Go Kart Street Racing!!

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
147
Location
Texas
So out of a total surprise today, my church friends came over today with their race kart(it's actually the bishop and his son LOL). They technically broke the local shelter in place order, but oh well.

They mostly brought it over so I could help them fix a major gas leak. What had happened was that the rather janky throttle cable had CUT the fuel line, so we just clipped it off and reattached it. Then we oiled the throttle cable a bunch, then we got to ride! :wai:

This Predator 212 had a common problem of always wanting choke to run, but we rode the karts anyways, and naturally, we had to race!

So here's the shakedown of what went down in the neighborhood! :auto:

The Competitors:

Emmick(?) Race Kart with a mostly stock, governed Predator 212. Equipped with a header and a muffler.

My Bird Engineering Starbird, a.k.a the Hothead. Raptor style mods, with an unmuffled racing header, governor removal, Raptor connecting rod, high compression head from the factory, racing Magnetron coil.


The Racing!!


We did some casual street racing, generally just going and kind of egging each other on by stomping on the gas, and the Hothead of course pulled away easily with higher max RPM and probably more available power.

Then we went to a place I found out is a great drag strip, with a wide, long, flat road. I got him off the line, and stayed far ahead the whole way. :2guns:

His low ground clearance, being a race kart, actually made it so we had to go the long way to the drag strip to avoid a hill he couldn't climb.


The Summary:


In the end, my yard kart outperformed the race kart on every premise, except maybe braking, but the race kart also has pricey hydraulic disc brakes. And I could drift, when the race kart's huge slicks wouldn't let it.
The Hothead also could outhandle the race kart, with lighter steering, and a much tighter turning circle. My engine also didn't die as badly, and was easier to start.

Aaand then there's the price. I have about $300 in my kart total, including the initial $60 cost.

They paid $3,000 for their kart!!!!! I don't know the details of the transaction, but they got RIPPED OFF!
Oh well, evidently Bishop could afford it.



Overall, it was an awesome day, with racing and fixing, and a bit of trash talk of course. :cheers2:
The neighbors got a good look at us going by, and when we parked. One kid going by said he wanted a go kart, so that was fun.
And when we came back to the house, the ONE thing I could say was:

"Domestic beats import every time!!" :roflol:



Sorry I don't have more pictures, I lost some.
 

Attachments

  • DSCN0001 (2).jpg
    DSCN0001 (2).jpg
    425.1 KB · Views: 37

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
147
Location
Texas
Yeah, but at least it was HIM that paid $3K for it and not me! :roflol:

At any rate it's a done deal, and we're able to have fun thrashing our karts! It was funny how low the race kart was, and with the seating position. A little different for me.
 

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
147
Location
Texas
The scrub brakes work excellently! They're not ideal for tire life, but it's not nearly as bad as people say. If I really stomped on them, I think I could lock up the wheels, but I don't want to kill the tires.
To me the biggest plus of scrub brakes is that there's literally nothing foreseeable that could break in the system and linkage, it's a hard rod connecting he pedal to the brake shaft.

You can't see it, but there's a pad on the other drive tire too.
 

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
147
Location
Texas
IDK, it's be a bit of a toss up, if I ignore my emotional attachment to the Hothead.
But race kart frame parts are pricey, so yeah, probably the Hothead. :lolgoku:
 

JTSpeedDemon

2019 Build Off Winner!
Messages
4,026
Reaction score
147
Location
Texas
Well, you can build a semblance of a race kart, but a true race kart needs to be very precisely made with high grade, lightweight materials, with complex bends, perfect welds, and it all has to be able to flex perfectly for best handling.

In short, NO. It's possible, but it would be incredibly expensive and complicated, and it would take huge amounts of math! Not to mention excellent welding skills and real race kart experience.

You're better off buying a used race kart, and we usually advise against that for anyone who's not going over 50 MPH or not actually racing.
 
Top