If you really want to go into the details on this one, always add your ballast as close to your center of gravity as possible. It makes the kart more responsive to direction change than having weight too far out, due to inertia effects. Think of it as holding a weight to your chest and then trying to turn your upper body vs. holding that same weight out with stretched arms and turning your upper body. The latter will take much more effort, due to the increased arm. Those weights you are bolting onto the chassis under the steering column will probably hurt your handling. I always work with seat position first to get the correct ratio and then add any required ballast to the sides of the seat, as close to CoG as possible.
Hi Derek, great videos! A suggestion before buying the scales, I would recommend weighing yourself on all 4 in the shop to see if they are the same. When I went to buy $20 scale, all 4 were gave me slightly different weights by up to 2kg between the 4
Thanks for the tips! I did notice a small variation. what you can do if you are super keen, you can rotate the kart 180 degrees and re weigh the kart, which I didn't show in the video. also helps rule out any inconsistency in floor levels
I'm watching videos trying to demystify seat placement and this awesome video seems to offer a different perspective. I'm about to install a new seat into my very first kart (Arrow X5). Being 97kg in the buff and 6'3", am I right to say "forget about weight distribution and position the seat as far back as needed to fit in the kart" then add lead to fix the weight distribution? I'd rather avoid having to spend another $400 for the pedal extension kit if I can. Thanks for all the great content.
for you height I would reckon you should save some extra and lash out on the foot extension. it will be more comfortable and help with weight distribution IMO
@@PowerRepublic thanks, I appreciate your advice. I installed the seat today using your technique and along with readjusting the pedals and heel rest, it feels ok to at least get started but I'll keep the extension kit in mind as my skills improve to the point of needing to focus on balance and inside wheel lift.
It is called weight distribution according to the kid's weight. Is not to make him slower, is actually to make him sharper in the turns, he might lose a bit of acceleration but it worth it.
@PowerRepublic Question my friend. When I go thru this exercise I note that a small input on the steering wheel can quickly effect front left and right weigh distribution. ( which is a good think for a go kart of course) The question is should I tweak the steering wheel to balanced the front? No impacted?
Yes correct, the steering does impact the readings. Try to balance the front end, even slap your sniper laser levels on the stubs first to make sure your wheels are straight ahead. Write down the results. Then lift the kart and rotate it 180 degrees and repeat the process. This should give you a better idea of your overall situation. I will say, that using bathroom scales is not an exact science, more of a ball park experience. Good luck and let me know how you go
Hi. I tried this with bathroom digital scales. I tested the scales using a control weight and they were good. But when I put the kart on them I get a different reading every time I lifted and placed it back down. Just couldn’t get an accurate reading. Any thoughts? Each one always have a different reading, but with the control weight everything was fine.
yeah it is not as accurate as the digital version. also too if the tyre pessures are different or the steering angle is off slightly will change the out come
We race in the low-power lo206 class, and we are constantly having problems with the rear binding up because the tires have too much grip for the motor. The more weight we can get forward the better. Our alien who is walking away from the championship is a smaller guy who has 18kgs of sheet lead bolted to his floor pan under the seat. He's got almost a 50/50 front-rear split and is .3" clear of the field most days.
Hey Carlos, not sure on that, I could have moved the scales or the steering wheel to compensate. I have to admit that it wasn't a perfect set up for the video due to time constraints, mostly just an example of what you could do. hope that didn't throw you off.
Don’t forget that it’s critical to have your front end setup as you will be running and to have the steering centred when measuring the corner weights, they can change massively due to jacking forces. Also, are there any F/R% balance recommendations for rookie and cadet karts with narrower rear tyres?
Thanks Mr Nismo, I agree with the steering geometry and centring. Sorry I should have mentioned that as well. For the Cadets we use close to 50/50 split if they are using the same width tyres.
@@PowerRepublic yeah I figured it should be closer to 50/50, that’s what I’ve always assumed for (it’s tough to be able to mount enough lead up front to achieve that though haha)
yeah other than that you have to move the seat forwards. Play around with it, everyone is different and sometimes to much weight forwards will create too much oversteer not matter the weight split percentage.
Hope this isn't a silly question but I presume if you measure the weight like this and then added all the 4 measurements up (all 4 scales) then it should add up to the total weight of kart plus driver as if you had weighed it on a large roll on weighing device (like what we all use at a track). Is that correct?
