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Hi guys, I want to ask you guys about how to drive a proper Go-kart and the difference between Go-kart and a car, yesterday I drive Go-kart for the 1st time in my life (I'm 23 btw so it's kind of sucks I guess), since I don't think I can't drive the Go-kart properly yet I want to ask you guys with experience in both Go-karts and Cars, How much different is driving the Go-kart? what kind of throttling that it needs for Go-karts and cars to go fast? (some say you have to constantly blip the throttle for go-karts, is it true?)

sorry for such newbie question and for my messed up english, I hope you guys can enlight me

Note: the Go-Kart that I used is the one with accelerator and brake pedals, not the one with sequential or flappy pedal transmission

This post has been edited by D33DO_R32 on Nov 12 2014, 08:07 AM

Going fast on 4 wheels is going to be similar regardless of what you're doing it in. A single speed kart is going to be a lot like an autox course that only requires one gear, you simply don't think about shifting.

Really, you need to focus on a couple big things:

Line choice. If you're not on the right line, you're going to go slower. Doesn't matter what else you're doing right, if your lines are wrong you won't be competitive. Focus on driving the straightest lines possible through the course that allow you the least amount of steering input, but keep in mind that distance traveled should be managed as well. Just because you can go faster on a more open line doesn't mean a couple mph slower on a tighter line won't afford you a few tenths under certain circumstances.

Smoothness. You'll constantly hear that "smooth is fast", and it's 110% true. You'll feel slower when you're not jerking the wheel and applying extra peak Gs to your body, but you're also applying those Gs to the tires, shocking the traction circle. Easing the kart into a corner is going to allow you to build up to peak grip and really feel where it is, and also will keep the kart from getting too loose. The slicks will produce enough grip laterally to act as a good stab of the brakes if you hang the tail out, and at that point you've thrown away that corner for sure, probably the sector, and likely the whole lap as well.

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A lot of the Pros started in Karts, in addition to what spaz said it will also teach you how to pass people on the race line. It is a bit expensive but if its like the local leagues you don't have to worry about gas/tires/maintinence etc. I plan on getting into a local karting league hopefully this winter since I can't knock over cones in parking lots till spring :/

This post has been edited by Grappler on Nov 13 2014, 06:24 AM

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We need to talk about leagues, I'd like to do one too.

Rudy, snappy steering isn't just a kart thing... A properly setup car will have the same instantaneous response. It's way more apples to apples than your post would lead one to believe when we're talking karts to legitimately trackable cars.

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I suck at karts, but I'm decent at tossing a car around a track. I think my built in ballast is probably to blame. Driver weight matters a lot less in a 3000 pound car than on a 150 pound kart. Also karts really aren't supposed to slide, and cars will do that pretty readily. I'm not saying drifting is at all a good idea, but you can't rotate a kart the same way you can with a car. I've tried, and all it does is slow down your engine, due to the reason Spaz mentioned, which usually throws you out of the power band. Sometimes in a kart it's faster to take a wider line to maintain speed than shorten the line at the expense of momentum. 5 horsepower doesn't accelerate very quickly. There's a big budget difference between going to a kart place and doing track days, but at least for me the sensations are very different.

There aren't a whole lot of options up here during the winter its either karts or ice racing. Fixing a car in sub 0 temps is no fun, in fact if the winter beater breaks it goes straight to the junk yard.

Spaz I did some price checking its $30 a night or $220 for the whole league season which is 8 or 9 events.

The powerband and handling reminds me a lot of my Rx8 no tourqe and revs forever handles on flippin rails.

thanks guys, I manage to shave one second from my previous record despite the cold surface (it is like 3 hours after rain and its 19.00), still drive roughly and not smooth yet. need to practice more because I have a race to attend next week.

thanks a lot guys, really appreciate it

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Never be sorry for asking newbie questions! Weve all got to learn somewhere Spazs advice was very solid, and I will agree with him 100%. The principle behind karting and car racing is nearly identical. A few details dont translate perfectly (but nothing every translates perfectly, does it?) But the theory is exactly the same. Slow in, fast out, concentrate on smoothness and line.

If I may continue on what spaz was talking about in regards to smoothness- The best way Ive had it described and like to explain it to people, is string theory for cars (or karts in this situation). Imagine a piece of string is connected between the steering wheel and the pedals, as youre using one, the string tugs on the other and limits how far you can use it. Turning the wheel limits how far down you can push the pedals, so as youve got the wheel turned a lot, you can only push a little on the peals, and as you straight the wheel up you give yourself more string to push the pedal down. You want to transition from one to the other smoothly and proportionately. Generally of course, as with all things theres exceptions (Ie you will encounter corners you can accelerate around at full throttle, but hopefully you get the idea).

Potentially very much so. Most factory cars do a lot to isolate the driver as much as they can from NVH (Noise, vibration, harshness). Not just softer springs/shocks, but the control arms will connect with rubber bushings, and the top of the strut will connect to the car via a big rubber isolator, its not uncommon for steering columns to have a bit of rubber in the center to cut back on road feedback. Lots of things that need to "squish" a bit before they move, to help cut back vibrations and noise. Tires as well play a big role (side walls, pressure, etc). Once you start replacing those things with "harder" bits, youll get a notable difference in how quickly the car responds to inputs. Bushings can be replaced with poly bushings, or even heim joints- You can replace those rubber isolators at the top of your struts with solid mounts (like camber plates). of course youll always have more weight than a kart which will influence reaction time a bit, but ill be damned if you cant get something notably more "crisp" than what a factory car usually has, and get something pretty damn comparable to how a gokart feels.

This post has been edited by sideways on Nov 15 2014, 10:58 PM

just practice again, now on a hotter surface. suffer massive understeer and 2sec slower with average time compared to previous one. oversteer and understeer a lot, need to figure out how to throttle and not to brake during cornering because I often got too wide and loose speed too much

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I actually went karting last night, and wanted to add a few things since it's fresh in my head.

The big thing to do is listen to the engine while you're turning. The absolute fastest laps you will turn are the ones where the only times you hear the engine decelerating are when you're braking. Slow in fast out plays in huge here, where the second you're off the brake you're right back on the throttle. Maybe not all the way, but enough that at worst you're maintaining speed. If you have the wheel turned, are on the throttle, and can hear the motor bogging down (decelerating), you have the wheel turned too far or are not on the gas enough. You should easily be able to feel which it is.

guys tomorrow I will have gokart race, wish me luck guys!! so nervous right now, can't sleep

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Oh, another thing that's the same...

The nervous butterflies. They never really go away until you're on track.

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got pole position and manage to lead..Got through for the next round tomorrow

a little video how I drive:

http://instagram.com/p/vsXbgcA_Fc/

still newbie, thanks a lot for the advice guys

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Congrats man

thank you

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Good work!

Just gotta keep it up and keep learning.

spun off today finished last, braked too hard and too late on the u turn. just got valuable lesson to adjust urself with the vehicle before pushing it

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I wish I could provide a more elaborate answer to this, but yes. Nearly everything you learn will transfer over perfectly fine.

The only go kart I drove are the ones at family fun center. I remember at the starting line I'd just hold on to the brakes and tap the accelerate button to gain that early lead.

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