A tach would be nice to have, yet I’d rather invest half that cost into quality coaching session(s) this first year. If that’s bass-ackwards, please LMK.
So first race in real hot weather tomorrow is a variable change. I’ll go forward with current tires and my adjustment will be to backup the corner. I’m also trying a different shoe which I hope gives me better feel for the pedals.
Seem like a sound approach?
That’s not necessarily backwards, driving should be the focus and investing in a good coach will help that. But the MyChron also would of course tell you if your gearing is correct, and with the free and easy data available from the tach, you could visually see differences in your driving with speed and RPM traces. Sometimes it can be hard to actually know if you’re going faster or doing something better, but if you have the speed traces you can see “I was 2 mph faster at this apex using this technique, that should be my go-to technique for this type of corner” and things like that.
It isn’t a necessity for improving your driving, for years they didn’t use data. But it is a helpful tool for improving with quantifiable data, and eventually you’ll need one anyway.
I think making a driving adjustment and yes, proper footwear is a good direction for now.
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Thanks. I do see the value in the data and plan to get a tach by season 2. Making sure my body holds up to the rigors of the sport.
One thing I meant to mention… My weight distribution is 40/60 front to rear. I’ll see how my experience responds to the planned changes previously mentioned.
Next step seems to be to widen the front track the minimal amount possible.
Still a sound plan?
It’s kind of an interesting conundrum. I think I’d recommend the mychron before coaching. In the absence of time, the metrics by which you judge your driving get rather subjective and feel based. As a new driver, you will not have the depth of experience to be able to tell what’s faster or slower without a mychron looking back at you.
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I agree with Dom. Also any coach will be able then to talk you through your line and corner approach better with a gps trace at hand.
I’d strongly recommend even getting a used mychron 3 for $150 or so before next year.
Lap times and a tachometer will help you get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. You can use RPM as a gauge for your speed (assuming same gearing of course) at entry, apex and exit of turns.
How has your body been holding up so far?
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Regarding braking, I have a video on the subject which might be useful:
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Thanks for asking @KartingIsLife .
Short answer: So far, so good! My precautions and process are allowing my back to cope better than I expected!
Regarding the tach… I’m data analysis for a career, so every part of me has screamed, “GET THE TACH!”
Supportive wife says, " Can we hold off on that expense for now?"
Me, “Yes dear.” 
So I’ll ask, anyone have an inexpensive tach they’re willing to part with? I don’t need top of the line. The basic vitals will do just fine.
If not, preference of Alfano v Mychron? I’ve been leaning towards Alfano @ $390. Tachs are selling faster than a 206 right now. Just a matter of time.
Regarding today’s racing… HOT! Feels like temp was 101F.
Backed up the corner as encouraged and am hitting brake hard in short bursts to work my way into getting a better feel for it. I definitely maintained a better line on average and was finally able to hit rev limiter in the straight. Still gotta review my video and stopwatch myself.
Different shoe helped a lot, and I discovered side of my foot and bottom of pant leg would lean into throttle cable. So now I’m pinching feet in while in turn and off the throttle. Gonna see if I can adapt a throttle rod to replace that part of the cable.
Finally, with some reservation going into the final race, I widened the front track. 
While I know I was driving the Kart better, it still didn’t want to hold the line. What have I got to lose but experience, right? Well, 1 small ring wider on each side felt sure and stable. The front end was tracking like I hoped for. I felt confident and wanted to push it harder. The back end… It still wanted to fish tail. I’m planning to narrow the back by 5mm on each side and get some serious practice (finally) this Friday.
Thanks for ALL the encouragement!!
I’ll let you know how the narrower back end responds.
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I had a similar issue and adapted a bicycle derailleur cable stop to move the throttle cable down and further forward on the frame. The OTK stop was halfway between the engine and the pedal leaving a lot of expose cable to bounce my foot off of.
Do you have a snapshot of your pedal set up? Once I position my foot into the pedal, it does not move around enough to get over to the throttle cable. Maybe some grip tape on the floor board or the pedal? Do you have a heel stop?
Thanks TJ!
Excellent reinforcement!
hello dear frinds.can anybody hepl?
we have a tony kart chassis mini rookiee, our track is a low greap and can you advise what setting is better for low track?we have rear 109 cm and front wildth 15 cm.canber 1/1/ CASTER 45.and our kart goes slow:((((
You’re better off asking this on a new thread
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yes you are right 
otherwise i have another t thing to ask?
how can i make tony kart fast? is there any secret about it? 
The largest gains are made by the driver. After that, there are small tweaks to improve handling for different conditions. Best to focus on Driving first.
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Lower steering shaft mount looks like it has provisions for one. I’d check with Birel or maybe look at the aftermarket (Righetti Ridolphi, etc).
Here is a thread on that:
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I want to widen my rear track width but I don’t know how much the axle/hub overlap should be. Or how much of the axle should be in the hub.
As long as you stay under the maximum total legal width (Usually 140cm or 55.25") you should be fine.
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