Practicing without Mychron.

Luis Guerrero · Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 7

Hey,

i have a quick question, as the title says, can one practice on a kart without a mychron or any form of data logger? would it be ok to do it?

thanks.

jeff grose · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject:

you can but,,,,,,,it's always a good idea to have a way of tracking stuff like your rpm,water temp & lap times

rpm will tell you if you're are running the correct gear depending what track you're on

water temp of course to make sure your mtr is running in the correct temp range

lap times to see how you're running on the track and so on

of course there's also egt (exhaust gas temp) aids with tuning the carb

all this will help you decide how to tune your mtr and to keep from frying the mtr.
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Ted Hamilton · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:30 pm Post subject:

Yes, you can practice without any gauges. It may improve your sense of what the kart is doing and give you a visceral feel for what's going on. That is of high value, because sometimes you can drive "beyond" what the gauge is telling you or the gauge may be faulty, or....best case.... you'll discover the simply joy of driving a kart that most miss because they're so consumed with every detail.

There's a place for a gauge, and there's also reasons to not use 'em too.
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Luis Guerrero · Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 7

Thats good to know.

I am actually going to break in a new PRD. I just need to make sure i dont rev it too high.

jeff grose · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:44 am Post subject:

well try to borrow a gauge from someone so you can at least watch your rpm during break-in, you don't want to over rev it during this period Mad

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jlgracing
#31 Gillard/PDBAmerica
IAME Leopards by P1 Engines
Tag Sr./FKCS/WKA
Driver: Jesse Grose
Remember: "No matter where you go,there you are"

TJ Koyen · Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Posts: 1415

I'd definitely use a logger for break-in. You need to know if you get the engine up to the proper temperature and you need to know if you're over-revving it too early or not.
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Paul Makarucha · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:28 am Post subject:

I don't think you should ever run your engine without a gauge if possible.

If you find it destracting:

over the gauge but leave your temp light exposed so it will flash at you if you're over XXX temp.
Than you can at least check everything after each session, including if you got faster.
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Chris Hurst · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:17 pm Post subject:

I had a gauge until mine was stolen. Didn't buy another one due to the high price and I actually can say I'm enjoying karting a lot more.

Though I should add I have been under the guidance of a veteran karter who has been extremely helpful in answering questions about tuning etc to keep the engine safe. I also read and reference several two stroke tuning books to aid in my understanding of the engines and carburetors functions.

What I do notice is that I focus much more on the feel of the kart as well as the driving experience and technique. From my experience talking to guys who have won multiple championships and been in the sport of karting and Nascar (30 + years each) the gauge is to be used as a reference and the kart and car should always be tuned by feel.

At the end of the day I think the world is becoming way too tech oriented and people especially younger ones (I'm 24 by the way) are much to concerned with equipment and technology than actually learning what is going on and doing things by touch, smell, feel and sound.

Used to play piano and I liken it to playing without sheet music in front of you: Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it necessary to learn: no. Do the best guys need the sheet music to play a piece: no. Will you learn more if you understand whats going on and then use the sheet music to keep occasional tabs on where you're at: IMO yes.

The gauge to me should not replace a persons capacity to think and understand their equipment. Gauges can break, they can run out of batteries and they can even be stolen. If you don't know how to tune without it you are going to be at a disadvantage to someone who does.

James Frank · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:28 pm Post subject:

I started with a Mychron-Lite with tach/temp. With the expense of the motors, I'd recommend it just to monitor rpms/water temp. It also has an engine running timer which helps keep track of maintenance intervals.

I've been using a Mychron-II for several years with no complaints. temps, tach, speed, lap time, shift lights, and temp warning lights. more than enough when you need it. For most part I barely glance at it just to make sure I'm not cold/hot.
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Jimmy Simpson · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 105

I never use a mychron. As long as you're close on gear, and the cylinder feels warm to touch, uncover the radiator and let 'er rip. You focus more on what you actually need, not on what the mychron says you need.

Kevin Callahan · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:14 pm Post subject:

Kinda makes you wonder how guys ever raced or practiced begore Mychrons came along! Wink

Chris Hurst · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:47 pm Post subject:

Ace Rossi · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 5:11 pm Post subject:

Back in the day we didnt have mychron's. We did it by colir if the cyl head on mac's. They were yellow when cold and the hotter they got the head turned darker almost orange but by then it was usually failure! When the Italian motors came out we started using a Digitron for head temps ONLY! Never had s tach of any kind! Oh and the Digitron gauges were mounted on a belt and it rested on your belly! Rarely were they mounted on the actual kart! The temp lead was a thermo-couple that was a ring that was under the spark plug!

Thomas Weiss · Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 11

For the times you can just have someone else use a stopwatch, but bare in mind, the times are not always as accurate. I suggest if you are serious about winning, you get a tach with proper timekeeping.