Did I miss something, does the left and right need to be even weight the same weight then you have the 57/43front and rear. It looks like your left and right is slightly off even does that matter
hey Jordy, yeah that's right. the Tony kart in this video has offset seat up rights which places the driver a little off centre to the brake side. this helps counter the engine weight. 50/50 across the kart (or as close as you could get it) is ideal with a weight bias 43%F / 57%R as a good starting point
Yo Derek, thank you for the information. I have moved my seat more to the left (away from the engine). now I have the seat on the side of the brake pedal at 61.5 cm and the accelerator at 62.0 cm. from the top of the seat to the rear axle at 22 cm. is this a bit correct (I'm driving a Tony kart)? And what is the easiest way to change the width at the front wheels (and what effect does this have)? greeting from the Netherlands
Sup Jordy, 62cm is a bit close for most people, did you check the weight split with scales? I think most karts here are close to 63.5cm from the front. and about 19.5-21.0cm from the axle, but what ever works for you. Stay tuned next week as we have a great idea how to change your seat position while you are at the track.....
@@PowerRepublic thank you for the quick response. I am only a short person (1.71m & 77kg). I found these sizes online suitable for Tony Kart. what is the advantage if I would move the chair further back? And what is the advantage if the seat is shorter on the rear axle
@@jordyschoenmakers as you go back you should get better acceleration grip (rear weight bias). But if you don’t have that problem I wouldn’t change it . If your kart is balanced then you are good to go, wether the seat is forward or backwards relative to other people or specs.
Hi Mike, great question. yes equal across the kart is better if you can achieve it. Perfect level floor, perfect scales and a perfect kart is required for the perfect read out. Also too if the steering is not perfect centered it can throw out the corners by a KG or 2. However, if you just want a quick front to rear split you can add them up like we did in the video.
Great video but more or less for light drivers if you do a video with the seat position to get optimal weight distribution using the seat position.. and using no weights. For example for heavy classes.. would be great..
Great suggestion! and yes Dan is correct, you would have to move your seat forwards or backwards which would be a bit of trial and error. also to some of the engine accessories could be moved forwards or backwards to solve some weight issues
Id probably need 20kg to make my kart race legal with me on board. Im about 54kg. I wonder if adding weight would improve the grip on corners, and if that extra speed in corners would improve lap times even with slower acceleration out of corners.
@@PowerRepublic Don't remind me ! For Briggs Masters . My weight was about 135 lbs .Added 65 lbs to make minimum weight ! Even had to use 5 lbs of soft weight in each pocket ! For what ended up being my final race. I made sure I qualified last and pulled all the weight for the final ! After 4 seasons of extra weight WOW what a difference! Kept pushing my luck on a downhill straight after a right turn .Kept putting left tires on paint and the lack of weight grip led to a off track excursion 😀😁 !
@@StrahleMann9 that's what I mean, with no one in the seat the engine side should surely be heavier, in fact anyone who's lifted a kart on a trolley knows that!
Wait, (get it?) so you guys don't concern yourself with cross weight like we do on cars? Seems pretty crucial considering the lack of suspension. I guess there's not much you can do to adjust it like on a car with coilovers, assuming the chassis is true. I might even argue that if the chassis measures true, but if your corner balancing shows the crossweight is jacked up, it might be worth tweaking the chassis to get that crossweight more towards 50%. After all, all that matters is how the tires press into the ground at the end of the day.
If you really want to go into the details on this one, always add your ballast as close to your center of gravity as possible. It makes the kart more responsive to direction change than having weight too far out, due to inertia effects. Think of it as holding a weight to your chest and then trying to turn your upper body vs. holding that same weight out with stretched arms and turning your upper body. The latter will take much more effort, due to the increased arm. Those weights you are bolting onto the chassis under the steering column will probably hurt your handling.
I always work with seat position first to get the correct ratio and then add any required ballast to the sides of the seat, as close to CoG as possible.
