Does it really make a difference

So my ?? Is. Does it really matter to purchase a motor thru a kart shop setup; versues just doing it yourself with the 206. As far as tuning, dyno etc etc.
 
Hard to really tell when they are both that close, but then again there are kart shops then there are real kart shops. The few who really know may never never tell the hole story. One thing for sure the LO206 engine is probably the most reliable / durable engine that ever hit the kart tracks!
We should all be thankful that we have Dave Klaus and his team at Briggs and Stratton Racing supporting the racing industry. They have done an incredible job giving us an amazing Animal engine platform!

Steve
www.Bakerracingengines.com
 
We've had a lot of "built" engines on our dyno with a lot of different stickers on them. I can tell you the difference between best and worst is not as much as builders want you to think it is. That being said, there is a difference between one that has never been touched and one that has had some simple dyno "set-up" done to it. Break it in right. Keep the head/valves sealed. Enjoy your minimum maintenance racing engine!

Derek
Ghost Racing Engines
www.facebook.com/ghostracingengines
 
It depends on how it was prepared.
Some people have them very far off from the optimum. Especially moms or dads with zero knowledge and kids with long colored slides.
If you are racing against someone that has their motor at peak performance and yours isn't then you are at a disadvantage. When you are dealing with low horsepower it's more important to get every tenth you can. Some people make carb adjustments based on the seat of their pants on race day and actually hurt themselves. Others get help from the shop they purchased it from on race day.

When some people purchase a motor they want the engine broken in with everything set up where it works the best. They want to put it on the Kart, put fuel and oil in it, pull the rope and go.
Others want to try to do it themselves.

I might add that it's the same with the chassis and tires etc. Some people show up at the track and never change or adjust anything. Others are constantly adjusting and tuning. Some get faster and i often hear people say i should have left it the way it was.

Realize we are dealing with tenth's or even hundreths of a second per lap determining the winner of a race.
 
Yes , No , Maybe, If you have a bit of mechanical ability. With Guidence you can do it yourself. The 206 class brings in many first time drivers with minimal experience. Some help is need. Lastly there is always someone who cares less about Engine Prep and are more than willing to pay the price. With the exception of Carb set up out of the box little else is need for the new driver. Most good kart shops will take the time to do the carb before the new kart hits the track .
 
If I buy an LO206 again it will be from Jim, Steve Baker, Brian Carlson or my semi-local kart shop. My kart shop guy will put in Time Serts so the header bolts won't fail at the track. All the pros on the board can dyno the engine and make sure there are no gremlins. I broke the engine in myself but all this can be done for you. And the support from someone after the sale is so helpful too.
 
The biggest "difference" is in the peace of mind to the customer. Going through a shop should mean the engine has been given a once over to make sure everything is set where it should be and Dyno tested to make sure it is performing where and how it should. This means when I hand it to the customer, they don't need to worry about any engine related issues.

Another advantage is that since an engine is tested prior to leaving the shop, when a customer is having a problem they believe is motor related, we can put it back on the dyno and compare it to the previous performance. I have had many situations over the years in which someone thought the motor felt "sluggish" only to find it was not the motor but a chassis issue. The ability to rule things out and begin to pinpoint issues is huge.
 
I'd have to echo the relies of these guys.
We consistently get requests for our "race-ready" LO206.
That is one that has been fully assembled and bench tuned. We also offer dyno break-in and tuning of that engine for an add'l $85 (fuel & oil included.) That definitely gives peace of mind to the racer who is unsure of his ability to tune the engine at the track.
Now, I'll add that even though an engine is properly tuned on the dyno, it will still require some tweaking at the track due to changing atmospheric conditions, to optimize performance. At least if you have a baseline to go from, you can adjust from there.
Another factor is that although these engines are very similar, you do find some tuning quirks from time to time. The biggest difference we saw was tuning from the Walbro to the Briggs logo carbs. What works well on one carb doesn't necessarily work well on the other. There are reasons for this, but suffice to say that one "tune" or set-up will not work "best" on every carb, or engine.



-----
Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
30 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
I'd have to echo the relies of these guys.
We consistently get requests for our "race-ready" LO206.
That is one that has been fully assembled and bench tuned. We also offer dyno break-in and tuning of that engine for an add'l $85 (fuel & oil included.) That definitely gives peace of mind to the racer who is unsure of his ability to tune the engine at the track.
Now, I'll add that even though an engine is properly tuned on the dyno, it will still require some tweaking at the track due to changing atmospheric conditions, to optimize performance. At least if you have a baseline to go from, you can adjust from there.
Another factor is that although these engines are very similar, you do find some tuning quirks from time to time. The biggest difference we saw was tuning from the Walbro to the Briggs logo carbs. What works well on one carb doesn't necessarily work well on the other. There are reasons for this, but suffice to say that one "tune" or set-up will not work "best" on every carb, or engine.



-----
Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
30 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com

No idea what anyone else charges, but $85.00 is a bargain for these services.
 
If you were more familiar with the 206 package you could likley answer your own question.. many of the issues/questions have been answered in this thread. As well as a host of similar threads . Go back and read the Thread from the start. Hopefully this will self answer your question. Good luck friend
 
I charge $90.00 for a SR motor to set everything up properly, break it in and dyno it.
I charge $100.00 for any of the long slide motors because of the additional labor involved in setting the max slide opening.(machining the stop for the slide)

This price is not in addition to any prior bench work.
It includes setting the carb: float drop, float level, slide needle, idle mixture where it make the most power and lining the carb up properly with the intake manifold. On the long slide motors the slide stop also gets machined. I recommend anyone that buys a long slide motor form me also buys the appropriate slide go - no gauge. My float gauge is a good idea also.
It includes adjusting the valves after 1/2 hour of break in under a specified load. The valves are adjusted when the engine is hot because i never won a race with a cold engine and setting the valves on the bench on a new engine is a waste of time. After you break it in they will settle in to a different position.
It also includes checking the ignition timing to make sure it's right. If the flywheel and coil can be twisted to make a minor legal adjustment, it gets done.
http://www.fastermotors.net/COMPLETEBRIGGSENGINES.html
 
Yea, @ $85 we're not exactly getting rich. That includes fuel and oil...With 4T in the $14/qt range, you take that right off the top and we make even less for our time.
That's alright though. We've got plenty of work and that's a good thing! :)


As far as tuning: You've still got ignition timing, valve timing, & carb tuning to work with. That's plenty of variables in and of itself.
Thankfully, we've built a pretty solid baseline that we go off of so that we don't wear a customer's new engine out trying everything under the sun with. That's what test mules are for.
 
You can learn to maintain it yourself but, knowing what I know now, I would have a reputable engine builder setup and prep my engine. For the time and money you waste doing it yourself and not being totally sure, pay the money and have peace of mind.
 
You can learn to maintain it yourself but, knowing what I know now, I would have a reputable engine builder setup and prep my engine. For the time and money you waste doing it yourself and not being totally sure, pay the money and have peace of mind.
this is good advice.
entry fees alone will cover that after a couple bad outings.
 
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