Go kart Drum Centrifugal clutch hacks

So I was wondering something, so my uncle mike told me a trick so the clutch grabs faster: said the shoes and basket a little so that way they have scuff marks so they will grab better. my question is that is this trick a good idea because i tried it and yes they do grab better, but the clutch doesn't move as freely as it used to. My other question was what viscosity gear oil should I use to lube the copper bushing because I've heard that lubing it with gear oil is better. I have some Valvoline 80W-90 high performance gear oil so I was wondering if that would be ok or if I should use 75W-90, etc.
 
Depending on how much you rough the surface up can have good and bad effects. Just removing the glaze off the shoes makes a huge difference, roughing the surface enough to see visible grind marks could potentially hurt engagement as the shoe might not be making good contact. Most will just use sand paper and remove the glaze by hand, if you use a machine be careful to keep the same profile. Remember that "wear" and grinding material off the shoes is the same as removing weights. If you grind a lot off the engagement characteristics could change drastically. So the idea is just to remove the glaze off the surface and rough it up a little.

As far as lube goes for the thrust bearing/washers and the driver bearing is a very broad subject. People run vaseline to grease, it's all up to you and what you feel like you get the best results with. I personally use a very very fine film of hightemp grease so that it doesn't sling and get all over the friction area of the clutch.
 
If you are really creative you can make special bumps in the clutch weights and the clutch housing so it locks up instantaneously at the RPM it's set for.
Worst-comes-to-worst you will have too much traction and not enough power and will stall .
 
I use petroleum jelly on my clutch bearing. I read that on a post by a big clutch company but can’t remember who. I am big on maintance and always have my clutch’s torn down every race
 
Instant lock up is how you break stuff. Plus what you're suggesting requires removing a lot of material or adding material on the drum and that's a whole different bag of worms. Lots can go wrong.
Suit yourself. Peelouts are cool to watch . But i'm not talking about racing in a competition. Maybe in a drift event and with a 3D manual clutch.
But that's just me i guess.
 
I use petroleum jelly on my clutch bearing. I read that on a post by a big clutch company but can’t remember who. I am big on maintance and always have my clutch’s torn down every race
Bully recommends petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on their sprocket bearing and to run the thrust bearing dry.

The Vaseline doesn't last long which is another reason why proper clutch maintenance each week is so important.
 
I use Vasoline too, per Bullys instructions. Don't know if this is the greatest lube out there but can't say it doesn't work fine. Unless you get lazy or forget to do it,
 
Depending on how much you rough the surface up can have good and bad effects. Just removing the glaze off the shoes makes a huge difference, roughing the surface enough to see visible grind marks could potentially hurt engagement as the shoe might not be making good contact. Most will just use sand paper and remove the glaze by hand, if you use a machine be careful to keep the same profile. Remember that "wear" and grinding material off the shoes is the same as removing weights. If you grind a lot off the engagement characteristics could change drastically. So the idea is just to remove the glaze off the surface and rough it up a little.

As far as lube goes for the thrust bearing/washers and the driver bearing is a very broad subject. People run vaseline to grease, it's all up to you and what you feel like you get the best results with. I personally use a very very fine film of hightemp grease so that it doesn't sling and get all over the friction area of the clutch.
I used sand paper by hand
 
Lube, no matter what you use should be applied sparingly. You do not want the lube to contaminate the friction surfaces. Remember that the bearing is only doing something when the clutch is not locked up, at idle for instance.
 
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How tight do you make the bolt that holds the clutch to the motor. I was just snugging it lightly so I could get it back off, but the clutch came off last night. Lots of restarts and the clutch chattered a lot. Then I got to aggressive and spun out. When I got out to push the kart onto the track again my clutch was laying on the track. So I am thinking it was not tight enough, but any tighter and I would need to remove the motor and use an impact to remove the bolt? Or is there a way to keep the shaft from spinning?
 
How tight do you make the bolt that holds the clutch to the motor. I was just snugging it lightly so I could get it back off, but the clutch came off last night. Lots of restarts and the clutch chattered a lot. Then I got to aggressive and spun out. When I got out to push the kart onto the track again my clutch was laying on the track. So I am thinking it was not tight enough, but any tighter and I would need to remove the motor and use an impact to remove the bolt? Or is there a way to keep the shaft from spinning?
Did you use a lock washer? Clutch bolts don't need impacted on. They also don't need Loctite or other thread lockers. Just a simple lock washer behind the head of the bolt is sufficient to keep the clutch in place.

Shorttrack,
I use a mixture of high temp wheel bearing grease and Marvel Mystery Oil on the bushing. Use only a very thin film so to not ingress into the clutch linings. Pull it apart and maintain it between every race day.


-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
33 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
There should be some clearance between the bolt / washer and the clutch. If the clutch shaft extends past the end of the crank you should be using a stepped washer so the washer is contacting only the crank. If you do not have a stepped washer use one or two small washers with an OD less then 3/4. If the bolt comes off and the clutch can actually came off you must be running your chain way too loose, or the chain came off on the axle end when you spun.
 
Did you use a lock washer? Clutch bolts don't need impacted on. They also don't need Loctite or other thread lockers. Just a simple lock washer behind the head of the bolt is sufficient to keep the clutch in place.

Shorttrack,
I use a mixture of high temp wheel bearing grease and Marvel Mystery Oil on the bushing. Use only a very thin film so to not ingress into the clutch linings. Pull it apart and maintain it between every race day.


-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
33 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
Thank you sir
 
what viscosity gear oil should I use to lube the copper bushing because I've heard that lubing it with gear oil is better

If it's really a copper bushing I'd say that's bad because copper is soft and is not going to last long as a bushing.

Quality Bronze bushings if there actually used in cheap gokart clutches do not require oil, grease and are not to be cleaned with any kind of fluid which might remove the oil built into the Bronze bushing.

Oil impregnated Bronze bushing need to be cleaned with a dry cloth and brushed out and NOT oiled or greased because the oil or grease can make a seal between the shaft being used with the bushing and the built in bushing lube.
The oil or grease dried because of heat and friction can also cause the bushing and shaft to seize up.

If they wear out and can be replaced you replace them.
If you can't replace them then you replace the clutch when they wear out and no amount or any kind of grease or oil will extend their life.

Quick search on the web to try to make sure I wasn't giving incorrect old info I remembered from way back when is here:

Also was told this during various types of typewriter training at IBM about NOT lubing the Bronze bushings on the typewriter motors.
Clean them with a dry rag only to get them going again if needed to because you did not have one on hand to replace for the customer.
But never ever lube Bronze bushings.

https://www.nationalbronze.com/News/self-lube-bushings-what-are-the-options/#:~:text=This article should help you better define your request.&text=The term “Self Lube Bushings,does not require manual lubrication.
 
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