Track Tac

Another Gearing question

J

jr72

Member
I ran last weekend at our local little paper clip bull ring. The track is advertised as an 1/8 but tight turns. I usually only lift briefly in the corner. Any way, I got my butt handed to me by a guy that said he was on an 11-63 (572). My question is, I only have a 10 tooth arena clutch so could I run a 58 rear and be close to his? I have never tried anything that small. I was on a 10-64 last week and he walked away from me out of the corners and down the straights. I'm still new at this gear game and trying to figure it out.
 
Track has to be lot smaller than an 1/8th, step off the groove one full stride is 3 ft see if it's anywhere close to 660 lf, 220 full strides, If indeed it is your not even in the same zip code on gearing, and neither is he even though he handed you your tail.

now to answer just your question yes a 10-58 would be a lot closer than a 10-64, actually to match his 11-63 you need a 10-59, with that 10-64 you have to be gear bound, when you step it off even if it's only 200 steps in the groove and indeed you only burp it briefly put atleast a 12 driver on it with that 64 you have and hand him his tail.
 
Gearing isn't everything. Don't chase a gear number just of the sake of turning and RPM your builder said to turn. His RPM is for sure a number relying on a properly handling kart. Tune the chassis for more RPM and then before qualifying add teeth or drop as needed. Get as much out of the chassis you can before chasing a gear RPM.

Straight speed is dependent on how the kart exits the corner leading on to the straight... Maybe you needed some chassis tuning for corner exit?
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess what really got me is the way he pulled away at the green flag. I was way faster than him through the center having to brake several times to keep from running over him. At exit he would start pulling away and continue to until the next corner then I would catch him through the center again. I am going to try the 10-59 next weekend and see how it goes. I will step off the groove this week also. I don't believe there is anyway it is 660 ft.
 
jr72 said:
Thanks for the reply. I guess what really got me is the way he pulled away at the green flag. I was way faster than him through the center having to brake several times to keep from running over him. At exit he would start pulling away and continue to until the next corner then I would catch him through the center again. I am going to try the 10-59 next weekend and see how it goes. I will step off the groove this week also. I don't believe there is anyway it is 660 ft.
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Ya I can see that with your 10-64 your turning it way to hard, pretty sure you will be much better, report back how big it is and your results, maybe we can get ya even better yet.

Good Luck !!
 
I made a few calls and finally found someone who has actually measured it. He said its advertised as an 1/8 around outside, He said the groove is only 365 ft. I didn't think it was possibly 660 in the groove.
 
jr72 said:
I made a few calls and finally found someone who has actually measured it. He said its advertised as an 1/8 around outside, He said the groove is only 365 ft. I didn't think it was possibly 660 in the groove.
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Sounds better, Try that 10-59 or 60 you should be OK, you might find yourself getting an 11 driver.

Good Luck !!
 
Rule #1, dont ever believe what your competition tells you unless you can verify it for yourself....go by what your tach, chassis and stopwatch tells you and get your speed that way, you will get faster like that quicker than you would chasing gearing that someone else tells you they are using...just my opinion speaking from experience!
 
W5R said:
Rule #1, dont ever believe what your competition tells you unless you can verify it for yourself....go by what your tach, chassis and stopwatch tells you and get your speed that way, you will get faster like that quicker than you would chasing gearing that someone else tells you they are using...just my opinion speaking from experience!
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You wouldnt believe all the info that gets shared amongst the top drivers and tire guys in the country.

Dont be afraid to ask questions, maybe what you think he is saying to be a lie is the actual truth!
 
Is hard for me to imagine how a higher gear ratio could get you out of the corners faster.

10/64 (6.40) to a 10/57 (5.70) is 7 teeth. His 11/63 (5.73) is a close match to 10/57.

I just don't see you getting off the turns faster with 7 less teeth.

Now I am the last one to call somebody a cheater, but there are times when it is appropriate. Do they have tech at your track?
 
Yes we have tech and they say he is legal. I still don't fully understand how the higher gear works either, but I sat and watched it work in front of me for 15 laps Saturday night.
 
I can see how you could pickup speed with a higher gear if while you were catching him in the corner you were at lower RPM and possibly in the best power band of your motor. As you came out of the corner and picked up RPM your power curve of your motor was falling off. JMO
 
racing promotor said:
Track has to be lot smaller than an 1/8th, step off the groove one full stride is 3 ft see if it's anywhere close to 660 lf, 220 full strides, If indeed it is your not even in the same zip code on gearing, and neither is he even though he handed you your tail.

now to answer just your question yes a 10-58 would be a lot closer than a 10-64, actually to match his 11-63 you need a 10-59, with that 10-64 you have to be gear bound, when you step it off even if it's only 200 steps in the groove and indeed you only burp it briefly put atleast a 12 driver on it with that 64 you have and hand him his tail.
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Wouldn't a 10-57 (5.70) or even a 10-58 (5.80) be closer to a 11-63 (5.73) than a 10-59 (5.90)? Am I missing something here?
This is all based on the assumption that the tire diameters are the same also...which they might not be.
 
oldman50 said:
I can see how you could pickup speed with a higher gear if while you were catching him in the corner you were at lower RPM and possibly in the best power band of your motor. As you came out of the corner and picked up RPM your power curve of your motor was falling off. JMO
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Yes. Experienced that exact thing two weeks ago. I could just about hold flat from the exit of 2, through 3 & 4 to the entrance of 1. If I had been 500-700 rpm lower on the exit of 2, I would have been in the sweet spot of my power curve and able to pull about 7% more gear.
 
If a higher gear gets you more speed at the end of the straight, and you can carry more speed through the turn, the higher gear will get you a higher exit speed.

IMHO, assuming your at your limit on hp, 99.99999 % of all LTO over all speed is the speed you can carry from the end of the straight, to a hypothetical apex.
 
I understand the end of straight speed. I know I have every bit as much power as he does or more. What I couldn't understand was the starts where he was pulling me by a couple lengths. I ordered a 58,59, and 60 gear to try it out. Hopefully I understand more about all this after this weekend.
 
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