Thanks for the feedback. and thanks heaps ro tuning in and watching the videos
Hi Derek, great videos! A suggestion before buying the scales, I would recommend weighing yourself on all 4 in the shop to see if they are the same. When I went to buy $20 scale, all 4 were gave me slightly different weights by up to 2kg between the 4
Thanks for the tips! I did notice a small variation. what you can do if you are super keen, you can rotate the kart 180 degrees and re weigh the kart, which I didn't show in the video. also helps rule out any inconsistency in floor levels
Great work. You all go into more detail than can be found on any subject. Thanks. I like and subscribe.
Thanks heaps for tuning in, subscribing and sharing the videos
Absolutely love your videos. I have learnt so much in a short period, thank you and keep up the great work!
Hey Allen, thanks heaps for tuning in.
Your videos are simply amazing, keep up with the hard work. All the Best from Paris, France :)
Bonjour Andrei, thank you for tuning in. hope you guys are all safe over there and getting your racing on this summer!
Derek is working hard on these videos, thanks buddy! 👍
Cheers legend !
I'm watching videos trying to demystify seat placement and this awesome video seems to offer a different perspective.
I'm about to install a new seat into my very first kart (Arrow X5).
Being 97kg in the buff and 6'3", am I right to say "forget about weight distribution and position the seat as far back as needed to fit in the kart" then add lead to fix the weight distribution?
I'd rather avoid having to spend another $400 for the pedal extension kit if I can.
Thanks for all the great content.
for you height I would reckon you should save some extra and lash out on the foot extension. it will be more comfortable and help with weight distribution IMO
@@PowerRepublic thanks, I appreciate your advice. I installed the seat today using your technique and along with readjusting the pedals and heel rest, it feels ok to at least get started but I'll keep the extension kit in mind as my skills improve to the point of needing to focus on balance and inside wheel lift.
Great explaining! Cheers! I read you also have to consider having a 50/50 left/right distribution but you haven't tailles about it
thanks for watching, yes that's correct, they should be approx 50/50 across the kart
It is called weight distribution according to the kid's weight. Is not to make him slower, is actually to make him sharper in the turns, he might lose a bit of acceleration but it worth it.
yeah the balance of the kart. check it and then drive it. adjust forwards or backwards after that depending on your feeling
Hey Des, what about the height of the weight on the back of the seat. Better to be higher or lower?
Super informative Dezzy, something I have always wanted to do but never done.
thanks Nick, yeah it is surprising to see and easy to do. get some, love to know what the KZ rear weight bias is? PS did you get some FAST Adjusters?
@@PowerRepublic I would but I currently don't own a kart mate! haha
@PowerRepublic Question my friend. When I go thru this exercise I note that a small input on the steering wheel can quickly effect front left and right weigh distribution. ( which is a good think for a go kart of course) The question is should I tweak the steering wheel to balanced the front? No impacted?
Yes correct, the steering does impact the readings. Try to balance the front end, even slap your sniper laser levels on the stubs first to make sure your wheels are straight ahead. Write down the results.
Then lift the kart and rotate it 180 degrees and repeat the process.
This should give you a better idea of your overall situation.
I will say, that using bathroom scales is not an exact science, more of a ball park experience.
Good luck and let me know how you go
Hi. I tried this with bathroom digital scales. I tested the scales using a control weight and they were good.
But when I put the kart on them I get a different reading every time I lifted and placed it back down.
Just couldn’t get an accurate reading. Any thoughts?
Each one always have a different reading, but with the control weight everything was fine.
yeah it is not as accurate as the digital version. also too if the tyre pessures are different or the steering angle is off slightly will change the out come
We race in the low-power lo206 class, and we are constantly having problems with the rear binding up because the tires have too much grip for the motor. The more weight we can get forward the better. Our alien who is walking away from the championship is a smaller guy who has 18kgs of sheet lead bolted to his floor pan under the seat. He's got almost a 50/50 front-rear split and is .3" clear of the field most days.
yeah the low powered classes are a bit like that. Have you checked out the 'Fast Adjuster" video?
@@PowerRepublic Those look rad. Looks like it might raise the seat a bit no? I'm 6'2" so I have to run my seat as low as I can get it.
Nah not at all. You can still get your seat below the rails if you need to
Are you guys running the softest axle, cut, with the shortest hubs?
@@helmetculture I'm on an OTK, so running a 50mm. I run the medium hardnes, standard length
Good to know. Great information. Thank you 👍👍👍
Glad it was helpful!
