[John Matthews]

Run both classes and spend an extra $1000/yr ;)

If you’re thinking of jumping ship to support your club in getting new folks into karting that’s a great thing. But…. The LO206 will be quite a bit slower so unless you get a bunch of other Yamaha drivers to switch you might get bored either running by yourself or smoking a bunch of newbies. If it were me I’d seriously think about getting another kart like the one on my website for LO206. That way you could run both classes, let a friend race your extra kart, or sell it to somebody just starting out. If your club wants to get people to switch over from Yamaha World Formula would be a much better choice since lap times are comparable and you still get the reliability of 4 stroke.

BTW, I don’t consider moving a seat strut over an inch a “modification” more of an adjustment….

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

I guess my question is do the engine manufacturers even have such a system? I know they exist at the F1 level but they have much larger budgets than most kart teams.

My dyno is old and home built without any automation or data logging at all so I’m definitely out of my league when it comes to programmable/automated load simulator deals. I just have a big knob you crank down until you get to the max load whatever engine you’re testing will handle. With experience I can set timing and carbs pretty close to optimum but without having the actual air that my customers will be using on any given day at the track it’s never gonna be perfect. I personally view the dyno as my tool to make sure the work I do is having the desired result (I mostly build 4-cycle open motors), and that it’s not going to break first time out.

I understand racing is about getting the absolute most from every element but it seems like there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to tuning on any dyno. Perhaps a less sophisticated system would get you 98% of what you are looking for and you could spend the other $50k on testing at the track?

JMHO,

John

[John Matthews]

Hi Jim,

The power lost through a jackshaft system will be insignificant. As will the change to the handling of your kart from moving the seat struts.

I don’t want to sound mean but if you were competitive enough for any of this stuff to make a difference you wouldn’t be asking these questions.

Bolt the thing on and go run about a zillion laps, that’s what will make you fast. Talk to the other guys at your track who seem to know what they’re doing. Test, Test, and Test some more. Keep detailed notes. Swap karts with anybody who’s faster than you and see how their set-up feels.

I can understand your desire to get everything just right but it’s not gonna happen before you get your kart out on track the first time. LO206 is designed as a beginner/sportsman class, a place to learn and you learn by doing.

Go get yourself a BFH, a 2×4, a set of bathroom scales, a measuring tape, a stopwatch, notepad and pencil. That, lots of pump gas, oil changes, tires, and determination are all you need to master this.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

Really?

For kart motors?

Do tell why….

[John Matthews]

[quote quote=20966]I have set up 2 2010 EVRRs with World Formulas on them. We used Burris 5 degree mounts on both. One EVRR was a 100cc chassis, that one we had to modify the mount a little bit to get it further over away from the seat strut. Im not sure if there is more clearance with the LO206. The 125cc EVRR we did not have to modify the mount. When it comes to Tony Kart I was told by factory tuners to not under any circumstance bend or move the seat strut on the engine side. It is in a specific location. The seat strut on the opposite side can however be moved. We first tried a 15 degree mount but seemed like the seat strut bolt got more in the way of the clutch and chain guard. With a 5 degree, it sat just bellow the bolt. But like I said this is a world formula, so a little bit different. [/quote]

Good info here.

But….

Are the “factory tuners” familiar with LO 206? For sure seat position is a critical tuning tool but it would seem if someone were used to setting up with an engine that was much lighter, and had a radiator on the opposite side of the driver it might be different.

I suspect that for entry level club racing simply getting the corner weights as close to where you want them will be fine.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

You don’t run an air filter, why bother with one for fuel????

If you ever plug your carb with race gas you just weren’t paying attention anyway. What you really need with a tilly carb is a pop-off gauge and a bunch of rebuild kits. The fuel filter won’t hurt anything but it probably won’t help either.

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

Hi Jim,

It’s probably not a big deal but unless you can find someone who has your exact chassis and has converted it to a 4 stroke you will have to check it out for yourself. I’ve found that most 2 cycle sprint chassis can be made to work fairly easily. With a 15 deg mount and the small sprockets usually run on modern sprint tracks clearances that you think will be impossible are often not a problem.

I documented the process with an older CRG chassis on my website, it will be the same for you. Again, I have to stress that you probably won’t know if it will “work” for your kart until you bolt the engine onto your frame.

