Is the Predator 6.5 a good enough engine?

[Shortbrah3030]

I am building my first kart and I want to know; how does the Predator 6.5 engine perform? I want my kart to top out at around 50 to 60 mph and have a 0-60 in less than 5 seconds. I know every single thing I do to my kart will dictate it's performance but I am just wondering if I should go with the Predator or if I will be dissapointed.

 

[Krustalien]

Getting that performance out of an unmodified 6.5hp sounds like dreamland. Even with heavy modification you'd most likely not get near performance like that (can't say, little knowledge of modded clones).

I'd say a bike engine is your best bet. However unless you have a lot of experience in both fabrication and commercial karts, those sort of figures sound like double what I'd be aiming for for a first build.

 

[Shortbrah3030]

Getting that performance out of an unmodified 6.5hp sounds like dreamland. Even with heavy modification you'd most likely not get near performance like that (can't say, little knowledge of modded clones).

I'd say a bike engine is your best bet. However unless you have a lot of experience in both fabrication and commercial karts, those sort of figures sound like double what I'd be aiming for for a first build.

Yeah I figured that would be my answer.

If there are any engines that might get me that performance for 200$ or below, I'd appreciate some recommendations. For now I guess I will go with the 6.5 so I can just learn the process of building a go kart and then when I get the money I'll get a better engine.

 

[mysteryboy28]

I am building my first kart and I want to know; how does the Predator 6.5 engine perform? I want my kart to top out at around 50 to 60 mph and have a 0-60 in less than 5 seconds. I know every single thing I do to my kart will dictate it's performance but I am just wondering if I should go with the Predator or if I will be dissapointed.

wow, very unrealistic expectations for sure!

most run of the mill karts do about 30-40 mph, and take a little while to get up to top speed.

bike motor, or snowmobile motor if you want performance like that. 0-60 in 5 seconds if you put a Ferrari motor on it.

don't skimp on the clutch - get a torque converter! centrifugal clutches don't have the torque or top speed that torque converters have.

 

[Shortbrah3030]

wow, very unrealistic expectations for sure!

most run of the mill karts do about 30-40 mph, and take a little while to get up to top speed.

bike motor, or snowmobile motor if you want performance like that. 0-60 in 5 seconds if you put a Ferrari motor on it.

don't skimp on the clutch - get a torque converter! centrifugal clutches don't have the torque or top speed that torque converters have.

What if I get a turbo charger for the 6.5?

Edit: Nevermind, looks like a KO4 turbo is 1000$ lol. Do you guys think it'd be fast if I had a double engine setup? It'd probably be hard to get them to run at the exact same time though.

 

[Krustalien]

The mods you'd need to get close to having a powerful enough engine starting from a 6.5hp clone would eeeaasily cost more than just getting a more suitable, more powerful engine, such as a bike motor.

I think for now you'd do well to build with a regular clone, perhaps with using a bigger engine in the future in mind. You'll be surprised by how fast 30mph feels that close to the ground on something you built yourself!

 

[Shortbrah3030]

The mods you'd need to get close to having a powerful enough engine starting from a 6.5hp clone would eeeaasily cost more than just getting a more suitable, more powerful engine, such as a bike motor.

I think for now you'd do well to build with a regular clone, perhaps with using a bigger engine in the future in mind. You'll be surprised by how fast 30mph feels that close to the ground on something you built yourself!

Haha yeah I know. I'm just gonna build with the clone and then later on get a bike engine. I'm looking at the ninja 250cc engines right now and they're only 400$ on ebay, might go for that later on. What I don't get is why are those 400$ when shifter kart 125CC engines are 4000$??

 

[traxxaskid]

Wow what planet are you on? I did get 47mph out of my 6.5 predator but it took over a minute to get there. Also where do you plan on driving? Are you building a shifter cart? That would cost a lot but you would see those speeds

 

[Shortbrah3030]

Wow what planet are you on? I did get 47mph out of my 6.5 predator but it took over a minute to get there. Also where do you plan on driving? Are you building a shifter cart? That would cost a lot but you would see those speeds

Well I am building the frame to be like a shifter kart. The only problem is I don't have a lot of $$$ to spend on the engine. I eventually want an engine like the yz250f and make it an actual shifter, but for now I guess I will play around with the 6.5 just to hold me over and learn.

 

[Gokarts4Life-11]

I understand your need for speed we all try to make our carts the fastest they are capable of going but 60mph in a go kart is nuts. When you are only a couple inches off the grounded everything feels way faster than your actually going. I'd just use your 6.5hp engine and throw a torque converter on their. Im sure that it will be plenty fast. If it doesnt satisfy you then upgrade to a larger engine.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[gvfc2]

if you want a good cheap bike engine go for the 125cc lifan. honda knock off but they are plenty fast not sure of 0-60 times

 

[OzFab]

See my sig...

Having said that, these guys are correct: You'd need to throw an unrealistic amout of money at a predator to get that kind of performance. Start looking for a dirtbike engine...

 

[Shortbrah3030]

I think you would better off buying a used shifter kart frame and a used 2 stroke dirt bike and combine them for those expectations. Problem with that kind of performance is the frame itself can't/won't hold up to it. If you build it strong enough from steel, then you will have to go bigger on the engine to overcome the weight, aluminum frame would do the job, but its expensive and hard to learn to weld aluminum.

I know a few racers who sold their 2 or 3 season old frames for next to dirt cheap without the engines, and would be more than enough for a street beater like you want, and the brakes and axles will already be able to take the beating you will be dishing out.

As far as an engine, the top speed is not the issue, the 0-60 time is. An 80-90cc 2 stroke will do 60+mph, but will take a bit to get there, a 125 will absolutely do what you want, except maybe the 5 seconds, a 250 will make you lose control of all bodily functions, resulting in mass cleanup efforts for you and anyone behind you.

Are there any 125s you'd recommend? I was looking at the 125 Parilla Sudam earlier but that's a thousand dollar engine. Are there any good ones for 500$?

 

[gvfc2]

not to sound broken but my post kinda seems like it got overlooked. all i have found that is good for under 500$ is the lifan 125cc dirtbike engine. its powerful enough to make you wheelie in a bike in 2nd gear.

 

[Shortbrah3030]

not to sound broken but my post kinda seems like it got overlooked. all i have found that is good for under 500$ is the lifan 125cc dirtbike engine. its powerful enough to make you wheelie in a bike in 2nd gear.

I actually didn't even see it lol. Thanks though man I'll look at that engine!