Derek, great video! Is the chassis bent? There is a 5kg difference between the front right>left. Just curious. Thanks man
Hey Carlos, not sure on that, I could have moved the scales or the steering wheel to compensate. I have to admit that it wasn't a perfect set up for the video due to time constraints, mostly just an example of what you could do. hope that didn't throw you off.
Don’t forget that it’s critical to have your front end setup as you will be running and to have the steering centred when measuring the corner weights, they can change massively due to jacking forces. Also, are there any F/R% balance recommendations for rookie and cadet karts with narrower rear tyres?
Thanks Mr Nismo, I agree with the steering geometry and centring. Sorry I should have mentioned that as well. For the Cadets we use close to 50/50 split if they are using the same width tyres.
@@PowerRepublic yeah I figured it should be closer to 50/50, that’s what I’ve always assumed for (it’s tough to be able to mount enough lead up front to achieve that though haha)
yeah other than that you have to move the seat forwards. Play around with it, everyone is different and sometimes to much weight forwards will create too much oversteer not matter the weight split percentage.
I got a problem with my rotax 125 getting the fuel out of the gas tank to the engine idk it’s my time have a go kart
you mean it the fuel pump isn't pumping?
Hope this isn't a silly question but I presume if you measure the weight like this and then added all the 4 measurements up (all 4 scales) then it should add up to the total weight of kart plus driver as if you had weighed it on a large roll on weighing device (like what we all use at a track). Is that correct?
Nah that is correct as a rough idea of total weight. then check at the local track you are racing at
Great video, did it on mine one yesterday, thanks a lot
Thanks for tuning in. Glad it helped, pretty simple job really.
@@PowerRepublic yes it is, came up 60% 40%
At least now when I go on track the only reason for not going fast is the driver 😃
@@alessandrodintino4434 yeah well blaming the driver , that won't get you very far LOL
@@PowerRepublic 😂😂, have lots of things to learn and your tutorial videos are great 👊🏼🤙🏼
May know what will be the default weight distribution for a start. 50/50?
do we make 25% weight distribution to all 4 tires?
43front 57 rear to start or close too. and even split across the kart. hope that helps and thanks for watching !
Did I miss something, does the left and right need to be even weight the same weight then you have the 57/43front and rear. It looks like your left and right is slightly off even does that matter
Happy new year Kenny. front/rear should be split 43/57 and the even left and right close as you can ( normally 1-2kg’s )
I think it should be the opposite : When you move the center of mass backward, the kart should have more tendency to oversteer right???
No
what's the best way to add weight to the left or right at the front ? mostly left to balance engine weight
use some lead if you can, otherwise you would have to angle your seat forwards
@@PowerRepublic hi thanks . i meant how to mount the lead ?
@@robinafandale bolt it to the front of the chassis on the steering column support stay (between your ankles)
What about the weight ratio between left and right. since the motor is quite heavy on one side?
hey Jordy, yeah that's right. the Tony kart in this video has offset seat up rights which places the driver a little off centre to the brake side. this helps counter the engine weight. 50/50 across the kart (or as close as you could get it) is ideal with a weight bias 43%F / 57%R as a good starting point
Yo Derek, thank you for the information. I have moved my seat more to the left (away from the engine). now I have the seat on the side of the brake pedal at 61.5 cm and the accelerator at 62.0 cm. from the top of the seat to the rear axle at 22 cm. is this a bit correct (I'm driving a Tony kart)? And what is the easiest way to change the width at the front wheels (and what effect does this have)? greeting from the Netherlands
Sup Jordy, 62cm is a bit close for most people, did you check the weight split with scales? I think most karts here are close to 63.5cm from the front. and about 19.5-21.0cm from the axle, but what ever works for you. Stay tuned next week as we have a great idea how to change your seat position while you are at the track.....
@@PowerRepublic thank you for the quick response. I am only a short person (1.71m & 77kg). I found these sizes online suitable for Tony Kart. what is the advantage if I would move the chair further back? And what is the advantage if the seat is shorter on the rear axle
@@jordyschoenmakers as you go back you should get better acceleration grip (rear weight bias). But if you don’t have that problem I wouldn’t change it . If your kart is balanced then you are good to go, wether the seat is forward or backwards relative to other people or specs.
Hey Derek. What weight % do you recommend for KZ? Thank you.
