DynoDon
Moderator
No you don't always get what you pay for.
Best Clone Builder
- Thread starter Kartboy
- Start date
No you don't always get what you pay for.
Dover Power
Member
That statement brings a question to mine.. What price does quality cost these days.
Prices are truely customer driven.. The builders aren't the controler of pricing..
I had a builder tell me once,, he would sit at home and do nothing before he would sell his engines in the aea of price we did..
He hung it up a few months go and went to work at a regular job..
Prices are truely customer driven.. The builders aren't the controler of pricing..
I had a builder tell me once,, he would sit at home and do nothing before he would sell his engines in the aea of price we did..
He hung it up a few months go and went to work at a regular job..
Here is my thoughts on the matter:
If you think the average joe is getting the best motors out of Miller, KSR, or any of the top name builders shops then you are crazy! I would guess they have a surplus of parts to pick out the "better" parts for their factory drivers, not saying you wont get a good motor, but you will not get the best that comes out of the shop.
I run Appco Engines, not only do I trust them, but they help me in many other ways other then building me the best engine for my money. Go with someone local to you that you can trust.
What you going to do when you get tore down? Ship it back ( both ways $50+) and then pay labor and parts? Save yourself some time, money and aggervation and go with someone more local to you, whoever that may be.
Good luck
If you think the average joe is getting the best motors out of Miller, KSR, or any of the top name builders shops then you are crazy! I would guess they have a surplus of parts to pick out the "better" parts for their factory drivers, not saying you wont get a good motor, but you will not get the best that comes out of the shop.
I run Appco Engines, not only do I trust them, but they help me in many other ways other then building me the best engine for my money. Go with someone local to you that you can trust.
What you going to do when you get tore down? Ship it back ( both ways $50+) and then pay labor and parts? Save yourself some time, money and aggervation and go with someone more local to you, whoever that may be.
Good luck
This is very true, and most racers dont realize it at all. People think that if they want the best engine they can get, to go to the best builder they can find, when in reality, your paying that builders price for the best engine, but you arent getting the best engine they can give someone. Sure it will be a good one, but not the best they can possibly give you. Now im not saying all builders are this way, but alot of them are. I have been told that Dover will give everyone the best engine he can possibly build them for their application and for the money, and i believe that is why so many trust him.
I have a local engine builder that is a father and son team who are great with these clones, i have bought engines before somewhere else new and taken it to them, they go thru the engine and make it the best they possibly can for the amount of money i can spend, and they are very good at what they do, the engines that come out of their shop will run with some of the best out there. To top it all, every race i am at or attend, they are right there in my pit helping me with any problem i may have with my engine and offering advice on gearing, tires, or anything else i may be having problems with. That is one of the good things about choosing a builder who is local to you, the price you pay for their work doesnt even compare to the help you will get from them at the track when you need it the most. If you have a Miller, Hi-tech, KSR or other big name builders engine, are they gonna be there with you at the track helping you out with your engine or offering advice? Are they gonna take time out of their day to fix a problem with your engine without having you ship it back to them, or without charging you for it? That is what counts the most when you choose an engine builder, at least in my opinion. I was told when i started racing that i needed a big name builders engine if i wanted to be able to really compete anywhere at the big races....I ran 2 national races last month and finished in the top 5 in every class i ran except one which was 9th out of 19, and did it all on a local builders engine rather than a big name builder. There were some big name engines in those races, like SBR, Welch, KSR, just to name a few. You dont have to have a big name motor just to compete, but it helps to have a builder who knows what they are doing and is able to offer you their help at the track also.
A lot of good information, but I tend to agree with the above, every detail matters. We won 32 races this year on a locally built motor that ran really well and because of tires, set-up and a great little driver. But there were occaisions when we had all the details right and were getting out pulled by the big name motors. Good news is that Jerry Dover has hooked me up with both a rebuild, and a brand new motor. So far Jerry has been outstanding to deal with and we can't wait to see how the motor(s) run.
If you're worried about the name brand builder of your engine, just contact a high dollar engine builder and get some stickers for your side cover. You can run anyone's engine you want, and even change builders from week to week. Unless you're standing at their shop from the moment you drop it off til the moment it's done, you have no idea who or where your parts came from.
darwood112
New member
You can "build" your own engine for under $300, from scratch if you know what you're doing. Plus, the rules are rather limiting in what you can do anyway. No kidding about the stickers, just switch weekly or take them off. And for folks saying they turn a "stock clone" 6950 all the time are full of it. Get some good rule enforcement and this all ends.
fastbraden11
Last of the originals
we turn ours 68-6850 all weekend at batesville,braden says its still pullin hard,...and they are stock AKRA clones from Markbilt performance,
To tell you the truth it's not about the "best" it's who will give the best service. Who will be at the races you go to. It's not about the "best" when you don't know how to gear it and things of that matter. I'd go with who will be at the races you go to and who will help you along the way to boost you preformance!
~Payton
~Payton
madd dawg racing
Member
That's my thinking also skr43 very good advise.a friend of mine was buying a well known builders engine lot of money spent.my son and I started helping with his engines and kart advise,setup,tires tires tires guess what won track championship couple of state race birds just saying.
Maddawg
Maddawg
What tickles me is the people who spend so much money on a motor. Just cause its a brand name builder don't mean nothing. I'd rather stick to my homemade built engines that I go by on the AKRA Rulebook. It's way cheaper. And it's not all about the motor. It's how you drive, set the kart up. I'm a newbie to the Dirt Track Karting World and I know alot from Dirt Stock Car Racing World.
GeorgeHenry
New member
DRC21 Welcome to Bob's
So your gonna sit there and say that the average person gets the SAME motor as the top level karters that are winning national races??? Really??? I buy from APPCO because they are FAIR, HONEST, and will give me the best motor for my money, they don't hand pick parts, they build every motor from the same shop and same suppliers, some are better then others. Do they keep the good ones for themselves???? NOPE! that's what sits them apart in my book! So you all go ahead and buy them stickers, any graphics company can make them for you....
I found an engine builder in Maryland. Brooks Racing Engines. Jason Brooks makes awesome HP that wont break the bank. The tire game and setup mean more than anything, but I will testify that the power he provides is second to none. He is always there for help, and even keeps up with your progress on race day. Great builder and great guy to work with.
