street kart project gets rolling

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pontiacman74

pontiacman74

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I have wanted to build a kart that is just for on road speed & cornering:auto:. I have been designing a basic frame shape and I have a picture of my design. I plan on using a 570 liquid cooled yamaha snowmobile engine. Do you think I will need suspension? I really dont want a suspension but I have been told that I will need one for the power.
 

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pontiacman74

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Well I ran my plans and everything by my grandpa and he said that I should design it ore like a mini champ. His reasoning being we could build a mild double A-arm suspension at all four corners and fab some swaybars. (told him I really wanted a fast on road cornering road hugger out of this but to still be able to mildly offroad.) He said he is going to pull out his old mini champ racer for a basic design.:arf: I want it to be small and not a big bulky roll cage just what I need. Now I am starting to think aabout my '97 arctic cat powder extreme's zrt600 tripple it is a rocket ship past 4500 rpm's I have gone over 120mph on the trail and thats with a 600lb longtrack sled, but thats my boondocker. :cheers2:
 
redsox985

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For a road kart, you don't need suspension. In fact, professional karts flex and twist when put under loads and this helps with cornering. It really depends upon what you want.

You could build a something like the Formula SAE style cars with that size motor which would also incorporate suspension all around, or you could go with a super kart using a traditional racing kart frame.
 
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osso12

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Same thing I was thinking. Id shoot for the super kart
 
anderkart

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redsox985 said:
For a road kart, you don't need suspension. In fact, professional karts flex and twist when put under loads and this helps with cornering. It really depends upon what you want.
Click to expand...

:iagree:

As a well designed racekart (w/o suspension) is going around a high speed corner, they transfer weight from the inside-rear tire (lowering its traction) diagonally across the frame to the outside front tire increasing its traction.

That's why a racekarts turn so well even though they have a live axle. It would be pretty much impossible to make this all happen when adding suspension.
 
redsox985

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Just a quick question about that frame, as I've saved the photo with far off dreams of making one some day, what is the inner width for the motor mount rails? And is there a reason that tube doesn't extend to the rear? Is it to keep flex centered and balanced?
 
anderkart

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The distance (center to center) between my two engine rails is 3-5/8" to fit the International type motor mounts.

That chrome cross member you see at the very back of my frame is a Torsion Bar that bolts on. You can buy/replace these with others having different stiffness ratings to help tune the karts handling characteristics, or just leave them off like I ended up doing. That's why that inner frame rail ends where it does.

Here's a pic of the same kart with the torsion bar removed:
(they just left that inner rail longer than necessary to be used to mount the rear of a chain-guard)
 
redsox985

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So, center to center of those mount tubes is 3 5/8"...what's the distance from wall to wall between them?
 
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