Hey Gary, I reckon as much as 60/40 would be helpful to get the back tyres to grip. are you chewing through fronts more than rears, or vice verse??
@@PowerRepublic I would say definitely more wear to the rear. Thanks
How mportant is it to have both fronts equal and both rears equal?
Hi Mike, great question. yes equal across the kart is better if you can achieve it. Perfect level floor, perfect scales and a perfect kart is required for the perfect read out. Also too if the steering is not perfect centered it can throw out the corners by a KG or 2. However, if you just want a quick front to rear split you can add them up like we did in the video.
@@PowerRepublic thank you.
Do you guys sell these tyre covers? I can’t see them on your web shop? Cheers
you have to get them directly from OGlove
Whats the purpose for the Tyre covers on there??
They are to keep the air off your tyres. Also to you can mark the lap usage on them with a texta/marker pen
what if you are over the weight limit how would you balance the kart?
In the gym
mostly with seat adjustment forwards and backwards. check these out.....
fastadjusters.com.au
Great video but more or less for light drivers if you do a video with the seat position to get optimal weight distribution using the seat position.. and using no weights. For example for heavy classes.. would be great..
Yes would love this being a heavier driver! 👌
Process is the same, but you don’t have any ballast to work with, and the seat can only move forward and back.
Great suggestion! and yes Dan is correct, you would have to move your seat forwards or backwards which would be a bit of trial and error. also to some of the engine accessories could be moved forwards or backwards to solve some weight issues
Thanks
No worries Ben
Id probably need 20kg to make my kart race legal with me on board. Im about 54kg. I wonder if adding weight would improve the grip on corners, and if that extra speed in corners would improve lap times even with slower acceleration out of corners.
Hey Chris, it might add grip. are you going to be racing soon?
@@PowerRepublic not as soon as id like. Tracks are open but im busy...
Yeah boi. Get out there. 20kg’s is heaps. Put it on slowly and feel it out
Any dirt cart information.
No so much, I haven’t that much experience with them Broski
Thanks super helpful
hello where can i find the tire covers you show in this video?
www.oglove.shop
Interesting...little tech 👍
Thanks for watching 😎
nice video !
Thanks legend, appreciate the positive vibes YO!
Why do you put weight on when you are already to heavy?
hey Kai, there is a minimum weight you are allowed for each class. if you are under the minimum you need to add lead to get to the weight.
@@PowerRepublic
Yes I know.
but you weigh already 160 kg
@@PowerRepublic Don't remind me ! For Briggs Masters . My weight was about 135 lbs .Added 65 lbs to make minimum weight ! Even had to use 5 lbs of soft weight in each pocket ! For what ended up being my final race. I made sure I qualified last and pulled all the weight for the final ! After 4 seasons of extra weight WOW what a difference! Kept pushing my luck on a downhill straight after a right turn .Kept putting left tires on paint and the lack of weight grip led to a off track excursion 😀😁 !
shoulda preset scales with a lead weight i mean probably wont make much of a difference
I just stepped on mine to make sure they are the reading similar.
How is the rear left possibly heaver than the engine side? Makes no sense how that happened, that must be one heavy radiator
I think its because the seat is actually placed a little bit more to the left. When you look at the empty numbers the weight is quite the same.
@@StrahleMann9 that's what I mean, with no one in the seat the engine side should surely be heavier, in fact anyone who's lifted a kart on a trolley knows that!
@@s44yyr true.... Maybeee invisible weights? :D but yeah it doesnt make much Sense.
👍
thanks
don't forget to add the water in the cooler.
yeah correct, as close to running weight as possible;e
Nobody does that. Only fron axle snipers and chassis straightening bench
👍✊
👊👊👊👊
Tryton carburator users: hahahahaha is it that hard to set a carburation?
Wait, (get it?) so you guys don't concern yourself with cross weight like we do on cars? Seems pretty crucial considering the lack of suspension. I guess there's not much you can do to adjust it like on a car with coilovers, assuming the chassis is true. I might even argue that if the chassis measures true, but if your corner balancing shows the crossweight is jacked up, it might be worth tweaking the chassis to get that crossweight more towards 50%. After all, all that matters is how the tires press into the ground at the end of the day.
If you "tweak" the chassis it will either turn left of right all the time..... Also won't be able to turn eually well both left and right..