I was thinking about spending a day just tweaking different settings and seeing what impact, if any, it had on lap times. For example, front/rear width, camber/caster/toe, ride height, torsion bar, etc. Of course the permutations are endless and I can realistically test no more than 5-10 changes in a day.
Does anyone have a recommended program for a tuning session to get settings dialed in?
For me I find my biggest changes are felt in front end geometry. From biggest to smallest: caster, ackermann on the steering column or spindle, camber, torsion bar, width.
In the rear it’s definitely an axle change, but you can achieve a decent adjustment with width. Also adding or removing seat stays. I always take out the third bearing as I never use it so why carry the weight
I almost never do ride height changes.
What kart? What engine? What tires?
Kart: OTK (Kosmic) Mercury RR
Engine: LO206
Tires: Lecont Red
What’s good is that OTK baseline setup is pretty darn solid. I think what’s important to know is what conditions warrant which changes, and what that feels like. Try not to focus too much initially on what makes for a lower lap time, and focus on how the kart reacts to certain setup changes regardless of the impact to lap time.
With that said, I would definitely try a softer torsion bar or removing the torsion bar. Depending on your height and class weight you might want to try the H or HH axle. Make sure you document your changes and what effects it had in total, not just lap time. I made a software program to help with all this, if you’re curious/interested: www.GoldTune.net, and if not, no worries but it’s worth mentioning for what you’re trying to accomplish here.
Take the front bar out to experience how bad the front end of a kart can feel.
I would recommend taking two steps in whatever direction you go on each adjustment so you can really feel the difference and understand how the kart works differently when changing things in finer increments down the road.
Also, record track data and using race analysis software, see if you find the effects of the setup changes in the data and if it corroborates with your butt. Data analysis of karts is not easy so learning to use this tool might take time. You can also compare practice day and race day performance and find out why and where you gain or lose time.
Unfortunately, what I’ve found is that of all the kinds of adjustments you can make the ones that make the biggest difference are the ones that are hardest to make. Changing tire pressures, moving wheels in and out, adjusting toe-in, etc. are easy to do. But the changes that result are often subtle and may not seem to help much. The hard things to change like swapping axles or moving the seat position can give big, noticeable improvements. Of course, your milage may vary but that’s how it usually goes for me. Best bet is to make sure your kart is setup like the factory tuning guide says. Seat position, frame height, alignment, the works. Then keep records of the changes you make as you “sneak-up” on what’s right for you. Be consistent with how exact you are with all the changes you make. It’ll take a while but you’ll know a whole lot more when you get there!