Manco american challenger fox mods??

[lit549]

Ok, I have a manco american challenger,2 seater fox go cart..It has the 5hp Subaru 126cc engine..My questions are,what mods can I do to make it faster??And what can i do to get it to stop better??(brakes suck!!)I just replaced the clutch with a Hilliards centrifugal clutch..(May do torque converter eventually)..My biggest complaint is this thing is wicked slow..Ive already adjusted everything to go fast as possible(gov screw)..I mean its a dog taking off and only goes about 18mph..I can reach around and grab linkage under fuel tank and it hauls the mail then..Any suggestions??? THANKS in advance...

 

[r97]

take out gov would be the first (gives you the same affect as pulling the Governor arm).
then maybe a custom header. after that move on to this stuff if you feel comfortable working on engines,
http://affordablegokarts.com/performance_basics.php

 

[lit549]

cool,thanks..Any article on removing gov from my engine??Im comfortable working on engines,but in just have never messed with go carts..

 

[r97]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTiVOt0YE20&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJK3HgOs1Gs

 

[Bluethunder3320]

18mph? id up the gear ratio... over revving the motor will get you another 5mph and not too noticeable. plus you wear and tear the engine.

 

[r97]

yes, you could, but if you ask me decent speed and plenty of torque is the most fun. not sure that 18mph is exact. what is your current ratio and tire dia?

 

[lit549]

Ill have to look at that,like i say,this thing has been sitting for over a year! I race Gps all the time,so most of my time has been towards mx and gps//and my 450,lol..Ill look though..Oh ya,,any suggestions on better braking??i can stand on the pedal and it just keep going..

 

[r97]

has it always bean like that? if it has you could go to a scrap yard and pick up a hydro brake setup for pretty cheap.

 

[Blazkowiez]

Does it happen to have the dual chain set-up? By this I mean, does it have a jack-shaft which has gears on it which change the ratio and make the max speed low but give tremendous torque, several newer Manco karts had gear reduction units for smaller children.

Removing the governor should never be the first solution to speed, gearing can produce far greater results without the expense of buying a new engine when you ruin the solid running engine you have on the kart.

Is this kart live axle or one wheel drive? What sort of brakes do you have now, band or disk?

Please take pictures of the kart and post them here, we'll give you solutions from there.

 

[metalthrashinman]

Does it happen to have the dual chain set-up? By this I mean, does it have a jack-shaft which has gears on it which change the ratio and make the max speed low but give tremendous torque, several newer Manco karts had gear reduction units for smaller children.

Removing the governor should never be the first solution to speed, gearing can produce far greater results without the expense of buying a new engine when you ruin the solid running engine you have on the kart.

Is this kart live axle or one wheel drive? What sort of brakes do you have now, band or disk?

Please take pictures of the kart and post them here, we'll give you solutions from there.

Ya, what he said! --- Gotcha R97!

 

[r97]

yea i guess i was kinda quick jumping on the gov, the first time i read it i thought he was asking how he could make it so he didn't have to pull the lever, , oh well good thing blaz is here. any way, yea a reduction box could be the culprit. with 5hp and a cen't clutch already nearing 20 mph there is only so much i would wan't to change the ratio, but what ever. maybe i'm thinking of trying to gear a kart like this for my neighbor hood, lots of hills. lol

 

[Bluethunder3320]

a torque converter will solve all your acceleration problems without messing with the EXPENSIVE engine. a torque converter doesnt cost as much as your engine does, so i wouldnt screw it up. although, you will need to do some mods to make the TC fit.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

It really does sound like the current gearing is way too low. Under those circumstances I wouldn't kill the governor. In my own opinion, the engine is at risk of over-revving with minimal load. Not saying the flywheel's gonna go all Hiroshima on you, but something could break. To paraphrase the above posts, let's look at gearing first.

 

[r97]

i saw brand new ex17's on ebay 200 shipped vs tc. once again what is your gear ratio and tire dia?

 

[Bluethunder3320]

Not saying the flywheel's gonna go all Hiroshima on you, but something could break.

@r97 yes, but disposable engines doesnt sound like a good idea.

 

[Blazkowiez]

A torque converter may not be an option, if its one wheel drive and has a jack-shaft assembly its not something you want to add a torque converter to.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

yeah, i know. a 5hp on a one wheel drive cart is plenty of power. i wouldnt even put much more than that in there. if it has a jackshaft and you arent getting speed i say take it out and go direct.

 

[Blazkowiez]

Well, the problem is the motor is center set to to speak, they've got a jack-shaft to transfer the the power over to the drive wheel, you can run the jack-shaft so the gearing runs like direct or better but it its an easy switch.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

oh, never thought of that. so basically turning both jackshaft gears into the same size. that wont need any mods.

 

[r97]

thats how my jack shaft is setup, 10t to 10t to 10t to 40t, not very efficient, but the tc makes up for it! its setup that way so the tire can stay in the center of the axle and not get destroyed by the chain.