How much difference is there between a red plate bsp clone and one stickered up and sold by a builder? I see the price difference being 3-4 times as much, but what are you getting for that increased investment? Does any difference show up more on certain type tracks more that others? Will a red plate bsp hang with a builder engine on a long wide open momentum track like the 1/5 mile in Brookings?
How much does engine matter?
- Thread starter Patkohns
- Start date
But how much difference are we talking for a restricted kids class?
The red plate classes should be more about teaching the kids how to race. They should be learning how to drive the racing line, how to keep their momentum up, how to pass cleanly, etc. That said I'm sure a good builder engine could be better than a stocker, if that's where you want to allocate funds go for it. But I'll bet on a Sat night if you get on the right tires and the driver keeps it rolling they'll be towards the front. Knowing where your engine is making its power helps too, I think a lot of people get caught searching for higher RPM and are trying to turn these red plate engines way more than they need to.
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What mike97760 says above in post #6 is spot on, but with that in mind also note that the 5 most important things in making any type of race car go fast are:
1. Setup
2. Setup
3. Setup
4. The driver's ability to drive the setup or work around it if is not quite optimum.
5. The engine
1. Setup
2. Setup
3. Setup
4. The driver's ability to drive the setup or work around it if is not quite optimum.
5. The engine
SoCo Tire Treatments
Moderator
Red and Green plate engines, with the limited supply of air they get, are actually the hardest to get power out of. A good built engine is worth every penny extra.
This is based on very high competition level. If your competition is not that good then take this as it is.
This is based on very high competition level. If your competition is not that good then take this as it is.
CarlsonMotorsports
Site Supporter
Does a built and blueprinted engine (small plate or other) make more power? Yes.
Is it worth the extra expense? To most racers, yes.
Is it worth it to you? That's up to you.
Spend what you feel comfortable with and what you feel is necessary. If you can get away with a box stock engine with little expense and get the results that you desire, then absolutely save your money or spend it elsewhere. If you're not getting the results, make sure that you give your driver at least a level playing field by having equal engine to his/her competitors.
-----
Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
www.youtube.com
34 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
Is it worth the extra expense? To most racers, yes.
Is it worth it to you? That's up to you.
Spend what you feel comfortable with and what you feel is necessary. If you can get away with a box stock engine with little expense and get the results that you desire, then absolutely save your money or spend it elsewhere. If you're not getting the results, make sure that you give your driver at least a level playing field by having equal engine to his/her competitors.
-----
Thanks and God bless,Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
www.youtube.com
34 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
So we have been running Red Plate this year and i purchased two used motors off of Facebook and freshened up both of them. We run against some professional built motors. We have never been under power and have won some races. But the motor was never the factor. Her line, tires and confidence has been the biggest thing to get speed for us.
XXX#40
2A supporter
You bought 2 built engines, now go buy a new one, no one has touched, throw your plate on it and get back to us with your findings
XXX#40
2A supporter
1150.00 used is way too much, even if it was fresh.
That's a new zero laps engine price, all in ready to run
spincycle
Member
I've raced at ups, it's a wide open lift and you're done kind of racetrack, if you're 2 tenths off in the feature your gonna be about a half lap behind the leaders, and at ups that seems like a mile, builders charge those prices because there are people willing to spend what it takes to run with the leaders, though those who run up front know and work tirelessly towards making sure the set up, engine/clutch, tires and the driver are all spot on, if you're gonna spend the money for a top of the line engine and in turn expect big results, you better be prepared to spend a chunk on tires/prep and entry fees for multiple classes to get your driver the needed seat time to perfect their driving just as well....jmo
What kart were you with? I can tell you for a fact that a lot of the red plate races there this year were won with a stock yellow BSP with about 30 nights on it. Cubic dollars will definitely help win some races, but there might be other areas to focus on if you don't want to be spending that much on an engine. I know I don't want to be doing that with multiple kids racing.
But how much more are they sqeezing out of a restricted engine? Your statement almost seems like an argument the other way, like they're so hard to get power out of how much are you gaining for the cost of the build?