Go-Kart's Design And Construction

Based On Theoretical And Experimental Findings

By
Ho Yoong Chow
Thesis
submitted
to the Faculty
of
Engineering,
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
As
a partial
fulfillment
of
the
requirement
for
the
Degree
of
Bachelor
of
Engineering
with
Honours
(Mechanical Engineering
and
Manufacturing System)
2001
Acknowledgements
I
would
like to
express my
deepest
appreciation
for those
who
helped
me
in
making
this
paper such a success.
Without their
support and assistance,
this
paper would not
be
completed as
it is
and
in
such short
term.
First
and
foremost,
I
would
like to thank
my supervisor,
Mr. Syed Tarmizi
Syed Shazali,
who
had
provided me a
truly
understanding of scholarship and
support along
this
paper.
Next,
my
fellow
group mates,
Mr. Tan Tang Chin, Mr. Fam Kueh Szue,
and
Mr. Rowdy Ignatius,
who
have been
very cooperative and supportive
to
rne.
I
would
like to
say
thank to
our
CNC laboratory technician, Mr. Masri b.
Zaini
and
Mr. Rhyier
a/k
Juen,
who supplement me
the
skill of operating and
handling the
machine,
tools
and
devices.
By this
opportunity,
I
would also
like to thank Mr. Opec Kadri,
owner and
Managing Director
of
Cosama Sdn Bhd,
and
Mr. Wan Azlan Shah, lecturer
of
Polytechnic Kuching,
who generously provided me with
knowledge for building
a
go-kart.
Finally, I
would also
like to thank
my
family, fellow friends
and
those
involved in
completion of
this
project and
documentation.
Ho Yoong Chow
UNIMAS, 2001
iv
Table Of Contents
Letter
of
Approval
Approval Sheet
Project Title
Acknowledgements
Table
of
Contents
List
of
Figures
List
of
Tables
List
of
Graph
Abstract
Abstrak
1 Introduction
1.1 History
of
Go-Kart
1.2 Go-Kart Today
and
Future
2 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Chassis Design
2.2.1 Frame Construction
2.2.2 Unit-Body Construction
2.2.3 Space Frame Construction
2.3 Platform
2.4 Chassis Materials
2.4.1 Galvanized Steel
2.4.2 High-Strength Steel
2.4.3 Chrome-moly
2.5 Evaluating Go-Kart's Chassis
2.5.1 Chassis Squareness
2.5.2 Length
Pages
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
V.
viii.
X.
XI.
XI1.
1
1
2
4
4
4
5
7
8
8
9
10
10
11
11
11
12
V
2.5.3 Steering Position Alignment
2.5.4 Kart Straightness
2.5.5 Other Jobs
2.6 Basic Go-kart's Chassis Theories
2.6.1 Frame Construction
2.6.2 Side Bite
2.6.3 Torsion Bars
2.6.4 Ackerman Steering
2.6.5 Kingpin Inclination
2.6.6 Spindle
2.6.7 Scrub Radius
2.6.8 Caster
2.6.9 Caster Stagger
2.6.10 Camber
2.6.11 Toe-in
3 Methodology
3.1 Data Collection From Research
3.2 Data Collection From Interview
3.3 Mathematical Analysis
3.4 Chassis Design Generation
3.5 Go-Kart Construction
3.6 Initial Chassis Setup
3.6.1 Chassis Baseline
3.6.2 Chassis Alignment
3.6.3 Initial Setup
3.6.4 Rear Axle
3.6.5 Rear Axle Mounting
3.6.6 Spindle Installation
3.6.7 Front And Side Bumper
3.6.8 Seat Installation
3.6.9 Floor Pan
vi
3.6.10 Weight Distribution
4
*1
3.7 Chassis Material Testing
45
3.8 Evaluation Of The Final Product
47
4 Results And Discussions
48
4.1 Frame Design
48
4.2 Chassis Baseline Measurements
49
4.3 Kingpin Inclination
of
Chassis
53
4.4 Spindle Angle
53
4.5 Scrub Radius
54
4.6 Caster Setting 55
4.7 Caster Stagger 56
4.8 Camber 56
4.9 Weight Distribution 57
4.10 17 Degree Method 59
4.11 Chassis Material Evaluation 60
4.12 Photo Gallery 65
5 Conclusion And Recommendations 71
References
74
Appendices
A-1 Sample Go-Kart Chassis From Specter Racing Chassis
A-2 Sample Technical Drawing
A-3 Go-Kart build by
students of
Polytechnic Kuching
A-4 Go-karts found in Cosama Sdn. Bhd.