Here’s the link

http://evkc.org/2701.html

Let me know if you have any questions or need help.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

Yes, shims are available. If the pads are worn you should consider replacing them instead of shimming. When was the last time the system was rebuilt? If everything is working correctly the caliper should start moving as soon as the master cylinder is actuated.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

There are shops that offer the service. I doubt it will be economical if you have to ship it so check out your local suppliers.

Also, since 40mm is kinda old school there may be some good used ones out there.

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

Take-off’s

If your track runs a spec tire you should set your karts up with that as any other tire will give you less than useful information  (you are recording set-ups and lap times, right)?

Go to the teams that have the biggest trailers and see if they have any used tires they’ll sell you. Alternatively check eBay or whatever outlet you can to find used tires of the right size, make, and compound.

You can buy new tires that are spec at your track but they will be the same as take-off’s after a few sessions.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

I would go with the Top Kart since you are already familiar with it.

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

If you like full bumpers you should probably race indoor karts, they never flip over do they?

I personally am sick of living in a world where everything is designed to try and keep the stupidest person out there from hurting themselves. If you want racing to be safe then stay home and watch it on TV.  Statistically speaking you’re much more likely to get hurt or killed driving to the track, it’s a lot more dangerous than racing….

I’ve been at the track twice when drivers have lost their lives (not karts) and I lost an employee/friend in 2012 driving rally. It hurts like hell but you know they understood the risks before strapping in and starting the engine. You also know they died doing something they absolutely love.

Just about the only benefit of getting old is having experiences to base your judgement on. I started racing karts in 1977. We raced in jeans and tennis shoes, or motorcycle leathers if you could afford them. We had no side pods, nose cones, full width rear bumpers, rib protectors, neck braces, or a lot of other stuff people now think is necessary to go kart racing.

Karts are not any safer now than they were back then, just heavier and more expensive. It’s the drivers that make racing safe or dangerous. I can vividly remember back when I was 14 sitting on the grid in the second row thinking about how I would pass at the first corner, then looking down at my feet sticking out over the bumper. You can bet I tried to pass clean ;)

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

Brian is absolutely correct….

And one thing to consider is racing in Mexico, Brazil, or another Latin American country where they are crazy about road racing. The challenge in America is that most people who are into racing follow NASCAR. Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots for any racer to learn in any series but the path to a professional auto racing career in the US is pretty much – midgets > sprints > late models  > stock cars. If you want to do that then I would suggest getting involved in dirt oval racing now rather than running sprints.

Another thing to consider is how much you can learn from good racing simulators. You can get a lot of seat time, and learn a lot about car setup from these “games”.

One more thing, start making your contacts early. Get to know your local business owners and try to convince them to sponsor you. If you’re comfortable asking for money, and you can deliver value for business owners you’ll have a lot better chance of making it in the long run.

Finally, buy and read everything Carroll Smith wrote about racing.

http://www.carrollsmith.com/books/index.html

He has some great words of wisdom about the business of racing as well as invaluable info on race car fabrication and setup.

If you are good at math and science an engineering degree won’t hurt either :)

 

Cheers,

John

 

[John Matthews]

Hi Nate,

Best of luck with your kart racing, Gold Cup is a good series and you’ll learn a lot competing with folks from all over your region.

As for moving up, when I had folks come in my shop with dreams of their kids moving up in motorsports I would tell them to go to the music store and buy an electric guitar. You have a way better chance of becoming a rock star than a professional race driver. Not to be mean, it’s just that there aren’t that many jobs driving for pro teams and many of them are taken by folks who can afford to pay their own way. If you fit into that category you would already know it and wouldn’t be asking on here.

That said my best advice to you is study hard, stay in school, and get yourself a really good professional career. You’ll probably love racing long after your folks aren’t paying the bills and unless you have a decent income you’ll be watching from the stands.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

I had the pleasure of racing with guys like Scott Pruett and Ron Emmick….

 

I know it sounds like one of those “when I was a boy” rants but if I was king of karting I would proclaim NO bumpers. I don’t have any statistics but I doubt karting is any safer with side pods, bumpers, or any of the stuff they’ve come up with to make people “feel safer”.

