I drive my kart 90% on dirt roads, but there are times when I need to drive on pavement a bit. When driving on pavement with any speed, handling the kart becomes rather frightening. It wants to lurch around and stuff when I get past maybe 30% throttle. If I bring two of the wheels off of the sticky pavement and onto the dirt shoulder of the road it is OK. Is this normal for a live axle kart to handle this squirrely when driving straight on pavement? I am pretty sure my front wheels are aligned pretty good.
Squirrely handling on pavement
- Thread starter dave1701
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anderkart
Moderator
Something really easy you could try is adjusting your tie rods to have more toe-in. Depending on your kart, (and if your spindles/wheel bearings are worn where they have play) I'd try adjusting anywhere between 1/4" to 3/8" of toe-In, measured while you (or someone your approx. weight) are sitting in the kart. You'll be amazed at how much it can help the problem your having.
spyder1968
New member
First, check your tie rod ends (both inner and outer) for slop, tighten if necessary. Also check front wheel bearings, tighten until they drag slightly and back off a quarter of a turn. If after this, everything seems pretty tight ...
Try this ... Number 1, jack up the front of your kart, until both front wheels are off the ground. Number 2, spin the front tire, and use a block of wood with a nail laid across it to make a slight "mark" along the tread (it should go all the way around the tire) do this on both sides, place kart back on ground and jump up and down on the front suspension a little bit and have someone roughly equal to your weight sit in the drivers seat. Number 3, using a tape measure, measure the scribed marks on the front side of the tire, parallel to the spindle (level) and then measure, level again, on the back side of the tire. Depending on the size of your tires, the ideal differential varies, try 1/8th inch to 1/4 inch shorter measurement on the front side than the rear. To adjust the measurement, lengthen or shorten the tie rods. After each adjustment, bounce the front suspension a little before taking the measurement.
IMHO, the easiest way to figure out what is right for you, is to start at 1/8th inch and test on pavement, and then go to maybe 3/8th inch and test again, and see which feels less squirrely. Then, if necessary, adjust again from there. If my explanation isn't completely clear, please PM me and I will make a video for you.
If your kart is a live axle (esp. with bigger tires, 16+ inches) this is fairly common, especially at higher speeds. My kart has 20 x 9.5 x 8 on the front, and at speeds 35 up to 50 it is quite "twitchy" on pavement, but is fine off road.
I hope this helps, if not let me know.
Try this ... Number 1, jack up the front of your kart, until both front wheels are off the ground. Number 2, spin the front tire, and use a block of wood with a nail laid across it to make a slight "mark" along the tread (it should go all the way around the tire) do this on both sides, place kart back on ground and jump up and down on the front suspension a little bit and have someone roughly equal to your weight sit in the drivers seat. Number 3, using a tape measure, measure the scribed marks on the front side of the tire, parallel to the spindle (level) and then measure, level again, on the back side of the tire. Depending on the size of your tires, the ideal differential varies, try 1/8th inch to 1/4 inch shorter measurement on the front side than the rear. To adjust the measurement, lengthen or shorten the tie rods. After each adjustment, bounce the front suspension a little before taking the measurement.
IMHO, the easiest way to figure out what is right for you, is to start at 1/8th inch and test on pavement, and then go to maybe 3/8th inch and test again, and see which feels less squirrely. Then, if necessary, adjust again from there. If my explanation isn't completely clear, please PM me and I will make a video for you.
If your kart is a live axle (esp. with bigger tires, 16+ inches) this is fairly common, especially at higher speeds. My kart has 20 x 9.5 x 8 on the front, and at speeds 35 up to 50 it is quite "twitchy" on pavement, but is fine off road.
I hope this helps, if not let me know.
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