Hey guys!
So my next project on this Kart is the seat install.
Purchased a new Tillett T5 VTI CCD for my son.
It looks like the seat that was originally installed on this kart was a different Tillett seat. Can’t tell really as there are no tags on it.
I’m not sure I will be installing this myself but for now I’m just trying to fit it to see how it would work.
The T5 seat is a LOT!! smaller than what the kart came with.
Is this ok? Setting it up work this many spacers??
While you can do that with spacers, I would encourage bending the seat struts in. This is a tricky subject though as repeated bending or excessive bending will likely cause the metal to fatigue and crack, usually just above the weld. It’s likely the previous seat required bending the bars out so you may already be on borrowed time. Typically, I use an old axle to give leverage.
no, not ok. Bend left seat stay inwards. You should be able to fit one safety shim and one or two shims each side to take up some room and center the seat, no more than that.
To bend the strut, you need a helper and a used axle (er equivalent long lever). Heat up the base of the stay with a heat gun (to soften the paint a little bit - optional) and use some rags between the lever and the paint. Go at it while the helper pushes the frame down. Try to feel the metal gradually and you’ll be fine.
Bend the left side seat strut in for sure.
Thanks guys!
I put the old seat in for now.
I’ll see if the guys at the track can help me out with this. I can definitely give it a go but I don’t want to f it up.
what makes spacers a bad idea? I currently have my daughter in a chassis i set up for myself and had already bent the stay to fit a 5 seat, and she is much smaller. Used spacers and have not seen any issues, so i was just curious, if it affects handling, ect.
To me, the spacers would be a weak point in what is mostly a direct connection. This would be especially true if the seat bolts were to loosen a bit, which does happen during a race. The seat would move quite a bit only being a little loose.
It’s also basic physics. I’m not an engineer, but if the hole in the seat is 2cm inwards, as you transfer the weight on the outside while cornering, instead of the weight going straight through the stay, it goes first into the bolt as you now have created a long fulcrum point, given the distance between seat and stay. Does it work? Sure you can run laps like that but it’s far from optimal in my view
