweight character
- Kart: Biddybuggy
- Tires: roller tires
- Glider: Super Glider
Some time trial tracks are complicated by sharp corners and long, winding tracks that require a lot of precision in your handling. This lightweight setup offers exceptional acceleration, handling and mini-turbo boosts, making it perfect for tight corners and complex tracks. You also get enough Turbo Boost to glide smoothly through those corners, so no time is wasted on repeated acceleration.
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Build at maximum speed
- Character: Morton
- Kart: Circuit Special
- Tires: Cyber Slick tires
- Glider: Cloud Glider
Some time trial stages are more focused on long straights and for those occasions you need a setup that can go lightning fast. With this speed-focused build featuring Morton, you can easily hit the 5.75 speed cap while enjoying mini-turbo boosts. The superior traction of the Cyber Slick tires and the air speed of the Cloud Glider make it versatile and practical for both ground and air sections.
Just note that in 150cc it will be extremely difficult to control and in 200cc it will be a nightmare.
Waluigi Biggybuddy Build
- Character: Waluigi
- Kart: Mr. Scooty or Biddybuggy
- Wheels: Roller, Azure Roller
- Glider: paper glider
The hugely popular Waluigi Biddybuggy build has some of the most balanced stats in Mario Kart 8. This build focuses on maximizing the use of Turbo Boosts and Waluigi’s balanced stats for a very controllable yet fast kart. This kart will not hit top speeds if It’s all about long straights, but for any map that offers a good mix of straights and corners, this setup is one of the best options and handles like a dream.
Baby Handling Build (Balanced)
- Character: Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
- Kart: Biddybuggy or Mr. Scooty
- Tires: Slim or Crimson Slim tires
- Gliders: Paper or cloud gliders
This build focuses on finding a good balance between turbo boosts, top speed and handling. It’s a solid all-rounder that performs well in most situations and is versatile enough to take with you on most trails. Most tracks have more curves than straights and a kart that can handle them. At the same time, by using turbo boosts, you will surely sail over them much faster. Realistically, you can complete all time trial challenges with this setup.
world record construction
- Character: Morton/Dry Bowser
- Kart: Streetle
- Tires: Slick/Cyber Slick tires
- Glider: Cloud Glider/Gold Glider
Variations on Morton and Dry Bowser builds featuring Streetle currently hold the most world records in Mario Kart 8’s Time Trial modes. Morton and Dry Bowser are two of the fastest characters in the game, and combined with the Streetle’s acceleration, they can clear courses ridiculously fast . Note, however, that this build is difficult to execute due to the precision and control required. Feel free to take it as a fun challenge and see if you can keep up with the best times in the world.
Final Thoughts
That concludes our list of the 5 best Mario Kart 8 Time Trial builds. Racing Staff Ghosts in Time Trial mode is a fun experience and you can feel your incremental improvement through trial and error. It’s a good way to learn courses and master different kart setups. It’s also a nice introduction to the Mario Kart 8speed running community. Take these builds to the track and master them to leave all your friends behind. Check out the other Mario Kart 8 guides for more useful information.