 

Yes, it’s true back in the old days when you locked wheels with another driver you were probably both going for a ride but it made you respect your fellow drivers and the equipment much more. The path up from karts in motorsports is OPEN WHEEL racing so you might as well get used to the danger of having wheels sticking out from your vehicle.

 

It’s also true that stewards need to enforce the rules, and racers shouldn’t put up with tracks or series that reward rough driving. This is especially true in youth classes IMHO.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

There are also a few simple mods you can do with the standard SS (six shoe) clutch. Give them a call http://www.maxtorque.com/index.asp and ask. You’ll be surprised on how much you can do with their “cheap clutch”.

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

My dad has his house in Marina up for sale, maybe he’ll be moving out around then and I could run when I come out to help….

I thought the FAA was kicking you guys out, great to hear the event will be going on this year. I only got to meet Syd in person once but he was a great guy to talk with. He gave me the full tour of his shop and passed on a few things I didn’t learn from Mike.

 

Cheers,

John

 

[John Matthews]

Hi Finch,

In general 4 stroke engine tuning is a lot more forgiving than 2 stroke. You can certainly use EGT, and if Al Nunley is reading this he’ll tell you why it’s the best. I usually look at peak CHT for tuning 4 strokes with about 320 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit being optimum but you can operate within a pretty wide range and not be too far down on power, just don’t go above about 390F if you want the motor to live long.

If you’re just starting out though I’d set the needle about in the middle and you should be fine with stock jets operating in normal kart race conditions. You can read the plug for confirmation that all is well, it should be a nice tan color after you’ve run it a while. The WF is really a pretty straightforward engine to run and with regular oil changes should last a long time. In fact, the biggest benefit of these engines is that you really don’t need to spend hardly any time worrying about the engine and can concentrate on tuning the kart and your driving where the real speed is ;)

 

Cheers,

John

[John Matthews]

Spec tires suck.

Spec rain tires? Now that’s funny.

Sad thing is many kart clubs don’t even race in the rain :(

never understood why they didn’t want their drivers to get better.

[John Matthews]

Hi Danny,

Not to be a smart A$$ but if it’s a new kart why not contact the importer????

Contact Us

 

I’m sure they can answer your questions.

 

Cheers,

[John Matthews]

Hi Danny,

I can assure you that the reservoir does connect with the bore, otherwise there would be no brake fluid for the pistons to act on. Those Italians are clever but not that clever ;)

What probably happened, if you’re looking at an older brake system, is that moisture got into it and has oxidized the passages. If you see a bunch of white stuff in there it’s aluminum oxide. Older brake systems can be rebuilt but often it’s more effective in the long run to replace the components with new.

Also, are you using a brake bleeder or are you just trying to pour fluid into the screw on top? If you’re not familiar with these systems they can seem pretty foreign compared to automotive brakes but they really are simple. If you can find someone locally that’s been through a rebuild to help you that might be your best bet. Otherwise, if you’re trying to get brakes working on an older kart I’d suggest planning on going through everything as once the master gets corroded so will everything else.

 

Cheers,

John

 

 

[John Matthews]

I think what Curtis is trying to say (besides the brand I sell is best)  is you can use any chassis as long as it works for you.

An awful lot depends on your budget and abilities, probably your best bet is to buy a well sorted package that’s been competitive at your track. Alternatively you could go with whatever your local shop sells and supports new.

All the manufacturers should have something that will work for World Formula by now (it’s been around like 10 years)….

And Curtis….

It’s great to see that grid at my former track, just wish I could be there running with you guys not that it’s caught on.

Cheers,

[John Matthews]

Sell the turbo.

[John Matthews]

I think they mostly go to guys who think it’s a good idea to put some giant motorcycle engine on them….

 

Some people shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce.

Cheers,

[John Matthews]

Hi Matthew,

I’ve done both and they’re both great.

If I was in your position I’d schedule one or two less weekends with the car and get a used clutch kart. The F100 group seems to be growing in So Cal and you can run practice days or race pretty cheap.

If you sell the car and go with just karts you’ll probably miss it sooner than you think. If you get a kart and keep your car you can do either and more seat time will make you better no matter what.

That is unless you have someone telling you that you have to choose ;-)

Cheers,

[Author]

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