For my X30 - Can this plate be say 10mm thick aluminium instead for weight reduction purposes? Or 6mm thick steel to get the engine lower? From my understanding the plate is to reduce crank case flex.
EI = Ebh^3/12.
Cutting h from 10 to 6 will reduce stiffness by about 80%.
Cutting E from 207 GPa to 70 GPa will reduce stiffness by about 65%.
If you’re desperate to save weight, mill four triangles 8 mm deep or so into the plate, leaving the outer edges and an X in the middle.
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Was also keen to get the crank lower as well so it’s closer in height to the axle.
I’ve read guys on here don’t even use the plate at all, but then I also read that IAME highly recommend using it: KartSportNews - karting news and features | go kart racing results, news, photos, tech and more...
Ideally I’d be using a 6mm thick piece of ally but that’s a far cry from the 10mm steel that comes with the engine.
There is also a thin copper version of the plate that Odenthal sell: Go Kart 4-Cycle Engine Mounts | Odenthal Copper Anti-Vibration Plate 2 Cycle
If i remember correctly its installed purely to reduce vibrations.
But i have notseen any one using one for years.
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Yeah after a little more research I’ve found it’s called an Anti-Vibration plate.
Here in Australia most people use them (as the guy who imports the engines also strongly recommends them) but I wanted to go to 6mm thick aluminium, was worried about the massive difference in rigidity though compared to the 10mm thick steel. Interesting to read you guys don’t run them at all. Maybe I’m being too pedantic about it.
I never ran one in X30. It is way better balanced than the Leopard was. I ran one for Leopard.
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What would you feel while driving the Leopard or an unbalanced engine without the plate? A lot of vibration?
The leopard did nothave a balance shaft, so generaly some vibrations was felt from the engine.
But why are you conserned about the rigidity of the engine, its never been an issue what i know of.
As others have said, i have never seen it used on a X30, it was very commen with the Leopard and Komet before that,
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Mainly because of this article:
It is highly recommended that the plate that comes with the engine is fitted as it absorbs vibration which prolongs the life of the starter motor.
and that my X30 came with one. Hesitant to remove it if it apparently needs to be there. Maybe they’re just covering their backsides. Keen to lose some of the weight in the rear though and get the engine lower so the crank is closer to the same height as the axle.
This is only for pure bending. In compression, stiffness actually goes up when thickness goes down, so thin aluminum can give the same compressive stiffness as thick steel when loaded in pure compression. k=AE/L, so if E and L go down the same amount, k is unchanged.
I don’t see a major bending mode when glancing at the plate since the load paths are pretty straight through the corners
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Has anyone gone from an angled engine mount to a flat one with an X30? My chain is close to fouling on both the bendix and clutch covers.
Well first off the plate do not come with the engine kit any more as stated In the article, so i suspect that its Old.
Second the article says its to prolong the life of the starter, nothing about rigidity of the engine, which In my opinion is not an issue In the first place.
I think you are good if you run without it, like most others do In the first place.
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It was definitely an issue with the leopard though.
Agree, vibration was an issue with that thing