Track Tac

Where to start

J

Jblundon

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Where do you start for a set up for a kart switching it from dirt to asphalt I am new to racing and have no idea where to start
 
Typically start by changing tires. Chassis adjustments will depend a lot on what type of dirt track you ran on previously. A real hard, grippy track you may not need to make many changes. Odds are you will need more left.
 
also more air pressure. Asphalt tires range from 8 to 16 pounds pressure. 10-12 is a typical place to start.
 
Jblundon said:
Where do you start for a set up for a kart switching it from dirt to asphalt I am new to racing and have no idea where to start
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Camber/caster will be different. Thin wall axle, more nose, less left, same cross, small lr wheel (same as LF on dirt). What tires you plan on running ? We mainly run 6-8 left sides 8-10 rights.
 
Gary10 is right...correct tires, 10/12 psi (much more than dirt), your dirt set up may be super close, probably a little loose. I've had 2 karts from Capital that didn't require much at all to run KGS after I bought them
 
BTW-
we run small left side tires/ wheels front and rear rather than the staggered sizes on the left, so you might be looking at a wheel purchase too
 
Spotteddawg - any recommendations on camber/caster/toe in or out for KGS? I just bought my son a jr champ kart to run out there from Mr. and Mrs. Pool, and I have no clue as to how to set this thing up. I have never done anything like this before so karting is all brand new. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
i BRIEFLY ran a champ there, all flat karts now, and set it up like this:
52% left, 46% nose, 54% cross
Caster -7 L -11R, Camber .5 L -2.25 R
1/16 toe out
Stagger 1 1/2 " front, 3/4" rear
Yellow Vegas 10 psi L, 12 psi R
Have fun with it! See you out there!
 
ramskat said:
Thank you!! I think I understand everything except "stagger". What do you mean by stagger?
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measure the circumference of both rear tires, or the fronts, and the difference is called "stagger". I.e. if the right side tire measures 34" in circumference, and the left tire measures 33" in circumference, the stagger is 1 inch. In theory, ideally, because the inside tire is rolling on a smaller diameter circle than the outside tire, you would like to match the stagger to the difference in rolling distance.

For instance; if the turn radius is 50', the inside tire is rolling on a line, theoretically, 157.08' long, while the outside tire is rolling on a line 165.915 long. If the outside tire is 34 inches in circumference, the inside tire would need to be 32.19 inches in circumference to match. By match I mean both tires are rolling, not one rolling and the other sliding. The width of the tires, center to center, will make a difference. If the track has banking in the turns, this can also make a difference. Being as there is no chance of measuring the exact line the tires are traveling, stagger calculations are all theoretical, a place to start. Lap times always tell you when you have found the best stagger. It's called tuning, and tuning is tough! (Al Nunley)

I think the calculations will get you much closer than somebody who was never seen the track. The thing with calculating stagger is this, you need to know the radius of the turns.
 
ramskat- get one of those real thin tape measures, or a seamstress tape, and measure the circumfrence of your tires...all 4. write it on the inside sidewall with a sharpie. We don't do a lot of tire work at KGS, so for all practical purposes your stagger ifalls under the category of "it is what it is". Basically: put the smallest circumfrence Left side tire on the front along with the largest circumfrence Rightside up front. Put your largest Left tire on the rear along with the smallest right side. You might be surprised at how close you come to my numbers, 'cuz thats how I ended up there- and its pretty close to what everyone else ends up at that inflation. Alvin, those numbers came off a kart that was in fact a track champion at that track, so I've not only seen it I've driven the dawgpoop out of it
 
BTW, my freinds and I pit next to Mr Pool's parts trailer- stop by if you need anything. I'm running the blue flat karts
 
It would have been nice if you had said so. Still, people win races with the wrong stagger all the time. 3/4", in my stagger spreadsheet, it says you are on a very big track, at least one with large radius corners. Assuming your RR tire is 34 inches in circumference, with 3/4" stagger, your LR tire is 33 1/4". My stagger spreadsheet says that stagger would be right for a turn radius of 123'. That would be the theoretical radius of the line the LR tire travels. That's 246 feet across the infield. And that's with no banking. Banking would change those numbers.

If the radius of your track is not that big, I'm going to guess you could pick up some time with a different stagger.
 
Al, he asked me in particular because he knew that I raced there. In fact, I think I'm somewhat familiar with the kart he bought. I think the impact of stagger on straight line speed (more stagger= more bind=less straight line speed) , and the ability of the kart to free up the left rear mid corner, is what creates the variance in what you see as the ideal stagger and what seems to produce fastest lap times. For what it's worth, for me at this particular track, front stagger seems more important than rear. thoughts?
 
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