Ash_EP3
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Registered: 15th May 07
Location: Melksham, Wiltshire
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Last week was invited to go go-karting with my younger bro and his mate (his 18th) and overall I enjoyed the experienced...
However I did want to ask how much disadvantage does extra weight make?
Being the biggest/heaviest there I thought I would come last although I came 6th out of 9 which isn't too bad considering!
I found out at the end the young lad who won it and beat my fastest lap time by a second weighs 8 stone and I weigh 16 1/2   he kept saying I was holding him up at one point, and I said that on the straights he flew past and in the corners he didn't slide because he was light - where as with me if I went full throttle I'd just slide and lose power...
But never mind it was fun none the less...
Any of you guys have a similar experience? They should have bigger more powerful karts for the heavier guys as I'm sure the power/weight just isn't close
That is all 
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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And yes, weight has a lot to do with normal "arrive and drive" karts.
Thats why the missus's 13 year old brother thinks he's 100 times faster than me.
[Edited on 17-09-2009 by pow]
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Ben-B
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Registered: 28th Jul 08
Location: the lovely Nottingham
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quote:
Originally posted by pow
And yes, weight has a lot to do with normal "arrive and drive" karts.
Thats why the missus's 13 year old brother thinks he's 100 times faster than me.
[Edited on 17-09-2009 by pow]
edits are great aint they? 
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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thats why when you get to a proper race meeting your mate who weighs 9 stone has to wear a wastecoat with lead lining it and have his seat insert lined with led to to make him a fat bastard like the rest of us
[Edited on 17-09-2009 by jr]
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Br.ANDO
quote:
Originally posted by pow
And yes, weight has a lot to do with normal "arrive and drive" karts.
Thats why the missus's 13 year old brother thinks he's 100 times faster than me.
[Edited on 17-09-2009 by pow]
edits are great aint they?
What I said sounded wrong lol so yeah!
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
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Just drive faster.
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Ash_EP3
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Registered: 15th May 07
Location: Melksham, Wiltshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Ian
Just drive faster.
If only it was that simple!
Using the brakes and going slow with more of a 'racing line' into the corners didn't even help! The young lad was almost going flat out throughout... the circuit and if I tried that the backend would slide and it would bog down and lose power = me going slower!!!
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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dont brake, thats an honest view of trying to race a centrafugal clutched kart
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MLM
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Registered: 31st Jul 09
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
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Depends on how big the track is. But in outdoor racing with a track around 1200m, 2kg takes around a tenth of a second off your laptimes. Thats on karts with around 30bhp, not the 5.5bhp corporate karts so 2kg mite actually make more of a difference!
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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No wonder you came 6th out of 9 at go karting if you used the brakes? Should never use them, not in the arrive and drive places anyway, let off before the corner as that sheds speed then as you turn in apply some throttle for either controlled slide or enough for you to keep the power down and the rear to grip, giving you the advantage out the corner 
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
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Dont touch the brakes in karting i have found If you do slide slightly you havent lost as much time as you would if you had used the brake.
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AK
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Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
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what a load of bullshit...
You still NEED to brake even on the normal indoor slow karts. Saying you dont need to must mean you are on a big oval or simply not goig fast enough to need to
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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I normally never need to use a brake on the arrive and drive style karts
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AK
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Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
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and think about it....
What slows you down quicker, letting you go faster for longer?
Coasting or braking ???? Exactly.
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
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I dont tend to coast for long periods of time, perhaps a second, dropping enough speed to turn the corner with a decent exit. Ussually i overtake those who do brake through the corners because they dont have the same exit speed.
Admitedly on maybe 1 or 2 corners on a track you will need to brake slightly but 99% of the time i dont.
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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I know what you're talking about Ash, as I was light... then heavy and then light again
In corporate karts (crappy go kart centers) the karts are so under powered the weight of the driver makes a big diff.
I can say I was lapping a lot quicker when I was weighing 9 stone 8, compared to when I was 13 stone 5.
- that said, as people have pointed out you may not of been driving the best espec if it's your first time in karts. There is a bit of a knack with driving a kart.
Sliding scrubs off speed, but then sometimes braking before a bend scrubs off more. Often you don't realise you can go through a corner as fast as they tyres can actually grip, so it takes a few laps till you're really going at the fastest you can go.
I usually find (at a crap karting place), that first couple of laps I'm braking in a few places, after that there may just be like 1 or 2 places that require a bit of a brake (tight areas) and then by the end there may actually be no where that requires brake (with the tight corners, chucking the car in and sliding it to maintain the engine revs, as the corporate cars really do bog down).
That said, some better outdoor tracks have much faster karts which do require braking often.
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
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Last few times i went karting i was the heaviest there by about 2 stone and i came 2nd. Now i've lost the extra weight i can't wait to spank all thier asses.
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Tommy L
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Registered: 21st Aug 06
Location: Northampton Drives: Audi wagon
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I'm was one of the lightest there last time i went and i came 3rd out 29 and my mate who is around about the same came 1st. But some of the bigger boys who are 1stone - 2 stone heavier were near the top with us and the lighter ones were at the bottom. Weight does have a part to play but you've got to be a good driver as well. So if you are heavy and a good driver and dont see why you couldn't keep up with the lighter ones
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Jake
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Registered: 24th Jan 05
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daytona mk, you need to brake theres no two ways about it. ive tried going around circuits without breaking and ended up being slower
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stuartmitchell
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Registered: 24th Apr 04
Location: Kirkliston, Edinburgh
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quote:
Originally posted by AK
and think about it....
What slows you down quicker, letting you go faster for longer?
Coasting or braking ???? Exactly.
Thats what I thought too.
Hammer up to the corner, brake, turn in, power on. Repeat 
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
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Yeah, of course you need to use the brakes. You just have to be delicate with them, otherwise you'll twitch and slide all over the place.
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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quote:
Originally posted by stuartmitchell
quote:
Originally posted by AK
and think about it....
What slows you down quicker, letting you go faster for longer?
Coasting or braking ???? Exactly.
Thats what I thought too.
Hammer up to the corner, brake, turn in, power on. Repeat
I think the point most of the guys in here are making, is that most corporate karting places are so shit, that the tracks are wide and not tight, and the cars slow... Therefore they can be taken flat out with no lifting or braking required. Proper shit tracks.
[Edited on 18-09-2009 by Paul_J]
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antnee
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Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
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My local place (langar) is a tight twisty indoor track with lots of hairpins. A little dab of the brakes is required, even the lap record holder says that! When racing though, to get up the inside, I slam the brakes on and turn it quickly 
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AK
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Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
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yup, a racing lap (jostling for position) is much much different than a clear/flying lap
You have to take some funny lines to stop folk getting the inside line
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antnee
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Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
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quote:
Originally posted by AK
yup, a racing lap (jostling for position) is much much different than a clear/flying lap
You have to take some funny lines to stop folk getting the inside line
I race touring car stylee when karting If theres a gap which you can see daylight through, I can get my kart through it
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