Track Tac

Lighter is faster right?

Tru dat, Mikey.
Last race we got shuffled to Green from Purple after I spent much time scaling (thanks Al) for Ppl. I suck at guessing where weight needs to go.
If I had a do-over, I'd run the extra weight rather than guess.
Even as I type, I am scaling to Grn and Ppl weights.
Ain't gonna happen again.
 
i just can't understand why tracks have all these weights and yet there is no difference in the motor, that is unless you get into the stock appearing, plates or modified types.....but until racers wise up to the fact that tracks are not always going to be racer friendly, you will always have seventeen (for the sake of argument!), running 2 heats and a feature, arriving at the track a 2 in the afternoon and leaving at 4 in the morning .......
 
You can take weight off of just about anything on the kart. Even putting holes in your plastic number plate will lighten it. And lighter is always capable of being faster.

Aluminum nuts and half nuts, drilled bolts are just about as light as titanium bolts. I liked the countersunk hole idea, especially if you just putting a cotter pin in it. The countersink recess will also allow for a shorter cotter pin. And don't forget to clip off any excessive length on the cotter pin. Also don't forget to clip plastic wire ties as short as possible. Plastic instead of metal brake line. Do you really need an upright brace on your nose bumper which is already covered with plastic. Wheel hub bolts which stick out more then a thread or two past the nut. and then you can probably take down the size of the nut by 1/4. Plastic floor pan put on with plastic wire ties. Titanium bumpers and nerfs.
 
4 tbl spoons of castrol (not motor oil, the kind momma gave us as kids) will drop way more weight than all that work y'all talking about.

Lighter is faster, heavy has momentum but it is also harder for it to change direction.
 
Oldschool00 said:
4 tbl spoons of castrol (not motor oil, the kind momma gave us as kids) will drop way more weight than all that work y'all talking about.

Lighter is faster, heavy has momentum but it is also harder for it to change direction.
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I tho't castor oil was only used in 2cycles. :)
 
WWI pilots used to inhale so much castor from their primitive aeroplane engines that flight suits were changed often after flights. Perhaps that's why they were brown before going to olive drab? It was also used to induce labor in women before proven medically hazardous. It induces abdominal cramping and involuntary contraction.....and consequently can induce labor and delivery of lots of things.
 
I havent seen lites faster than heavies in ten years. Go kart tires are too big, this is why. As far as "apples to apples", 375 is always the fastest clone class, except for low bite tracks where 400 is faster sometimes. They post the times at every race.
 
i see where you guys are saying heavier is faster, but that is due to the above mentioned added grip. what about the rotating weight? karts are obviously extremely under powered. one would think with that big of a handicap, you would want to be able to "spin" it up as quick as possible.. in turn possibly run a tooth or so less on gear, which gives greater speed potential at the end of the straight. you might end up the same speed as the opponent but you'll get there faster..
if you want to just drop the weight total. carbon fiber where theres fiberglass or plastic, ti studs and bolts, magnesium components, stainless bumpers and nerfs will be your best bet..
on rotating weight, remember the further out from the center of rotation, the more impact it will have.
kyle hessenauer
 
looking at this, more than half of us backyard racers can't afford carbon fiber, magnesium components and the like. best bet is a set of scales, a stop watch and lots of practice time. momentum tracks, paperclip tracks, hard/medium/soft tracks, black clay/sand/peanut oil tracks....and the list goes on....none of it matters if you can't get a setup under you no matter what you weigh or how much you try to take off.....

first....get on the scales and get the numbers right for the class that your running and for what you feel comfortable with. even if it's 25 pounds heavier than what your shooting for. as long as your percentages and weight placement is right, then the extra weigh MAY be beneficial. get on the clock and see where your at....record lap times and all the other data that you need for setup....get back on the scales and check it again...adjust (adding or taking away and getting back to the right percentages)....and hit the track again....do this a time or five and you may hit on the best possible combination....whether it takes you to the front or drops you to the rear, only your driving style and others in the race will determine your finish.

but you can't just start cutting or replacing things without knowing positively where your at and the direction that your headed. if you can't get your kart to handle with all the things on it now, what makes you think cutting a bunch of stuff or replacing it with carbon fiber is going to make you faster? a lot on here has been said about removing weight and being faster...all of it good, not taking anything away from the other posters, but before looking at removing weight in an attempt to get faster, work with what you have and adjust your setup....then if all else fails to get you right, then start removing things or spending the money for the exotic stuff....

TIRES + MOTOR + SETUP = WINS AND PODIUM FINSIHES....you can't leave even one part of the equation out or your nothing but a back marker......
 
the wya that i see it is simple....trying to hit the exact weight is for the birds!! go ahead and go over the wieght and anything that you add, you can place where it will do the most good. i'm running about 45 pounds (if not a little more) over and i know that i can be competitive....jsut got other issues besides weight that i have to fix! :)
 
JPMKarting said:
How good are the guys in 330 vs the guys in 375? How much faster is the track when 375 runs vs. 330?

Again, thats not comparing apples to apples
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It's the same drivers in 330 and 375, and this lap timing difference holds true most every week and both classes run in the same session of the day. All I'm saying is that lighter is not always faster even with the same drivers driving in two different weight classes with the same karts at the same track during the same race session. That being said the lighter kart would probably still win just because of starts and restarts. That does not make his lap times faster
 
Flash06 said:
It's the same drivers in 330 and 375, and this lap timing difference holds true most every week and both classes run in the same session of the day. All I'm saying is that lighter is not always faster even with the same drivers driving in two different weight classes with the same karts at the same track during the same race session. That being said the lighter kart would probably still win just because of starts and restarts. That does not make his lap times faster
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I recall when I switched from Reed Hvy, 330lbs to read open, 290lbs it took a little getting use too.
Not only the extra HP, but the kart was way different. That 40lbs difference was a lot more change then you might suspect. It took me by surprise. I can see a 12% difference (330 tp 375) in weight causing some driving problems. You remove that much weight and that frame is going to start jumping at bumps you never felt before. That’s the way it was with my kart.
 
This is bsp clone class that I'm referring too, as far as level of competition goes the track I'm speaking of is laurens county speedway georgia and just a few weeks ago they hosted the cri pro kart nationals and the same scenario I'm referring to happened that day as well. Sum this up any way you want that should blow your theory of lighter ALWAYS is faster out the water. I run alot of Rwyb races with no weight limits and I always run with a little added weight just for extra grip even though I don't have to, and I do allot of winning that way as well. These are true facts to back up my statement about lighter is not always faster. I don't and won't run any stock pressure washer motor, so I really don't know exactly why this happens in this class but I do have plenty of theories.
 
When Thanksgiving Thunder rolls around, will all the winners be +40 on their weight?
And are all the "Top Dogs" nationwide always running +40?
Inquiring minds want/need to know.
 
If you're 40 lbs overweight, your driving line better be perfect on every lap if you expect to be competitive... especially with good drivers who aren't over weight. Lose your momentum and it's over for you. This is true at any weight, but especially if you're overweight by that much.

I race 40 lbs over in a Senior (over 35) clone class and run competitive lap times when my line is good. When I drive a bad line in a corner and lose momentum, which unfortunately happens frequently, I might as well just wave good bye to the karts in front of me... or pray for a caution! I'm going to lose 30 lbs and see if it helps. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
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