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Go Karts

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Ilya, Aug 22, 2004.

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  1. Ilya

    Ilya Karting

    Jul 14, 2004
    134
    Socal
    Full Name:
    Ilya
    I wanted to get into go karting and I was wondering if there are any websites or anything that will help me out? I want to drive ON Road, not OFF road karts. What karts do you recommend for a beginner with little experience. Also, are go karts street legal, can they be?

    Any comments for a newbie?


    Thanks
     
  2. Fan512bbi

    Fan512bbi Two Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Mar 25, 2004
    20,938
    Wales-UK
    Full Name:
    Steve.
    Wait untill Speedy 308 comes online, he is our expert karter, he can tell you everything you could possibly want to know.
     
  3. Admiral Thrawn

    Admiral Thrawn F1 Rookie

    Jul 2, 2003
    3,932
    Firstly, no, they are absolutely not street legal under any circumstances.

    Now, what kind of karting do you want to do?

    There are basically 2 major types: Sprint karting and super karting.

    Sprint karts top out at around 100kmph and use dedicated karting tracks which are very very twisty.The racing is extremely close and frantic, often with alot of bumping. Running costs are generally low. Good for beginners and those who don't want to (or can't) spend very much money.

    Super karts are basically much faster karts which use full race car tracks. They range from karts which will top out at around 140kmph to 250cc twin-engine Formula E International karts that can do over 270kmph if set up correctly. There is a much greater emphasis on skills and techniques that you would see in real car racing, and alot of effort goes into perfecting car setup through analysing telemetry. If you are serious about winning, it can be a very time-intensive, expensive (especially with the 250cc karts!) exercise. Overall though, I find this much more satisfying and don't look back. It really depends on how serious you are.
     
  4. PeterS

    PeterS Four Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 24, 2003
    47,931
    Goodyear, AZ
    Full Name:
    PeterS
    Start out with a sprint kart with a yamaha 100cc. Look at my post in the N.CA section of the one I have for sale for $1K. $1K-$2K will put you in a good 100cc kart. If you think you may be real serious about this, spend an extra grand and get a good used 125cc Rotax or Parilla engine packaged kart with an electric - pushbutton start. You will want to run it rich until you get use to the speed. The 125cc engine will max out around 90 MPH. Running it rich will slow the engine to around 60 MPH (and make it last longer).

    You will also need to buy some extras:

    Kart stand on wheels: $150
    Suit, neckbrace, gloves and helmet: $400+
    Misc tools: $300
    Misc parts to have as ASAP repair spares: $300
    Cooler for your beer after driving: $20 (priceless!)
     
  5. Z0RR0

    Z0RR0 F1 Rookie

    Apr 11, 2004
    3,470
    Montreal, Canada
    Full Name:
    Julien
    Anyone ever toyed with the idea of putting a motocross thumper in a go kart?
    Like, say, a 4 stroke 450cc ... that would be quite a ride, thank you!!! :D
     
  6. PeterS

    PeterS Four Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 24, 2003
    47,931
    Goodyear, AZ
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    PeterS
    I saw a guy with a spint kart at the Atwater, CA. track with a large 4 cylinder bike engine (I think it was a 1000cc) and the pipes went over the drivers head. The owner said it was his first time with it on a track. This kart was probably capable of 175MPH. The guy took it down the straight. He slowed down into a large sweeping turn and drove it back very slow to the pit. He stated that this was the most stupid thing he ever built, just too damn fast!
     
  7. Z0RR0

    Z0RR0 F1 Rookie

    Apr 11, 2004
    3,470
    Montreal, Canada
    Full Name:
    Julien
    LMAO!! I was talking about a single cylinder dirtbike engine. Competes with the 250cc 2 stroke.
    I hear ya on the "too fast" with a crotch rocket engine!!!! Must have been unreal!!!
     
  8. PWehmer

    PWehmer Formula 3

    Oct 15, 2002
    1,733
    Surrounded by Water
    OK - this thread has gone from a newbie wanting karting info to discusion of insane karts powered by 250+cc motors.

    karting is about maintaining momentum. It will teach to either be smooth or you will generally lose.

    But since we're talking about craziness you can check out an older video of a seriously overpowered kart here:

    http://www.cobraclub.com/cobragallery/showphoto.php/photo/2745/sort/1/cat/3024/page/1

    13MB download.
     
  9. Admiral Thrawn

    Admiral Thrawn F1 Rookie

    Jul 2, 2003
    3,932
    hahahaha, awesome! I gotta get me one of those. :D

    1.1 litre litre engine producing 115hp, in a 135kg (297lbs) car. That's a ratio of 2.58!
     
  10. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

    Feb 14, 2004
    14,385
    adelaide, australia
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    Humble Narrator
    what sort of realistic start-up costs and ball-park figgers for a season of racing are there for each of these?

    i used to rock at the hire-kart places... of course not entirely comparable, but it's what got me interested in lightweight mediocre powered mid-engine cars. i always wanted to start up a race season, but life got in the way, and i want to know if it's werth getting into before i get too deep-pocketed into my X1/9 project, which i would like to take to targa tas and classic adelaide.

    i've started looking into it like a dozen times, but then stupid stuff like life has always managed to get in the way of living. :(
     
  11. Admiral Thrawn

    Admiral Thrawn F1 Rookie

    Jul 2, 2003
    3,932
    Well ash, it really depends how serious you are and how fast you want to go.

    A used sprint kart will cost a few grand. Then you have to buy a trailer, helmet (a good one is usually over $1000), racing suit, gloves, boots, tool kit, tyres ($200 a set), and devices to check tyre pressure, pump up the tyres, measure air pressure (so you can tune the engine), and of course fuel (karts use an oil/fuel mix).

    A cheap used superkart doesn't cost much more than a sprint kart; i.e. several thousand.

    If you're more serious, a top of the range 125cc Rotax Max superkart will cost you around $6000 and around $1000 for the onboard computer and telemetry analysis software.

    Gearbox karts are expensive and quite complicated to maintain and repair. The actually cost depends on what gearbox kart you get; 80cc, 100cc, 125cc....

    And at the top of the food chain are 250cc twin-engine Formula E International karts which range in cost from $10,000 to $30,000 and can often feature extensive use of carbon-fibre in the rear wing, fuel tank, etc.

    For a season of serious 125cc Rotax karting, I'd allocate $2000 to $3000.
     
  12. ashsimmonds

    ashsimmonds F1 World Champ

    Feb 14, 2004
    14,385
    adelaide, australia
    Full Name:
    Humble Narrator
    well, at first i wouldn't be looking to be world champion or going stupendous speeds, i'm no cole trickle :), i'm getting on toward 30 and just after some fun. i think initially i'd be happy to just be out there hugging corners. i figger after say a half dozen meets i'd have to start thinking how serious i want to be, whether i'm still interested and want to go full competitive or go to real cars.

    i guess i'd be willing to chuck $5-7k at it to see whether or not i REALLY like it. i dunno.

    now i remember, last time i was looking into it i was reading NKN and couldn't believe how much b!tching was going on about all manner of things around the karting world.

    whereabouts and how often do you get out? is there a local resource/forum for this, so i can get an idea where things are at nowadays?
     
  13. Admiral Thrawn

    Admiral Thrawn F1 Rookie

    Jul 2, 2003
    3,932
    Locally there are sprint kart tracks at Bolivar, in the Barossa, among other places. The only track used in SA for Superkarting is Mallala.

    Have a look at the links provided above for forums and technical info.

    I tend to just ignore all that nonsense.
     
  14. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,143
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    LOL! That's what I do.

    I'm RETIRED.
     

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