F1 suspension?

[streetlegalkarts]

I'm starting the design prosses of a street legal kart. and wonder if anyone has tried an F1 suspension befor?

 

[nak18]

I'm starting the design prosses of a street legal kart. and wonder if anyone has tried an F1 suspension befor?

Mono or dual shock?

There are videos on youtube how they do the rocker for the shocks ans A-arm

 

[streetlegalkarts]

I have seen some of the videos on you tube. I was just wondering if any one had tried them on a go kart. if so how it worked out.

 

[DCProductions]

Pushrod suspensions are normally used to create very stiff performance. If you are planning on driving this daily, then you may consider placing your coil-overs directly onto the arms. If you are planning to race this kart, then pushrod is the way to go. You're looking at purchasing a lot of heims and bungs; in fact, the entire front suspension is connected via heims.

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/slngsht/modernbeat/modernbeat/DSCF1332.jpg

Search images for "Formula SAE suspension" the teams love to show off their different components and geometries (though they all boil down to the same thing).

You can build a pushrod suspension that is plush, but I would not recommend it. Their whole point is extend the mechanical advantage of the coil-over (ie stiffen the arms)

 

[nak18]

Pushrod suspensions are normally used to create very stiff performance. If you are planning on driving this daily, then you may consider placing your coil-overs directly onto the arms. If you are planning to race this kart, then pushrod is the way to go. You're looking at purchasing a lot of heims and bungs; in fact, the entire front suspension is connected via heims.

Search images for "Formula SAE suspension" the teams love to show off their different components and geometries (though they all boil down to the same thing).

You can build a pushrod suspension that is plush, but I would not recommend it. Their whole point is extend the mechanical advantage of the coil-over (ie stiffen the arms)

I agree on checking out the Formula SAE, it pretty cool to watch aswell.


Your going to spend a good amount of money on the suspension. Heims, Bungs, and DOM tubing adds up fast. Then you need to find some good shocks.

 

[streetlegalkarts]

I agree on checking out the Formula SAE, it pretty cool to watch aswell.


Your going to spend a good amount of money on the suspension. Heims, Bungs, and DOM tubing adds up fast. Then you need to find some good shocks.

while i am try to stay in a budget, I am trying to make a product that is pratical for road use. and at 55-60mph the standard go kart suspension and steering are not good enough. There for you must think of this from the point of view of a consumer. if you were going to buy this how would you want this built? So i am not afraid to spend money in the correct places.

 

[DCProductions]

My go kart doesn't have a complicated suspension and it goes 56 mph. The suspension would be fine at 60 I'm sure. Rack and pinion steering would make the kart steer excellently if you set it up correctly. I think you may be thinking of very low-tech go karts, because many karts are better equipped than regular cars performance-wise.

So what are you trying to build, a street legal go kart or a car? What do you want from it? Thinking as a consumer isn't practical, because there is no real market for street legal karts that are designed to be street legal (re-phrase: karts are designed for either offroad use or onroad racing, not for onroad commuting)

From what you've described, I would suggest trying to narrow the purpose of your vehicle.

Here's an example:
http://www.oursbiz.com/Products/b/37/1100cc-4-Cylinder-EEC-Go-Kart-GK1100-1--920320.jpg
This is a kart which is designed to go offroad but was made street legal.

Here's another:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/csfiles/bl...veWriter/WelcomebackAbarth_BA7D/Caterham2.jpg
This is an onroad racer made street legal.

If I were going to buy a street legal kart (which pains me to say, because I'd just make mine street legal) I would want a dune buggy with lights, indicators, and general street legal-ness. That's pretty much all.

 

[fowler]

I am trying to make a product that is pratical for road use. and at 55-60mph the standard go kart suspension and steering are not good enough. There for you must think of this from the point of view of a consumer. QUOTE]

from the point of veiw from a customer

standard go kart suspension is not good enough

and yours is the other side of the line it
over complicated and expensive, more things to fail

the reason f1 use it is because it allows them to use smaller (and lighter) shocks to get the same stiffness and it is better airodynamics

but u can just use bigger shocks and employ other means to create better suspension

are u makeing an onroad high performance bike powerd minicar type thing or a standard industrial engine kart?

 

[streetlegalkarts]

ok i think i can sum this all up quick. my inspration is the Atom. but i want to make it less expensive and a hybrid.

 

[streetlegalkarts]

I looked into the F1 suspension some more and i think i will take your advise and not use it.

 

[streetlegalkarts]

what kind of suspesion did you use on your kart DCproductions?

 

[fowler]

he has double a arm

it looks and works like f1 but it has the shock on the out side

depending on the type/size of the finshed project id be leaning towards double a arm all round as it will handle better

but u could get away with single A arms (what most cars use)

 

[streetlegalkarts]

what is the differance between the double and single a-arms other then the obvious missing a-arm.

 

[nak18]

what is the differance between the double and single a-arms other then the obvious missing a-arm.

2 arms-
The camber changes through travel.

 

[fowler]

The camber changes through travel.

on the single a arm

 

[DCProductions]

Here some pictures of my kart's front end:

Rear end:

The front suspension on my kart actually is more comfortable than many cars that I've driven so I would definitely suggest going this route. The rear on mine could use some adjustment though; it is far too stiff.

Here's a link to the conversion thread:
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10435

Another thing I would suggest is not making your kart as short as mine. Though I have the turning radius of a house fly, my feet are in the suspension box, which is not extremely comfortable. You could build the exact same suspension box that I did (maybe locate the shocks a bit farther out on the a arms) and, with appropriate supports, just weld it to the front of your kart's sub frame.

 

[nak18]

on the single a arm

My bad.

single- camber changes with arm arc travel

double- the arms allow the camber to stay close the same degree over a certain amount of travel.