A-5 Kart Setup Output
A-6 Tensile Properties For Some Engineering Metals:
Engineering Properties.
A-7 Technical Drawings
of
MechTech-Initial
vii
List Of Figures
Pages
1.1 One
of
karting
pioneer,
Don Boberick
riding
the first 2
Rathmann Xterminator
prototype
kart. (Extracted from
http: //www.
vintagekarts. com)
1.2 Don driving the "Drone"
at
the Rose Bowl
parking
lot 1957.2
(Extracted from http: //www.
vintagekarts. com)
2.1 Ladder frame
of a common vehicle.
(Extracted from
5
Automotive Chassis Systems,
p.
2)
2.2 Perimeter frame
of a common vehicle.
(Extracted from 6
Automotive Chassis Systems,
p.
2)
2.3 (a) Unitized
construction,
the
small
frame
members are
for 7
support of
he
engine and suspension components.
Many
vehicle would attached
the
suspension components
directly
to the
reinforced sections of
the body
and
do
not required
the
rear
frame
section;
(b)
separate
body
and
frame
construction.
(Extracted from Automotive Chassis Systems,
p.
2)
2.4 Torsion bar
of a common car.
17
2.5 Results
of
Ackerman Steering test taken
at various angles of
18
the
steering.
2.6
Common Ackerman
steering of a go-kart.
19
2.7
Kingpin inclination. 20
2.8 Scrub
radius.
21
2.9 Torque
arm caused
by
scrub radius.
22
2.10 Caster Angle. 23
2.11 Camber. 24
2.12 Toe-in. 25
3.1
Sample
chassis
found in Cosama Sdn. Bhd. 27
3.2
Go-kart built by
students of
Polytechnic Kuching. 28
viii
3.3 Kart Data for Windows 95/NT
used
in
calculating
the
weight
29
distribution
on a go-kart.
3.4 Kart Setup by Kyle Davidson. 30
3.5 Designing
software
for
generating
drawing
of
the
new
31
chassis-
AUTOCAD R14.
3.6 Worktable. 32
3.7 The
worktable specially constructed
for building the
chassis.
33
3.8 Process
of
heating
up
the
steel pipe
for bending
process.
34
3.9 Bending
process of
the frame. 34
3.10 Figures
showing steel pipes which
have been
welded
35
together to
make up
the
outer
frame
of
the
chassis.
3.11 Completed frame. 36
3.12 Weight distribution test (without driver). 43
3.13 Weight distribution test (with driver). 43
3.14 17 Degree Method testing. 44
3.15 17 Degree Method testing. 44
3.16 G. I.
pipe
testing
setup.
46
4.1
Spindle Angle.
53
4.2
Caster
angle of
the front
right wheel.
56
4.3 Results
obtained
from Kart Data 2000.58
ix
List Of Tables
Pages
4.1 Weight distribution
of
the
go-kart.
57
4.2 Results
of
17 Degree Method testing. 59
4.3 Result
of
G. I.
pipe
testing. 60
4.4 Modulus
of
Elasticity 61
List Of Graph
Pages
4.1 Deflection
versus
Load. 61
X
Abstract
The best
way
to
evaluate a
functioning
go-kart would
be testing its
performance
under various conditions and points.
Therefore,
a new go-kart called
MechTech-
Initial
was presented
in this
report.
Mech Tech
-Initial
was constructed
based
on
the
common go-kart size
found in the
market
but
with slight
difference in the frame design. MechTech-
Initial's
chassis was
built
using steel pipes,
bent
and welded
together,
with
consideration
to the
position of engine position,
braking
system, steering system,
seat position and many more.
Other
go-kart's components such as engine, seat, steering wheel,
brake
system,
bumper
and wheels are mounted
to the
chassis
to test the
performance.
The
chassis
dimensions
were
taken for further testing
and
future
reference.
Among the tests
applied are weight
distribution
on each wheel, and
17
degree
method.
xi
Abstrak
Cara
yang paling
berkesan
untuk menguji persembahan sebuah
'go-kart'
adalah
dibawah
pelbagai
keadaan dan kedudukan. Maka,
satu
'go-kart'
yang
diberi
nama
MechTech-initial telah dihasilkan
untuk
laporan ini.
Mech Tech- Initial telah dibina berdasarkan
ukuran go-kart yang
lazimnya
dijumpai di
pasaran
dengan
sedikit perbezaan
dalam
rupabentuk rangka.
