Propane Karting?

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mindymogul

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I went on the Internet and found this...

Never seen one of these before.
 

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kevbo22

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I just saw a little industrial engine generator the other day that was powered by propane and was wondering the same thing.
 

Kartorbust

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Some might be propane. I haven't been to an indoor kart place that used propane. The only indoor kart place I went to, they were gasoline, but they had enough ventilation to be safe.
 

anickode

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There are Chinese propane conversion kits for the Predator 212cc generators. They use a demand regulator and inject propane in behind the factory carb via a different carb spacer. Direct bolt-on, same engine. ZERO reason you couldn't put one on a kart.
 

mindymogul

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The all of 3 indoor tracks here use battery or tethered electric (over glorified bumper car). The outdoor tracks use either pedal (like a recumbent quadracycle 2" off the ground with baby wheels) or YF 203s. (I maintained on of the track's karts). Someone came in and offered to switch them to propane but they'll only run about 5 laps before refill (then he threatened to sue us for demoralizing his heaven sent invention). All in all gas is the best thing if you want a pure mix of reliability and cost effectiveness.
 

Kartorbust

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It's what 20% less on power vs gasoline I think. So it would drop a 212 from an estimated 6hp to 4.8hp, which is what the GX160 is rated at stock now. Here's the upside, if you forget you have propane hooked up, it won't go bad as fast as gas will (if it goes bad that is). So no more tarnished carburetors to worry about. Generec and Champion are the only 2 companies I know of off hand that offer straight propane or propane/gasoline powered portable generators. Briggs and Stratton have propane powered engines for floor cleaners (Wal-Mart uses them). The funny thing is, Briggs doesn't advertise a propane powered engine that I've seen, so it could be third party that does it.
 

mindymogul

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If I was gonna be wasteful and want something almost useless for practical use I'd put a mini steam engine on a kart. That way It'd shut the hippies up and have 100% power efficiency. Other than the weight and fuel source for the boiler...
 

anickode

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Propane = less BTU's = lower power = not a good thing for racing or wanting to go fast. :thumbsup:


Denny

No, you just use more is all.

In fact, propane is a superior fuel. By most standards.

104-112 octane. You've gotta get into racing gas to come close, and propane is $3/gal. High compression ratios and timing advance? Yes please.

Gaseous. No atomization or turbulence required for good fuel mixing. Port that intake like crazy

Pressurized. No need for pumps to get it where it needs to go

Clean... Practically zero engine deposits, and much less stinky exhaust

Unlimited shelf life. Park your go kart in the fall, the fuel is just as good as they day you stored it. No varnish, no corrosion, no "old gas"
 

mindymogul

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I'm old fasioned. If I didn't want to do what I do i would go ec- freindly or whatever. But to me gas and steam are superior. I dont mind the maitenence, I don't have to worry about fuel costs, and it's more natural to my instincts. I just thought it was different. This doesn't have to be an argument of why propane is superior over gasoline and it will not be.

This thread can be closed before arguments ensue.
 

anickode

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I'm old fasioned. If I didn't want to do what I do i would go ec- freindly or whatever. But to me gas and steam are superior. I dont mind the maitenence, I don't have to worry about fuel costs, and it's more natural to my instincts. I just thought it was different. This doesn't have to be an argument of why propane is superior over gasoline and it will not be.

This thread can be closed before arguments ensue.


Not trying to start an argument, just stating that propane is an excellent fuel for engines. It does have some advantages over gasoline, as well as its drawbacks.

A propane kart wouldn't be wasteful and useless any more than a gasoline kart. Wasteful and useless is a matter of opinion. One could argue that go karts in general are wasteful and useless, as their only purpose is our enjoyment. They fill no essential role in life, they don't contribute to the betterment of mankind, they're not environmentally friendly. They're just fun. We do a lot of wasteful and useless things in the name of enjoyment. If we didn't, we would all live like the Amish. And even they do things for fun.

That bit in red sure sounds like an argument to me. An unsupported one, no less. :roflol:
 
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