New to karts, need some info

[mutantlittleman]

Hey guys new to karts here and need a little help.
Picked up a pretty good condition unit that someone lost interest in tinkering with and need to get it back in top condition.

My main thing right now is figuring out proper gearing for it. Heres the run down on details.

1. 18x6.5 tires on rear axle
2. 12 tooth sprocket on engine
3. 78 tooth sprocket on axle
4. 6.5 GX200 honda motor.

this gearing puts me at a 6.5:1 right now and it will barely move without a push or slight downhill. Once it does get going it seems to be working the clutch out more as it starts to smoke a bit after 1 lap of the yard.
Whats the ideal gearing to keep the larger tires on, as I'll be doing some off road/dirt road/field runs.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Boltingsteve]

Yes that gear ratio does seem to be alittle low for that size of tire. Alot of things come to play with gearing is the tire size along with the weight of the vehicle and the driver on it aswell as the terrain. If you are wanting to ride off road then you might want to have a higher gear ratio to give you the extra torque needed for the loose terrain and perhaps some hilly environment. I would think a 10:1 would do well with those tires and making it able to handle to extra load of the larger tires. Also what might help is if you get a torque converter instead of a centrifugal clutch if you haven't already made they tend to be more forgiving with the low down power for the larger tires.

 

[landuse]

Yes that gear ratio does seem to be alittle low for that size of tire. Alot of things come to play with gearing is the tire size along with the weight of the vehicle and the driver on it aswell as the terrain. If you are wanting to ride off road then you might want to have a higher gear ratio to give you the extra torque needed for the loose terrain and perhaps some hilly environment. I would think a 10:1 would do well with those tires and making it able to handle to extra load of the larger tires. Also what might help is if you get a torque converter instead of a centrifugal clutch if you haven't already made they tend to be more forgiving with the low down power for the larger tires.

You have the right idea, but your terminology is just incorrect. The higher the gearing number (10:1), the lower the gear ratio. The lower the number (3:1), the higher the ratio. So if you want to gear lower, which is what needs to be done in this case, then you will need a higher number like 10:1

Otherwise you are spot on