Concerning the x30 exhaust, electronics (and reeds?) upgrade I was told it could be almost half a second faster and have more mid range power. My club/regional series is going to allow both the old and new package so people don’t have to go out and buy the new stuff if they aren’t focused on it. Obviously, they are going to put a weight penalty on the kart if it’s wildly faster, so my question is would it be worth it to upgrade it or just keep the old one? I’m leaning toward the upgrade only because of the mid-range, which is supposed to be a huge difference.
Never believe what you hear and make assumptions on that.
Most likely all of those who can afford it will go out and buy the upgrades (tell me, what’s the point of single-make spec racing again?). If you’re tight on cash, let them do the work for you, if not, then there’s only one way to find out conclusively.
If I found out though that I had invested in a spec series to find out the manufacturers were releasing upgrades worth up to .5 (I guess this all dependent on track length and so on) I would walk into the dealers and lose my sh*t. I guess captive markets aren’t immune to stockholm syndrome.
To be fair, a ten year run of basically no required upgradable parts is pretty damn good for an engine package.
And a couple hundred bucks every ten years to stay competitive is still cheaper than keeping 5 different engine packages and spares in your trailer to be competitive at a multitude of track configurations, as was the case in the mixed TaG classes of several years ago.
Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing in your post Alan? 
I don’t know if it’s going to be 0.5 faster, I would wait to see if that’s really the case. Like you said Ben, if it IS faster, they are going to put a ballast penalty on it. So why go spend the money to go faster if you’re just going to need to weight the kart up? For club racing, I would wait and see, and when you actually need to buy a new pipe or reeds or whatever, just upgrade then. Presumably what you have now has been working.
@StrikerClone ask Jerry wether it’s a must have or if you good with the old one.
My feeling is keep your $ for tires and entry fees if it’s not critical. This will be your first season of 125. It’s gonna take some work. I am sure you will bring honor to the dojo either way.
Just out of interest. Do you guys in US, still run the Tryton carb on x30, or is it Tillotson like in Eu ?
Nope. I said test instead of trusting what you hear. Then I added a hypothetical if I found out there was a .5 decrease in lap time with upgrades. 0.5 would be an excessive performance increase in my view.
The only thing that may be an assumption is the willingness of a captive market (one could argue single-make racing isn’t a captive market) to accept changes that in normal market conditions might be accepted.
Anyway, we agree on the fundamental issue which is effectively wait and see.
I think you’re spiraling a bit Alan.
One change in 8-10 years isn’t bad. In FA, KF, KZ or OK we’d have to flog and replace our engines twice or thrice in that same time.
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It’s not a 2021 spec
X30 run with the « ok type » exhaust in Europe since 2018, with tilotson carb and new reed support
Between old and new spec it’s 3/5 tenths for sure
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When looking for spare parts for the x30, there dosnt seems to be any new and old style reed support models, like there is for clutch, carb, exhaust, electronics etc. Whats the change in Reed support ?
It’s the Tillotson that is being ran in the US.
I agree, what Reed Support change? The only changes I’ve heard of is the exhaust pipe, which is mandatory in many series, the air box, the electronics, and a roller bearing, which are all optional.
With the tillotson the reed block case is bigger (29mm if i remember correctly)
The « new » version the exhaust, reeds block case, tillotson carb, airbox and blue stator and rotor is way faster than « old » version
In europe we use this package since few years i don’t know about u.s
But no evolution since 2018/2019 in europe
Upgrades are fine and inevitable. The transparency should just be better though. There should be 1-2 year advanced notice on updates and factual reliable info on if roller bearing and electronics offer a performance advantage. The SKUSA info said there was not a performance advantages outside the pipe, but people seem to be suggesting otherwise.
Btw, SKUSA said in March or April 2020, the update would be postponed til 2022.
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Same for UAE. Mandatory for IAME series last two years.
I’m from EU, and have the old model , wich is not allowed to run anymore. I’m just a hobby driver, so its okay. I have just done the tillotson/29mm Reed Block update. My plan is to buy the one Piece exhaust as well. The electronics dosnt seems to have something to do with performance upgrade ?
$1200 for the pipe, wiring kit, and airbox from Fastech - no bearing.
$864.75 for pipe, ignition/wiring kit, airbox, and 2 bearings from authorized Iame dealers. It’s a promotional price for pre-orders.
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that is a more attractive deal. I assume there is no issue with putting the new bearings on an old crank.
From Skusa Website
- X30 – New Main Bearings
- Beginning this year in 2021, a new proprietary roller bearing will be used in the X30 engine. This longer lasting unit will be approved for both old and new engines, but can only be utilized if the crankshaft is not worn past the defined installation tolerances. An installation document defining these tolerances and full instructions for installation will be found on the IAME USA website. Going forward, both the older 6206 ball bearing and the new roller bearing will be legal for competition.
Press release from Iame usa east with parts prices:
Assembly of new bearings from Iame usa east website:
96_MANUAL_-ENG-X30_MAIN_BEARING_REPLACEMENT-_FROM_BALL_TO_ROLLER.pdf|attachment (571.6 KB)
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