Offroad Kart ?'s

[Celeez]

Hey, I'm new here and I just recently purchased a gokart its [The 407 Cheetah XL 1](http://www.bmikarts.com/Road-Boss-Cheetah-Go-Kart--DISCONTINUED_p_2933.html) to be exact. When I found it for sale it had the top of the frame cut off you can see it in [this picture](

) I just have a few questions if any of yall would be able to help steer me in the right direction since I'm not educated on this topic.

**Gokart Information -** Engine: [Briggs & Stratton 9HP 205cc](https://www.briggsandstratton.com/a...ines/horizontal-shaft-engines/900-series.html) Gear Ratio: 3:1 (30T on Axle, 10T on Clutch - I Bought it that way) Transmission: [Comet Tav30 Torque-a-Verter](https://www.mfgsupply.com/gomini/go...utchtorqtav30/gominiclutchtorqtav30parts.html) (Its NOT the Tav2)

1. What is the best braking system for an average offroad kart? (i was reading that disk brakes are a pretty good choice on bmikarts)
2. I'm looking to get big rear offroad tires for more traction something [like this](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9b/ee/06/9bee06eeadcdeb08e5c4ff856a84f152.jpg) (since I don't have shocks the bigger tires would help be a form of shocks & give me more traction) I'm just wondering what a good size/brand is for good traction?
3. Is it smart/safe to take the governor off for more performance; will I truly see the performance increase? I don't want to damage my engine.
4. How hard would it be to implement Shocks onto this build/frame? Would it be stupid financially to get shocks installed on this frame rather than find a frame already with them?
5. I'm looking to put this offroad light bar on my gokart so I can ride through my woods at night but id need a battery to power them. what is a good battery that can take the terrain bumps and that I can recharge + will have a decent battery life for those lights?

I would appreciate if anyone would even add some input on any of my questions. Thanks again everyone.

 

[OzFab]

1. True, most prefer a disc brake setup
2. Fitting larger tyres means you will change the gearing of the kart, meaning it will likely struggle on take off...
3. Just about everyone here has removed their govenor; the main reason the governor is there is because these engines are designed to run at a constant RPM; running them at varying RPM higher than the governed RPM doesn't harm them.
4. Let's just say it's easier to find a kart that already has suspension...

 

[Celeez]

1. True, most prefer a disc brake setup
2. Fitting larger tyres means you will change the gearing of the kart, meaning it will likely struggle on take off...
3. Just about everyone here has removed their govenor; the main reason the governor is there is because these engines are designed to run at a constant RPM; running them at varying RPM higher than the governed RPM doesn't harm them.
4. Let's just say it's easier to find a kart that already has suspension...

Appreciate the quick answers. The 3:1 Gear ratio I have currently will be changed to a 4.8:1 once I get larger tyres. I'm hoping that will compensate the change (I currently have 14"x 5" rear tires, I'd be looking to change to something like 16" or 18" x 8" or 10". Also if you don't mind me asking is there a preferred disk braking system that is a "well-known go-to" that won't break the bank? thanks again for the help.

 

[mckutzy]

If your looking to that tire size, you'll want to change the gearing to at least a 6:1... But more likely a 7/8:1 ratio, as this will lessen the belt burning out...

 

[OzFab]

...if you don't mind me asking...

We never mind you asking anything, that's how we learn

is there a preferred disk braking system that is a "well-known go-to" that won't break the bank?

Some go for the mechanical disc setup, others use a hydraulic system made for a Chinese ATV or kart for around the same price...

Please note that, with a hydraulic system:
- some modification is required
- when they work, they work well but, if you have an issue, it could be difficult (more difficult than a mechanical system) to repair...

 

[Celeez]

Alright so I ordered the mechanical disk brake + cable like OzFab recommended should be here in 3-4 days will install that when it gets here. I have a 48Tooth sprocket I'm going to be putting on the rear axle already. so that helps my drive ratio a bit but changing the tires I'm having issues with. these are what my current rear tires look like Picture HERE. I'm wondering if I need 1" bore tires or do I need the whole assembly? I'm completely lost because I've never seen a tire have 10 bolts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mckutzy]

A 4:1 ratio will still cause problems with the belts.... probably wont last long....

What you have there is a 2 piece rim.... the outer bolts hold the tire and tube together, while the inner 4, are used to hold that to an axle hub...
Edit: on a second look that is a tubeless tire... but none the less...... it still holds the halves together...

