I understand the point you’re trying to make, but i would argue such procedures are only needed with specific types of engines in specific situations (without going into too much detail)
I also fully understand the difference in cost of labor between Europe and the US, as another poster pointed out. All valid points.
Nevertheless, my rationale is based on what i see in our races, where world championship winning engines have their piston changed trackside by the factories and broken in during the 8 min warmup on Sunday, prior to a Final. It doesn’t mean all of the work was not done prior, of course.
I’m just vouching for the very vast majority of karters worldwide to spend their money on more “important” things, like track time, instead of focusing on the .2 more hp that their spec engine has and the dreams that many engine builders sell (please believe me when i say there is sadly a lot of that)…
I think the quick piston changes are possible with nikasil bores (KZ engines and i assume OK/OKJ) where you wear the piston out and not the bore. in the KA100 + X30 without the Nikasil you wear the bore and the piston hence the need to hone the barrel and check tolerances etc.
these type of engines also require pistons much more frequently than a KA100 to maintain peak performance
Maybe at face value it is cheaper (I assume you are still paying to have the machine work) but as James pointed out in the post above yours there is a list of things that should be done to maximize the performance and several of those things require knowledge and special tools. If you have both of those things then go for it.
This should be reiterated. Nothing about the dyno services in the US are about having bragging rights or finding the extra 0.2hp engines for the majority of customers. I only know if 1 shop that even gives sheets to customers.
What the dyno service provides is time savings. I pay the builder to break in the engine, verify the engine and carb are performing as intended (and fix any issues should there be any), as well as give me an updated baseline for carb tuning. Yes I could do those things myself, but my “home” track is 100 miles from me so it’s not a luxury I have to just pop over there and break in a motor whenever I want. I also don’t always have the freedom to spend multiple weekends finding the ideal tuning starting point. I pay the builder to have something ready to bolt on the kart and be as close to ready to race as possible.
Time is money, and in the case of the dyno/break-in it’s almost always worth it to me.
Emphasis mine. I’ve seen and done that too, but I think it’s important to consider the resources and expertise available to the driver in your example. Those same teams may also have a reputation for discarding chassis after one race because they can. However that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good idea for Bob and Jessica at the local track to do the same.
How those engines are built can be different too between WC and local\national level. WC engine is set to kill and treated as a disposable item, the engine built for Bob and Jessica will probably be more conservative. Thinking back to 100’s as an example, different skirt clearances, squish and ignition timing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying never throw a piston in and send it down the road. I’m not saying it’s “wrong”.
My overarching thought is to remind racers at non World Champ level to be objective and thoughtful about the practices they implement in their own programs as they do not have the same resources.
… and yes, Bob and Jessica are now a thing I guess.
When I lived in Germany, it was 150 Euro for a top end. 2000-2002; ICA. My engine builder was very good. Cost of components there is cheaper. My tuner was always at the track to help with tuning. It is just a different deal there compared to USA. I guess the closest the us comes to the Euro karting experience are places like GoPro.
