A Mario Kart Wii guide can help you unlock all of the secrets in courses, as well as steering you towards the best track times.
Mario Kart Wii Tips
Unlockable Modes
50cc karts and bikes: Beat all cups in 50cc
100cc karts and bikes: Beat all cups in 100cc
Mirror mode: Beat all cups in 150cc
How To Avoid POW Block
When you see the POW block pop up start shaking your wii wheel and you will only spin once instead of three times.
Getting Rosalina Without Super Mario Galaxy
I just found this myself. All you have to do to get Rosalina is get all Star Ratings on Mirror Mode in grand prix.
Time Trial Tips
Mario Raceway - Choose a good offroad car with high mini turbo. Just before the huge bend were the plants are boost in between them whilst drifting then let go of drift and do a trick up the ramp.
Ghost Valley - On the final straight hit the yellow arrow but don't touch the line it takes about 3 secs of your time.
Maple Treeway Shortcut
First go to Time Trial to find this because it could ruin your race in a cup. Don't get a speed boost at the start or you will miss it. Turn right at the start and you will see an opening in a fence. Use a mushroom and follow a path and hit the boost pads and you will end up right next the cannon way ahead of everybody.(choose a good off-roader like the Magikruiser in case you don't have any mushrooms.
Mushroom Gorge Short Cut
At the start stay to the left and go off the edge (mushroom boost required not starting boost) and you will bounce on two mushrooms and jump over a wooden fence and continue on your race.
P.S. It took me a long time to master this, so don't get frustrated your first time.
Blue Shell Escape Trick
If you are racing with a big group of characters, you are in first, and you hear the shell warning coming. Just slam on your brakes, don't worry about losing position, because when that blue shell hits that group, you can pass them.
Rainbow Road Shortcut
As you approach the figure of 8 in Rainbow Road, keep heading forward towards the large hole in the track. Boost as you near it and as you fly over the hole, do a trick. You will (hopefully) land without problem on the other side. If you have multiple mushrooms then you could attempt this again on the next hole.
Maple Treeway Shortcut
When you're about to exit the windy bridge, look to the left and you'll see a second way that will lead you to a speed burst.
Another Way To Unlock Rosalina
When you have a saved game of Super Mario Galaxy on your Wii, select any character and play 50 courses on time trial. This will not work if you don't have a saved file of Super Mario Galaxy. Good luck and have fun!
Daisy Circuit Shortcut
Before you enter the figure 8, look to the right and you'll see a pink building with a staircase. At the end of the staircase is a boost where you can do a trick.
Tips For Beating Ghost Data
These are a few ways to help you beat that ghost:
1. Watch the Video first. It might have a few secrets.
2. Use your mushrooms wisely. I like to use one per lap, and sometimes the track will be all curvy, but if you use a schroom, you can zoom through the grass.
3. Use bikes instead of karts, that way you can get a boost from wheelies when you can.
Stop A Blue Shell On Rainbow Road
If you are about to be hit by a blue shell on Rainbow Road, when you go into the Star Cannon the blue shell goes away. In other levels with cannons this is not so.
Avoiding Red Shells
When you are about to get hit by a red shell, throw a banana, green shell or a red shell backwards to stop it.
Coconut Mall Shortcut
From the start of coconut mall go up the escalator. There will be a little opening on the right, and you'll need a mushroom.
Wario's Gold Mine Shortcut
On the level Wario's Gold Mine, when you see the karts carrying gold, follow them off the ramp and you'll get to the shortcut.
Block A Shell
If there is a shell (not blue) about to hit you and you have a banana, throw it behind you and the shell will stop
Escape A Blue Shell
Getting away from blue shell's is tricky. If you have a mushroom, use it just as the shell is hitting you. It's hard to time exactly right, so practice.
POW Block Avoidance
When someone is hitting a POW block, get some air and do a trick and you won't spin out.