Cesi
Me
ch
Tech
-Initial
dibina dengan
menggunakan paip-paip
besi
yang
dibengkok
dan dikimpalkan bersama, dengan
mengambilkira
kedudukan
enjin, system
pembrekan, roda steering,
kedudukan kerusi dan
sebagainya.
Komponen-komponen
go-kart yang
lain
seperti engine,
kerusi,
roda
steering,
brek, bampar dan
roda
kemudiannya dipasang ke
atas cesi untuk
menguji persembahannya.
Dimensi
cesi
diambil
secara
teliti
untuk
tujuan kajian lanjutan dan
rujukan
masa
depan. Antara kajian
yang
dijalankan
adalah penyebaran
berat
pada setiap
roda
dan
metod
17 darjah.
X11
1 Introduction
With the
completion of
Sepang International Formula One Circuit,
automobile racing
has become
one of
the
most popular sports among
Malaysian. Consequently,
go-karting
begin to
gain more attention as
there
is
no age
limit to this
sport.
Furthermore,
go-kart nowadays requires very
low investment,
making
it
affordable
by
most people
to
either purchasing
from
public retailer or constructing one
in
a workshop.
1.1 History
of
Go-Kart
Go-kart technology has been
widely
developed
since
the introduction
of
wheels.
But, it
was not
fully implemented in
racing activity until
the
past
three hundred
years
in America. The first
go-kart was simply a cart
consisting of wheels and
handles jointed together
as children pushed
from
behind
when
learning to
walk or a
four-wheeler
platform where children
can sit on
it
while another push
the kart
around.
Go-kart
was
invented in California by Art Ingels
and
Lou Borelli
using
100cc
mower engines and strong steel
frames. Then,
newly
designed karts
were
beginning to
gain popularity
in Britain
around
the
year
1959-, i960. Go-kart has long
existed
in
our world whether used
in
sport or
recreation.
By definition
of
International Karting Commission
-
Federation
International
Automobile (CIK-FIA),
a
kart is defined
as a
land
vehicle with
or without a
bodywork,
with
4
non-aligned wheels
in
contact with
the
I
ground,
two
of which control
the
steering while
the
other
two transmit the
power.
Its
main parts are
the
chassis
(which
consists of a
body frame
work
that is
made up of a set of
bent
steel pipes
that
are welded
together)
with
an engine,
four
wheels and
tyres
attached on
it.
Figure 1.1 One
of
karting
pioneer,
Don Boberick
riding
the
first Rathmann Xterminator
prototype
kart. (Extracted from
http: //www.
vintagekarts. com)
Figure 1.2 Don driving the
"Drone"
at
the Rose Bowl
parking
lot 1957. (Extracted from
http: //www.
vintagekarts. com)
1.2 Go-Kart Today
and
Future
Go-kart
racing
is
a cheaper and smaller way of automobile racing not
forgetting,
a
lot
safer compared
to
other motor racing sports such as
2
Formula One.
Today, go-kart racing
is
not only practiced
by
adult
hut the
younger generation.
Allowing
an early start on
this
sport, as young as
the
age of
5
or
6
years old. would
he beneficial
as
it is the
most suitable period
for them to
gain experience
to be
a professional
driver in the future.
Practicing
on go-karting can properly expose
the driver to the
actual racing
environment,
training them to be
professional motor racer
in
various
competitions such as
Formula One, NASCAR, Indy
racing, and others.
Nowadays,
go-karting
is
as popular as
it has
ever
been
with
continued growth every year, and
the
manufacturers who
have
stayed with
go-kart
industries
are capable
to
stabilize and obtain a promising market.
However, the technology in
go-karting seems
to be
stabilizing at a stage
even
though
minor
improvement
was
done
on
the
performance.
One
of
the
challenges
in improving
go-karting would
be building
more standardized
track for the
growing number of go-kart's
driver.
With
continuous
improvement in
go-kart
industry
whether on go-kart
designs,
equipments, services such as available
tracks,
or
driving
techniques, this
sport would surely obtain a very
high
ranking of popularity
in the
near
future.
2 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
Usualiy
a go-kart
driver
or owner who wants
to improve the handling
of
the
vehicle will purchase
the latest in
wheels,
tyres
and other optional
equipment,
but
end up
finding that those things in fact handles
worse.
The
first
stage
in
achieving a good
handling kart that
will provide
the
greatest
percentage of power efficiency
is to
go right
back to basics.
