first go kart build

[Gokartnewbie42]

Hey guys, I am 100% new to go karting but recently I have been interested in building a kart. I can weld, and have relative that works in a shop full of every tool I should ever need. So here is my question, I am looking to build a fast (30-40mph) race-style, meaning low to the ground kart for just driving around. Ideally it would be electric to keep the sound down but i'm not sure that an electric kart can satisfy my specifications. What would you guys recommend? Should I buy a frame and ad on to that? If an electric motor isn't a plausible thing what are some good quiet gas motors?
I have been into RC for a long time now. I was wondering what your guys' thoughts are on using electronics from a large scale electric rc vehicle. I was thinking I would use two 1/5 scale brushless motors in tandem running off of a 24 cell or 18 cell lithium polymer battery setup. (That would come out to either about 90 volts split between the motors or about 70 volts split between the two.) In the RC world for those who don't know this is an absurd amount of power but I am not sure what it translates to in the go kart world. These are the motors and batteries I would use,
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__75366__Turnigy_XK_4074_1400KV_Brushless_Inrunner.html (X2)

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...Multi_Rotor_Lipo_Pack.html?strSearch=10000 ma (X3 or X4)

I would deal with the speed controller later, which I would probably also take from an rc car but for now I am just wondering if that is enough power. And one more thing, how approximately would I gear this thing?

 

[landuse]

Welcome to the forum. As a start to DIY, I would probably buy a rolling chassis from Craigslist or somewhere and build it up from there. Once you are comfortable with how karts work, you can maybe think of building something from the ground up

 

[ghost civic]

I haven't built a electric kart...but have been into RC for 8+ years.
I seriously doubt any RC gear will do the job. I have seen electric drills modded to power a go kart. They are VERY slow. Granted, that is a 550 brushed motor on 24v...but the massive gear reduction of the drill gearbox is needed to even move a kart.
There are brushless motors that can move a 30 pound RC to 80mph...but that is still a far cry from moving 250-400 pounds to 30mph.
Most electric karts run lead acid batteries...much heavier than lipo's but much less expensive for the runtime they provide. I think it would be hard to build a kart under 150 pounds (frame, batteries, wheels) and then you add driver weight to it and you have a lot to move.
Those motors work OK on scooters and skate boards...but in those cases light Lipo batts are used and the chassis in that case only weighs maybe 10 pounds.
In order to use a brushless motor big enough for a kart, you have to be ready to spend some massive cash on a ESC for such a motor.

 

[DirtyDamage]

In my opinion I wouldn't try RC stuff, golf kart motors and batterys maybe.

I personally like sticking to gas engines, there are diesel ones too

Anyways Hondas are pretty quiet and a silencer can always be fabbed or bought.

Stock mufflers are normally pretty quiet, two strokes a little louder and annoying imo.
engines are normally quiet, stock anyways.

 

[ghost civic]

the 5hp carter kart I have you can hardly hear it if you are 400-500 feet away. It certainly isn't any louder that a riding lawn mower.