Boost On Ramps
When you are on a ramp or bump tilt the wheel up and you will do flips and tricks. When you land you'll get a boost.
Retro Shortcuts
DS Delfino Square- Before bridge (mushroom needed)
SNES MC3 - gaps through walls (mushrooms needed)
N64 M raceway- Cut over hill (mushroom needed)
GCN Peach Beach- left at water
Lessing Effect Of POW Blocks
If you look at the picture of a Pow block on your screen when you are about to get hit by one: it goes normal, gets squashed a bit, then you spin round. If you do a wheelie just before you spin, it won't slow you down as much. (You will still use your items, though)
Boost After A Fall
If you run into something, like water or falling out of the track, if you hit 2 the moment you're placed back on the ground, you'll receive a quick boost.
Boost Start
When the countdown starts wait till the 2 starts to disappear and then press and hold the 2 button to get a short boost at the beginning of the race.
Mushrooms From Goombas
If you hit a Goomba with a shell or any attacking item, it will disappear and produce a mushroom.
Mario Kart Wii Unlockables
B-Dasher Kart
To unlock the medium Kart B-Dasher, you have to unlock all twenty-four expert staff ghost data entries. Below are the times needed to unlock them:
Bowser's Castle - 03:04.836 - 02.55.017 - 02.42.098
Coconut Mall - 02:30.764 - 02.24.788 - 02.13.333
Daisy Circuit - 01:56.822 - 01.48.791 - 01.41.362
DK's Snowboard Cross - 02:34.693 - 02.24.725 - 02.17.546
Dry Dry Ruins - 02:30.949 - 02.21.681 - 02.14.286
DS Delfino Square - 02:41.807 - 02.33.107 - 02.24.169
DS Desert Hills - 02:10.233 - 02.01.141 - 01.52.686
DS Peach Gardens - 02:34.894 - 02.29.006 - 02.16.777
DS Yoshi Falls - 01:16.461 - 01.12.901 - 01.09.175
GBA Bowser Castle 3 - 02:58.304 - 02.50.637 - 02.39.391
GBA Shy Guy Beach - 01:45.568 - 01.39.255 - 01.32.867
GCN DK Mountain - 02:57.744 - 02.50.248 - 02.38.130
GCN Mario Circuit - 01:59.771 - 01.55.267 - 01.49.939
GCN Peach Beach - 01:34.233 - 01.30.698 - 01.23.140
GCN Waluigi Stadium - 02:32.882 - 02.24.645 - 02.12.367
Grumble Volcano - 02:28.237 - 02.19.524 - 02.11.852
Koopa Cap - 03:03.022 - 02.54.897 - 02.41.370
Luigi Circuit - 01:29.670 - 01:24.957 - 01:19.419
Maple Treeway - 02:58.633 - 02.50.229 - 02.37.812
Mario Circuit - 01:44.777 - 01.39.183 - 01.33.702
Moo Moo Meadows - 01:37.856 - 01.33.571 - 01.25.909
Moonview Highway - 02:16.802 - 02.07.016 - 02.04.163
Mushroom Gorge - 02:16.110 - 02.05.494 - 02.01.011
N64 Bowser's Castle - 03:19.323 - 03.06.723 - 02.55.933
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway - 02:58.264 - 02.49.028 - 02.37.782
N64 Mario Raceway - 02:14.799 - 02.07.915 - 01.59.053
N64 Sherbet Land - 02:48.651 - 02.37.784 - 02.28.356
Rainbow Road - 03:05.895 - 02.59.293 - 02.44.734
SNES Ghost Valley 2 - 01:06.595 - 01.03.752 - 00.58.907
SNES Mario Circuit 3 - 01:38.880 - 01.34.828 - 01.26.659
Toad's Factory - 02:22.480 - 02.12.784 - 02.05.593
Wario's Gold Mine - 02:19.583 - 02.14.932 - 02.04.800
Baby Daisy
To unlock Daisy, every cheat or hint says to get a 1+ star ranking on every 50cc Grand Prix. It's not entirely true. I got a 3 star ranking a 2 star ranking and three 1 star rankings. That adds up to a total of 8 stars, there are 8 Grand Prixs to play, and I unlocked Baby Daisy without having to get a 1+ star ranking on 3 of the 8 Grand Prixs (this doesn't work for Bowser Jr. not sure about Dry Bowser).