The
chassis
is the framework
of any vehicle.
The
suspension,
steering, and
drivetrain
components
(such
as engine,
transmission,
and
final drive
components) are mounted
to the
chassis.
The
chassis would
have to be
strong and rigid platform
to
support
the
suspension
components
(James D. Halderman, Chase D. Mitchell, Jr., Automotive
Chassis Systems, 2000,
p.
1). Furthermore, the
constructions of
today's
vehicles require
the
use of many
different
materials.
Chassis
of a go-kart
is
not much
different from
a normal car
chassis,
in fact, it is
much
less
complicated.
The different in
size and
weight make go-kart chassis much easier
to design
and construct.
2.2 Chassis Design
A typical dictionary definition
of chassis usually
includes terms
such as
framework
on which
the body
or working parts of a vehicle, radio or
4
television
are
built (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary,
p.
190). There
are
three basic designs
used
today: frame,
unit-body, and space
frame
construction.
2.2.1 Frame Construction
The frame
construction usually consists of channel-shaped steel
beams
welded and/or
fastened together. The frame (chassis)
of a vehicle will
supports all
the `running
gear' mounted on
it, including the
engine,
transmission,
rear axle assembly
(if
rear-wheel
drive),
and all
the
suspension components.
The type
of
frame
construction
that is
referred
to
as
full frame, is
so
complete
that
most
karts
can usually
be driven
without
the body.
Terms
and
label
of
different kind
of
frame
are as
follows:
Ladder Frame
This type
of
frame is
common
for the type
of perimeter
frame
where
the
transversely (lateral)
connected members are straight across.
Figure 2.1
show as a
ladder frame
sample where viewed with
the body
removed.
The
frame
resembled a
ladder
viewed
from top.
Figure 2.1 Ladder frame
of a common vehicle.
(Extracted from Automotive Chassis Systems,
p.
2)
5
Perimeter Frame
This type
of
frame
consists of welded or riveted
frame
members around
the
entire perimeter of
the body (Figure 2.2). The frame
members will
provide support underneath
the
sides as well as
for the
suspension and
suspension components.
::
Figure 2.2 Perimeter frame
of a common vehicle.
(Extracted from Automotive Chassis Systems,
p.
2)
Stub-Type Frame
Stub-type frame (Figure 2.3) is
a partial
frame
often used on unit-body
vehicle, a
type
of vehicle construction,
first
used
by the Budd Company
of
Troy, Michigan, that does
not use a separate
frame. The body is built
strong enough
to
support
the
engine and
the
power
train,
as well as
the
suspension and steering system.
The
outside
body
panels are part of
the
structure
(James D. Halderman, Chase D. Mitchell, Jr., Automotive
Chassis Systems. 2000,
p.
495)] to
support
the
power
train
and
suspension components.
It is
also called cradle.
6
I. i
Figure 2.3 (a) Unitized
construction,
the
small
frame
members are
for
support of
the
engine and suspension components.
Many
vehicle would
attached
the
suspension components
directly to the
reinforced sections of
the body
and
do
not required
the
rear
frame
section;
(b)
separate
body
and
frame
construction.
(Extracted from Automotive Chassis Systems,
p.
2)
2.2.2 Unit-Body Construction
Unit-body
construction
(sometimes
referred as unibody)
is designed in
such a way
that the body is
combined with
the
structure of
the frame. The
body itself
supports
the
engine and
driveline
components, as well as
the
7
suspension and steering components.
The body is
composed of many
individual
stamped steel panels welded
together.
The
strength of
this type
of construction
lines is in the
shape of
the
assembly.
The
arrangement of parts
to be jointed
or
formed
not only
provides sufficient strength
to
withstand
high
stress
but
also
the
stability of
the
vehicle
during
any performances.
The typical
vehicle uses
300
separate and
different
stamped steel panes
that
are spot-welded
to form
a
vehicle's
body.
2.2.3 Space Frame Construction
Space frame
construction
is
a
type
of vehicle construction
that
uses
the
structure of
the body to
support
the
engine and
drivetrain
as well as
the
steering and suspension.
The
outside
body
panels are non-structural
(James D. Halderman, Chase D. Mitchell, Jr., Automotive Chassis
Systems, 2000,
p.
494)]
consists of
formed
sheet steel used
to
construct a
framework for the
entire vehicle.
The
vehicle using
this type
of
framework
is drivable
without
the body. It
would only uses plastic or steel panels
to
cover
the
steel
framework.