 

[Celeez]

I really appreciate all your help guys, sorry if I'm a bother but I'm completely uneducated on all of this. I don't necessarily need bigger tires but it would give me a form of shocks better than what I have now which is 13"x 4.8" rear knobby tires and some small pizza cutter tires on the front and would also give me more traction with a wider/larger tire plus the tires it came with are pretty old so id like to put some nice tires on it, I'm driving on/off road daily what would you recommend I look for?. Also, I currently do not have the governor out of the engine yet so how much performance should I really expect when taking that out of the engine?

 

[OzFab]

Before I go any further, a little education:
- A tyre (or tire) is the black rubber part of a wheel
- A rim is the metal part of the wheel which holds the tyre
- A hub connects the rim to the axle; sometimes, the hub is part of the rim (integrated)
- these three parts together make up a wheel...

small pizza cutter tires on the front

That's great if you only want to drive in straight lines, turning may be an issue though...

Pizza cutters, by design, don't provide much traction; wider tyres=more traction=better turning...

how much performance should I really expect when taking the governor out of the engine?

Removing the governor will only increase max RPM, it does absolutely nothing else so, your top speed will be a little higher; how fast you reach said top speed won't change; to achieve that you need to implement other simple mods like high flow intake & exhaust...

 

[the Go Kart noob]

1. these engines are designed to run at a constant RPM; running them at varying RPM higher than the governed RPM doesn't harm them.

untill it goes BANG

 

[Celeez]

Alright I'm not sure if I'm just not picking it up but I took the tires off and the hub looks like 4 bolts sticking out in the pattern outlined in red in this picture. Trying to find a new rim and I can't find the same rim type anywhere I want to get bigger tires so does that mean I need a bigger rim? Id like to have around 16x8" Tyres on the rear and possibly just put the current rear tyres on the front. I don't know if I need the same rim but the hub that's on my kart is 4 bolts alone. I am frustrating myself because I've been trying to have new tires on this for like 2 weeks :\

 

[OzFab]

Ok, here's another tip for you: Most members won't bother following links to view pics so, if you want to add pics, ADD PICS, NOT LINKS TO PICS...

There are many different tyres that will fit an 8" rim, up to 22"tall from a quick search; how wide are your rims?

 

[Celeez]

so my current rims are 6" the rear & front. i cant change the rim type without changing the hub correct? cuz the hub is still on the kart frame. where each tire should be is a 4 bolts that i can screw a rim into. so id need to find that same rim + bigger tyres correct? or do i need to find a bigger rim for the tires im looking for?

 

[anickode]

Any rim with a matching bolt pattern will fit into your hubs. That could be a 6 or 8 or maybe larger.

 

[bob58o]

If you want to use 16" tires, then I'd do 6:1 gear ratio with the Torque Converter and no governor.

I'll get back to that in a moment, but first about the governor....

It limits RPMs to 3600-3800.
If you remove it completely (or adjust it) you can get around 5000 RPM out of the engine and do nothing else. I can't say it will be perfectly fine, but for the most part... The stock connecting rods don't typically fail when all people do is remove or adjust the governor. Neither do the flywheels

DON'T BYPASS - REMOVE COMPLETELY OR ADJUST!!!!! BYPASSING LEADS TO BROKEN PLASTIC GEARS TOSSED ABOUT IN YOUR ENGINE WHILE RUNNING AT HIGH SPEED

At around 5200 RPM or so the valve springs can't keep up with the lobes on stock camshaft. The valves fail to close properly and the engine can't make anymore power. The stock valve springs will limit RPMs to around 5200 RPM.

If you upgrade valve springs you can get around 6000 RPM out of the engine (depending of gear ratio and vehicle size, tire size,....)
BUT THE STOCK CONNECTING ROD IS LIKELY TO GO!!!! So I recommend an ARC Billet Aluminum Connecting Rod when you upgrade the valve springs

16" tires with 6:1 gear ratio and 30 series TC will give you ~44mph at 5000 RPM and that's about all you are going to get if you even get that. With 4.8:1 gear ratio, 30 series TC, and 16" Tires you will probably not see much over 4k RPM.

With 18" Tires, 4.8:1, and TC you will probably top out under 3600 RPM, so no need to remove the governor.

I based this all off of an assumption where I start by saying I bet that engine can't push that kart 45mph. So this could all just be BS.

 

[OzFab]

This thread is starting to hurt my head...

so my current rims are 6" the rear & front.

My bad, I was confused by...

Id like to have around 16x8" Tyres on the rear

That being the height & width of the tyre, not the rim diameter (that measurement would've been handy)...