Mii (Outfit B)
Unlock all 32 Expert time trials (you don't have to beat them), and you will unlock your Mii in Mario/Luigi overalls (depending on your Mii's preferred color).
Golden Stars
If you get a 1 star rank on all races in all cups, you'll get a star next to your name when playing online. If u have 2 star rank in every race on every cup, you'll have 2 stars next to your name and you'll get a third star with 3.
Unlockable Characters
Baby Daisy - 1 Star in all 50cc Wii-Cups
Baby Luigi - Unlock 8 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials
Birdo - Play Time Trials on 16 different courses
Bowser Jr. - 1 Star in all 100cc Retro-Cups
Daisy - Win 150cc Special Cup
Diddy Kong - Complete all 50cc Cups
Dry Bones - Win 100cc Leaf Cup
Dry Bowser - 1 Star in all 150cc Wii-Cups
Funky Kong - Unlock 4 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials
King Boo - Win 50cc Star Cup
Mii (Outfit A) - Win 100cc Special Cup
Rosalina - Have a Super Mario Galaxy savefile and she will be unlocked after some GPs
Toadette - Play Time Trials on all 32 different courses
Unlockable Races
Leaf Cup - Win at least 3rd place in Banana Cup
Lightning Cup - Win at least 3rd place in Leaf Cup
Special Cup - Win at least 3rd place in Star Cup
Star Cup - Win at least 3rd place in Flower Cup
Mirror Mode - Win all Cups at 150cc
Unlockable Vehicles
Bubble Bike (small bike) - Win Mirror Leaf Cup
Dolphin Dasher (medium bike) - Win Mirror Star Cup
Magikruiser (small bike) - Play Time Trials on 8 different courses
Nitrocycle (medium bike) - Attain at least 1 Star Rank for all 100cc Wii Grand Prix Cups
Phantom (large bike) - Win Mirror Special Cup
Quacker (small bike) - Win 150cc Star Cup
Rapide (medium bike) - Win 100cc Lightning Cup
Torpedo (large bike) - Unlock 12 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials
Twinkle Star (large bike) - Win 100cc Star Cup
Blue Falcon (small kart) - Win Mirror Lightning Cup
Cheep Charger (small kart) - Attain at least 1 Star Rank for all 50cc Retro Grand Prix Cups
Dragonetti (large kart) - Win 150cc Lightning Cup
Piranha Prowler (large kart) - Win 50cc Special Cup
Rally Romper (small kart) - Unlock 1 Expert Staff Ghost Data in Time Trials
Royal Racer (medium kart) - Win 150cc Leaf Cup
Turbo Blooper (medium kart) - Win 50cc Leaf Cup
Mario Kart Wii Glitches
Grumble Volcano: Major Shortcut
As soon as you start Grumble Volcano, don't speed boost. Reverse until you fall. DON'T take the ramp you get put at just yet! Look left, you'll see a big rock. Jump closest to the rock and keep going in circles counter clockwise (Left). Keep repeating it until you get to the third lap ,then go around the rock but go to the finish line at the end.
Play As The Same Character
Have Player 1 choose the character that both players want to be. Then unselect that character and have player 2 choose him, her or it. Then back out of the character selection menu. When you go back into the selection screen you will both have the same character selected. Have both players pick that character and play the race as you normally would.
Mario Kart Wii Easter Eggs
Golden Wii Wheel
Use the Wii Wheel a whole bunch in all modes, and when you go online a golden Wii Wheel will be next to your name.