2.3 Platform
The
platform of any vehicle
is its basic
size and shape.
Various
vehicles of
different
makes can share with same platform and,
therefore,
many of
the
same
drivetrain
and suspension and steering components.
8
A
platform of a unit-body vehicle
includes
all major sheet-metal
components
that form the load-bearing
structure of
the
vehicle, which
include the front
suspension and engine supporting sections.
The
area
separating
the
engine compartment
from the
passenger's seat
is
variously
called
bulkhead.
cowl panel,
dash
panel, or
firewall. The height
and
location
of
this bulkhead
panel
to
a
large degree determine the
shape of
the
rest of
the
vehicle.
Other
components of vehicle platform
design that
affect
handling
and ride are
the track
and wheelbase of
the
vehicle
the track
of a vehicle
is
the distance between the
wheels, as viewed
from the front
or rear.
A
wide-
track
vehicle
is
a vehicle with a wide wheel stance;
this increases the
stability of
the
vehicle especially when cornering.
The
wheelbase of
the
vehicle
is the distance between the
centre of
the
front
wheel and
the
centre of
the
rear wheel, as viewed
from the
side.
Vehicle
with a
long
wheelbase
tends to
ride smoother
than
vehicle with a short wheelbase
(James D. Halderman, Chase D. Mitchell, Jr., Automotive Chassis
Systems. 2000,
p.
3).
2.4 Chassis Materials
Most
of
the
automotive components and parts are made of cast
iron,
such
as
brake drums
and rotors, spindles, engine
blocks,
and many other
components
including fasteners. There
are
different types
of steel
for
each
component, which requires
different
strengths and characteristic
from the
9
material.
The
amount of carbon
in
steel
is the
most
important
point
in
determining the
strength,
hardness,
and machining characteristics.
2.4.1 Galvanized Steel
Galvanized
steel
is
steel with zinc coating which could protect
the
steel
from
corrosion
(rust). Another type
of rust-resistance steel
includes
zincrometal, which
is
a
two-coat bake-on
system using chromium oxide
and zinc.
2.4.2 High-Strength Steel
High-strength
steel
(HSS) has been introduced
widely since
the
mid-
1970s,
as many car and
light truck
parts
have been built
with
it. Application
of
HSS is
commonly
in the
sill area under
the doors
where
high
strength
is
required, yet
lightweight is
needed.
Other
applications
in
vehicles are
in
the bumper
supports and
impact beams in doors.
HSS is
very
hard, but heating
causes
it to lose
much of
its
strength.
High-strength
steel
is low-carbon
alloy steel which consists of various
amounts of carbon, silicon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and manganese
(Kalpakjian, Manufacturing Engineering
and
Technology, 1995,
p.
166).
Body
repair
technicians
should always
follow
manufacturers'
recommended procedures
to
avoid weakening
the
structure of
the body.
1O
2.5.2 Length
Equalizing both
sides'
dimensions
of
the
chassis
length is
very
important.
It
can
be done by heating the front
axle and
twist the top
of
the king
pin
with
the
greatest
lean back to
a more upright position
to
match
the
other
side.
2.5.3 Steering Position Alignment
The
next step would
be
aligning
the
steering position.
Firstly, the
rims of
the front
wheels must
be
machined so
that the inner
and outer
diameters
on
both
wheels are all exactly
the
same size.
Then, it is
possible
to
use a
straight edge
to
check
the front
wheel alignment.
Centralizing the
steering should
be done
so as
to have the kart
steering evenly
in both directions,
and
tracking
well
in
a straight
line.
The
steering shaft
in
most modern
karts is
offset
to the brake
side
of
the kart. With the
wheels
fitted, it is
necessary
to find the difference from
the
centre of
the
steering shaft at
the
steering yoke
to the inside
of each
front
wheel
level
with
the
steering arm on
the kingpin. This
amount of
offset should
then be built into the tie
rods when
the
steering yoke
is
at
bottom dead
center
(idea
quoted
from http: //akrweb.
com/karting).
Then,
the toe in
and
toe
out
desired
can
be
adjusted
by
equa;
ly lengthening
or
shortening
both tie
rods.
However, the
straight edge should
first being
placed across
the
machined wheels
to
check
that both
are set on
the
same amount of camber
before
setting
the toe in. Front
wheel alignment
should only
be done if the
camber
is
equal and at
the desired
angle.
