No joke. That would sell. Also colored tires.
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Kevlar would be the way to go. Carbon doesn’t have enough abrasion resistance. It’s fairly soft in that aspect. It’s definitely possible to do a DIY project with Kevlar. They sell sample size pieces for [relatively] cheap. It’s just not super easy to handle. You need super sharp scissors and you’d need to have a mold and vacuum bag to make it proper.
I’ve wondered if the oil-impregnated nylon that’s used for dirtbike chain sliders would be a good material, as it has decent lubricity & long wear.
How do you figure thin stainless skid plates cause more damage than not having plates?
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having something as heavy as a DD2 banging against what’s essentially metal on metal contact.
The skid plates sit tight against the frame. We use them on everything from shifters to 206 and never saw the slightest evidence of damage from the plate touching the frame.
I don’t run them and really never run into an issue. If I was to run protectors I think I would just run Titanium plates/blocks. I have a few sets as well as Ti setup but never bothered to mount them. My chassis will be worn out long before chassis damage gets to any appreciable level.
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Use them. The stainless are heavy, but they save the critical points of the chassis. Used to run an older OTK that sat low and it could bottom out on bumpy tracks. Almost wore through them by the time the tubes gave up the ghost, but the nose and waist of the chassis were untouched.
Now running them on a Birelart. Don’t think they have a scratch from pavement after a year. The AM29 design, however, has less tubing exposed to curbs mid-kart. Thinking about wrapping key sections with light-weight PEX tubing instead.
DR kart has a stick-on Kevlar wrap that looks interesting, but I’ve seen them flake off after the adhesive aged.
Plastic versions are lighter, thicker, and prone to breaking.
In some cases these protectors get razor sharp,be careful and when the chassis is down in the front sometimes when you brake it hits the ground and you miss your turn in.
Chassis protectors shouldn’t be more than 5 pounds of metal, bolted to the frame and shouldn’t be hitting the frame either, they’re pretty sturdy pieces. I don’t know what protectors your friend has that would weigh as much as an engine. I also rarely notice the kart bottoming out with protectors on unless I’m really hitting a curb hard or something.
UV exposure degrades PEX.
Your best bets for the money are UHMW-PE and stainless steel for abrasion and impact resistance. Here’s an article from the industrial sector discussing this:
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The lightweight PEX snaps on when split. UV is not a big factor and the plastic can be replaced when damaged or the kart shucks a piece after contact.
Definitely not a good option if you’re a curb basher, but if you’d like an ounce of protection for the rare off, it’s better than nothing.
The stuff is tough to abrade, much like the aforementioned chain guide nylon.
Hi, folks. New karter here (actually, my son is the driver). He’s a lightweight, so we’re faced with adding 70 lbs to his VLR 100. My first thought was, where can we add “functional weight”, and protective parts fall into that category. Long story short, what are our heaviest chassis protection options, and how will adding weight below the the axle affect handling? The seat will already carry close to 50 lbs, and with 10 lbs by the steering hub, we’re open to any & all suggestions.
Metal would be the heaviest by a small margin.
Be careful adding “functional” weight, there will be a rule in whichever association you are running that will have requirements for fastening extra weight, due to the risk of parts coming off karts and hitting other drivers.
You could try putting extra washers under bolts, it all adds up
I use them all the time, always hard plastic, they last for about a year, it’s painful to see the bottom of your brand new chassis destroyed within a few weeks…
But if you race with a team (Tony kart, Birel, Praga, CRG…) most likely they will not use them, they get brand new chassis every single year, they don’t care.
Some drivers think they slow you down, but that’s just a psychological thing, I’ve seen driver win races with and without them, so for sure use them, you’ll be glad you did, unless you’ve got a lot of money and you just don’t care.
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Installed some chassis protectors a while ago. Did not yet had the chance to take the kart to the track. Now my question, the magnetic strip pickup sensor of my lamptimer is mounted just above the protector. The whole protector covers it from underneath. Will this cause interference, or failing to register the crossing of magnetic lines?
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If they’re plastic shouldn’t make much difference. Steel ones however yes it will make a difference.
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ok you guys have converted me. I had the stainless steel protectors installed on my Compkart covert 3.
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On my new kart I used lock collars like this. So far they’re working great.