g'dday folks!
ok, so heres the thing. i dont want to toot my own horn, but im a farly quick driver, and my chasis is handling like its on rails. but im still being left for dead, and the first clubday was a sad reminder of where the damage is being done.. im losing up to 8 kartlengths on the oakliegh straights to the top guys, and then having to make it all up again through the infield (usually missing out by one kartlength)
so my question is.. whats the best thing to do with my engine? whats going to give it that magical kick, that if not even giving me an equal engine to those out front, at least giving me something that is raceable, and not holding me back.
ok, so heres the thing. i dont want to toot my own horn, but im a farly quick driver, and my chasis is handling like its on rails. but im still being left for dead, and the first clubday was a sad reminder of where the damage is being done.. im losing up to 8 kartlengths on the oakliegh straights to the top guys, and then having to make it all up again through the infield (usually missing out by one kartlength)
so my question is.. whats the best thing to do with my engine? whats going to give it that magical kick, that if not even giving me an equal engine to those out front, at least giving me something that is raceable, and not holding me back.
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Comments12
Sounds like you need to be shopping around for a "good'un" - there is bucketloads of good clubbies around at the moment, have a look at where the guys motors are coming from - maybe it's time to swap engine builders??
Ah clubman engines... spend some coin on blueprinting etc...
Or buy a leopard.
Maybe ???? not the engine.Who doe your'e engine? Still could be setup.
Kart may feel alright but pit corner bog or slide at Oakleigh will ruin your whole lap time.
BTW wot gear and pipe u running? And how much lead u carrying on u r kart?
Many factors can be causing you to be slow down the straight, as james has said pipe length and gearing will make a big difference, however if you are just as quick as the front guys through the corners, It sounds as though you have that sorted. A good clubman engine / barrel is always a good start, but if your engine builder isn't up to scratch then you're wasting your time. The bigger engine builders like Kartforce, J&A, Flatout, VSR, Piper etc. all have good reputations, experience and results with clubman engines, it's well worth speaking to those guys to help with your problem.
its not sliding, we have that nailed.
im a little fella, so im running 27kg of lead, spread all over, mostly on the back of the seat (change hight for conditions) some on side of seat, some on front of kart..
as for gearing, i go by lap times, with the engine i have, we tune the gearing for what gives it the best lap, atm i think im running an 83-10 or something close
tuning is fine, i've got that down ok, and if it doesnt feel right i am able to change mid lap.
pipe length may be the answer... whats the general suggestion as a starting point (i know i'll need to do heaps of testing to find the exact spot, but a starting point would help)
its also worth noting that i have a farly limited budget, and cant afford to go all out with an engine builder for a world beater, and thats not what i want. i just want a level playing field. (sounds impossible for clubman right)
27kg!!!!!!!! I would start looking there and if its all on the back of the seat then scaling the kart would be me first option.With that amount of dead lead weight in the kart I would suggest braking may be interesting so leave a gap on roll arounds for the karter in front of you please!
Oakleigh 10/83 is heavies gearing.
I run 10 /79 and pipe about 410. That may be where the straight line speed is gone.
4 teeth too many... there's your drama.
you gotta take teeth off, and soon you'll find your setup is not quite as sweet as you thought! it'll take some work to get it off pit corner...
hahahahahaha LMAO
Dale you funny. I was tryin to be more dimplomatic hahahahaaa
ok, so, gearing.. and there is not much i can do with the weight.. im nearly 18 and i only weigh 48kg, the lead is nececary lol, 60% of total kart weight is on the rear 40 on the front, thats right tho isnt it?
i went out and checked, im running a 412 pipe.
and dont think im not eating lol, i just have no idea where it goes.
hey andy... don't worry dude i'm 29 and still only 57-58 kg! it's not the size of the dog in the fight brother!!
firstly, everyone says 60/40 for karts, but almost nobody could tell you what THEIR kart is! 60/40 is a sweeping generalisation, and is mostly correct only for high-horsepower, sticky tyre classes. certainly for clubman i think your weight is too far back. my expertise is definitely in phoenix karts (and it appears you drive a spArrow, but i won't hold it against ya!), but i'm still thinking you probably want to shoot for something closer to 57-43.
i won't lie to you though, getting a kart to handle with 27kg of lead is challenging for the experts! in my opinion the ultimate kart setup is easiest to find with a driver+kart combo that needs less than 5kg of lead to make the weight - unlikely to happen for you in the term of your natural life, so you'll have to get creative.
when you drop those teeth, the kart is likely to feel glued to the track on corner exit (pit corner it will probably be a total dog). given that you said "its not sliding, we have that nailed", i'm thinking your extra teeth are already just masking a rear end that's stuck to the track. once you get the teeth right, you'll have to play with your setup to get the mongrel to lift a wheel and hold it there. you may need the seat up higher (with your weight i'm thinking close to level with the bottom of the chassis, perhaps even slightly higher).
where's your seat position now? do you know how to measure it with the ABC system? (see attached).
Attachments:
SEAT POSITION.JPG, 26 KB
Col can you remember maxium allowable clubbie kart weight as per AKA rules?
Was it 88KGs inc fuel and lead ? I haven't got the book with me.
Whats ur kart weight Andy?
dont worry, i've checked, there is only a maximum weight for your kart if your competing in a heavy class. no restriction for light. otherwise i couldnt race. and for the record its a back breaking 92kg. you know, for some reason i struggle to find volunteers to lift it off the stand more than once.. wierd huh...