New to karts and loving it

[Estevancharrette]

Hello all nice to be apart of a group of fellow riders, I'm big into mini bikes and recently decided to try go karts. Built a couple beater karts did some live axle swaps and motor swaps as well as some full rehauls. I have a kart I'm pretty happy with but I'm curious about what the make and model is and how to make more power with the motor I have. I have an exhaust pipe to put on and an air filter on the way. It has a rebuildable racing clutch but it still doesn't have the power I need want should I go torque converter? Any advice is greatly appreciated!.

 

[Hellion]

Mini bikes are neat, but I've come to the conclusion that's there nothing quite so exhilarating as being in a miniature car, going fast and being a few inches from the ground.

Read up, read up and do some more reading.

Your questions aren't new. You are not unique, you clone of a clone, you.

A torque converter in your application will rob you of some power, not give you more. It's a whirring Rube Goldberg contraption of spinning belts, pulleys and springs. It does give you bottom end torque, useful for climbing those earthen whoop dee doos...

 

[Estevancharrette]

Mini bikes are neat, but I've come to the conclusion that's there nothing quite so exhilarating as being in a miniature car, going fast and being a few inches from the ground.



Read up, read up and do some more reading.



Your questions aren't new. You are not unique, you clone of a clone, you.



A torque converter in your application will rob you of some power, not give you more. It's a whirring Rube Goldberg contraption of spinning belts, pulleys and springs. It does give you bottom end torque, useful for climbing those earthen whoop dee doos...

I definitely wouldn't prefer the go kart, I ride a motorcycle daily so I enjoy mini bikes because it gives me the freedom to do what I won't on my motorcycle haha. And I know my questions are a bit tired however I've tried applications like torque converters on other bikes and it was a great decision!. wasn't sure if I was gonna get the same performance out of my go kart. Just trying to save a buck and go fast!

 

[bob58o]

Really nice kart!

Where do you ride it? How often do you use the brakes? TC's will help you get going quicker from stops and such. A good racing clutch will transfer the upper RPMs HP more efficiently to the wheels.

So if you are "stop and go" driving most of the time, I like TC's. If you have a big enough place to ride and don't need to stop that often, then a good clutch is probably better.

I think TC's are better for most fun/yard kart applications (which most people have here). Most people with racing karts will have racing clutches for racing. But a race kart used as a fun/yard kart... you can do what ever you want. It only costs 60 bones to try a TC. Maybe more if you switch gearing with the TC.

---------- Post added at 01:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 AM ----------

I'm curious about ...how to make more power with the motor I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQwYNca4iog

What do you want? Better acceleration or faster max speed? How fast does it go now?

 

[Estevancharrette]

Really nice kart!



Where do you ride it? How often do you use the brakes? TC's will help you get going quicker from stops and such. A good racing clutch will transfer the upper RPMs HP more efficiently to the wheels.



So if you are "stop and go" driving most of the time, I like TC's. If you have a big enough place to ride and don't need to stop that often, then a good clutch is probably better.



I think TC's are better for most fun/yard kart applications (which most people have here). Most people with racing karts will have racing clutches for racing. But a race kart used as a fun/yard kart... you can do what ever you want. It only costs 60 bones to try a TC. Maybe more if you switch gearing with the TC.

---------- Post added at 01:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 AM ----------

I'm curious about ...how to make more power with the motor I have.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQwYNca4iog



What do you want? Better acceleration or faster max speed? How fast does it go now?

Thanks for the reply! It does over 40 but I haven't had a big enough space to really top it out. I have a racing clutch on it now it just doesn't have the bottom end power I'd like. And also thanks for the compliments! I ride about 3 or 4 times a week around the neighborhoods

 

[Hellion]

... it just doesn't have the bottom end power I'd like...

It's not supposed to.

It has only one gear ratio and the top end speed is a trade-off for the lack of bottom end.

Ever see race cars getting pushed by the pit crew to get going?
A granny gear (or thereabouts, in the vicinity) is a waste on a race car.

Easy alternatives are:
A: Bob580's suggestion from another thread (125cc Lifan engine w/ gearbox). This will make your kart into a shifter. Under $300 too!

B: A Comet TAV/Clone TAV (Torq-A-Verter).

Option B won't handle fantastic power, like the kind you seem to want, but it works good for the mundane power your typical small industrial engine can provide.