I’ve really enjoyed my first year of karting, I jumped in with some pretty old equipment to see if it would stick and despite not getting the results I would have hoped for It’s been a blast and I’m already putting a road map in place for what next year looks like.
The area I need to correct the most is weight. The obvious problem is the driver (currently 220 but down from 235 at the start of the year). In looking at possible chassis upgrades for next year one thing I don’t see posted anywhere for most of these brands is an approx weight. At 220 with my current chassis (10 year old Birel) and gear I roll across the scales at 395 and our masters class races at 365. I’m desperately attempting to get back down to fighting weight for next season but I’m curious in my quest for a new chassis if I can count on some of the weight savings coming from the chassis instead of just the driver?
Additionally…lets assume I get to 195-200 myself, racing with KT100 2- stroke , would I be better suited with a 30mm or 32mm chassis? I like all the feedback here on OTK brand and them being pretty good out of the box for most with only small tuning tweaks required.
We also have good local support for Top Kart but it looks like they only sell their twister currently so the only option there is 30mm chassis.
Thanks in advance.
That’s weird our masters is 390lbs for x30, 385 for rotax.
365 is our x30 senior class weight. I guess your engine type must be really light!
From personal experience, in order to run at masters weight, without added lead, I need to be 195-200lbs approx. (currently 175-180lbs running 20-25lbs lead and lots of gas in tank.).
In theory, you could get down to 175 lbs or thereabouts but that seems crazy ambitious for a masters weight class.
Is kt100 really 25lbs lighter than an x30?
I believe my compkart is 30mm frame. I suspect there are less 32mm tubing karts out there than 30s. The 30mm seems fine for my weight.
Also, if you want to make the push, I went from 220 where I am now without too much pain and suffering. Totally worth it on track (better stamina). All I did initially was eat less. My Garmin watch was helpful in keeping me honest and I tracked calories for the first few months using an app called Lose It. Eventually you learn what to avoid food wise and get used to sub 2000 calories a day.
The KT100 is a very lightweight, non-TaG motor, meaning no starter/battery/wiring harness. Also, being air-cooled, there’s no need for radiators and all the supports for that. However, 365 would still be very light for a Masters class. Route 66 runs Yamaha Senior at 350, which is only a 15 lbs. difference to your class. @Andy_Kutscher what weight does the senior group run at there?
In terms of lighter chassis, OTK is roughly 10 lbs. lighter than most other frames from what I’ve heard, although don’t quote me on that. I would say get the 30mm frame, I think the 32 would be too stiff for a Yamaha. OTK is very good in terms of out of the box speed, so they’re definitely a good choice. Just make sure there’s shop support close by to you.
If you really need to get down on weight, there’s a few chassis options you can try. You could strip the powdercoat off the frame to save a couple pounds, not run frame protectors (I don’t recommend this), or get lightweight components, but that may get expensive. The most weight you can save is on yourself. I don’t mean to be rude, but your body is the heaviest thing on the kart no matter what your weight is. I think 195 is a very reachable goal for you by next year, especially considering you’ve dropped 15 lbs. already which is a very good accomplishment.
@Aaron_Hachmeister_13 our Yamaha Sr group runs at 340.
Good to hear the OTK are a little lighter than everyone else considering they are on the top of my list…most of that is feedback that they are great out of the box and won’t require too much fiddling to get righ. My Birel also is an older design with a 4th rail that’s not removable and has all aluminum components vs. magnesium stuff. That said, I don’t want to rely too much on the chassis being lighter as I need to get myself into better shape anyhow and karting has been great motivation. If I could get a chassis 10 lbs lighter and take another 20+ off of myself that would be ideal.
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