12
2.5.4 Kart Straightness
The kart
should
be
check
if it is twisted. With the kart
positioned on a
flat
floor,
place
the
wheels and
tyres back
on
the kart
and with
the tyres
correctly
inflated, then
using a set of scales
lift
each
front
wheel
by
hooking the
scale
hook
around
the king
pin.
Then
spin
the
wheel
lifted
and
slowly
lower the kart
until
the
wheel
touches the floor
and note
the
amount
of
lift
needed at
the
point of contact.
Each
side of
the kart
should require
the
same amount of
lift. If this is
not
the
case,
the
chassis
is twisted. To
correct
the
situation, place
the
rear wheel on
the
same side, as
the kart is
light
at
the front
and with someone standing on
the
opposite rear wheel
twist the light front
side of
the kart down. This
should
be
repeated until
the
both front
wheels carry
the
same amount of weight.
Once the front is
even
the back
will also
be
even
(idea
quoted
from http: //arkweb.
com/karting).
The
rear axle should
be
check
if it is located
central
to the
chassis.
Firstly, try
centering off
the
chassis
tubes
and
then
checking
the
axle
diagonally
with
the tops
of
the king
pins
to
check
if the
chassis runs out of
line in the
centre.
If fault
was
found
with
the diagonal
check
in the
chassis,
it is best
simply offset
the
axle slightly.
Once this is done, the
ends of
the
rear axle can
be
used accurately
for
setting
the
position of
the
rear
hubs.
2.5.5 Other Jobs
With
all
the
previous
4 jobs done,
some other minor activities should
then
be
carried out.
First
clean and oil every
bearing
and moving
the
chassis
where necessary
by
removing
it from the
chassis.
Make
sure each moving
13
part
is in
good condition or otherwise, replace
it if doubtful. Make
sure
that
all
king
pin
bearings,
steering shaft
bearings, tie
rod ends, wheel
bearings
and axle
bearings have
a good
fit
and not sloppy.
Finally,
check
the kart
for
any cracks and repair where necessary
before
putting everything
back
together.
Once
all
the
steps
have been
completed,
think
about setting up
for
a particular class
to help
setting
the
engine requirement.
2.6 Basic Go-kart's Chassis Theories
'lt is the
responsibility of each
karter to determine his
own requirements.
It
is
also
the karters
responsibility
to
stay within
the
sprit and
intent
of
the
rules of
the
organization
in
which
he
will
be
participating.
'(Brian Martin,
Go-kart Racing- Chassis Setup, 2000)
Setting
up a good go-kart chassis requires not only
the knowledge
of
basic
theories but
also
from
past experiences.
Theories
will
help beginners in
setting
their first
go-kart
but
experiences would
help further improve it.
Some
of
the
chassis
theories
will
be discuss in the following
section.
2.6.1 Frame Construction
The
most
important
aspect
in the frame
of a go-kart would
be its flexibility,
as
it is
most crucial
during
cornering
in
a race.
The flexibility
of
the frame
can
be
achieved either
by
using a particular
type
of material such as
Chrome-moly,
or perhaps
just by
proper
design.
14
Some flexibility is
good
for
a go-kart and even makes setting up
easier,
but
over
the time the frame
may not rebound
back to its
original
condition.
According to
most chassis
builder,
current
frames in the
market
are only good
for
about
18
months
before
replacement
is
needed.
Racing
on
the
same
track
week after week would cause
the frame to take
a set,
which
diminishes its flexibility. One
of
the
easiest ways
to
alleviate
this
condition
is by
running several
laps in
a
backward direction
on
the
same
track.
2.6.2 Side Bite
Site bite is the
ability of
the
go-kart
to
stay stuck on
the track
without
sliding when going around a corner.
With the
correct amount of side
bite,
the
go-kart would unload
the inside
rear
tyre
when
taking
a corner which
will reduce
the
effect of scrubbing
the tyres. However, too
much side
bite
would cause a
hop
or
bicycle
around
the
corner or scrub off so much
speed causing
the
engine will
bog down. On the
other
hand, too little
side
bite
will cause
the kart to be loose.
The design
of
the
go-kart
frame itself has
a
lot to do
with
how
much
side
bite it has. One
good
indication is by
measuring
the
width of
the
rear
frame
rails.
A
narrow
kart
would measure
24" to 25"
while a wider
kart has
27" to 28",
measured at
the
center of
the frame
rails
Side bite is
also affected
by frame
stiffness.
The frame is
essentially
a series of
torsions bars
welded
together. The
shorter
the bars
and
the
more
triangulation, the
stiffer
the frame
will
be. The frames flexibility
can
15