OTK 2025 Setup Problems

Yes, this is the steering column known as “Ardigo” option with 45/55mm distance holes.
The standard OTK is 38/50mm distance holes.

If you are losing the back while you still have wheel input in at center corner of a fast sweeping turn either narrow the front 5mm a side or open the toe 1-2mm per side.

Don’t take the caster away - that’s what gets you your initial lift and rotation. Don’t take the bar away - that’s what carries the inside rear lift to get you in to the corner.

Well… actually never take the bar out of an OTK. Lol

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I tried both of those. Front track just has a 5mm inside and I’m at 0 toe. Also narrowed the rear track as far as possible. Maybe it is the weight distribution… Just seems counterintuitive that less weight on the rear would help it stick. But maybe it’s making it harder to lift the inside wheel. I’ll give it a shot.

Having the seat too far back can put too much weight over the rear wheels so they get overloaded too easily and snap loose. Seems counterintuitive, but that’s karting for you.

Narrowing the rear track is going to increase the kart’s willingness to jack weight, so it will make the kart more unstable at load.

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More sticker worthy wisdom out of TJ…

I will never not highlight this every time I see it. If it works and you dont know why, it still works.

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I think you have to accept that it is the OTK way, it will be always loose. Either you adapt to it or change it. If you try to change its natural behavior you will be just slower… thats why i gave up on it. Im now on birel which suits me way more

I think 60% rear weight is too much for single speed. When I had my seat too far back in my tillotson set up on the 401 RR it behaved just like what you’re talking about.

Totally different kart but anecdotally I did scale mine after the Stars race and I was at 60% rear too and felt it was a bit too much rear all weekend, but it was reasonably quick so we didn’t change it. But I was struggling a bit with snapping at apex in faster corners. I played with ride height and things to get more rear dig to try and plant the outside rear tire but when I did that it just ground the tire into the track and scrubbed speed.

Generally 41-43% is the range for most karts.

The OTK won’t always be “loose” but it is designed to be very pointy in the front. It rewards super smooth inputs. If you can’t be super smooth it will be tough to drive.

It’s like Verstappen’s Red Bull.

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Max Verstappen is Tony Kart development driver
You heard it first here
:shushing_face:

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If you are at zero toe you didn’t really try that. Should be 1-2mm toe out per side already. Go another 1-2mm beyond that per side.

Or just move the seat, and/or weight forward like everyone is suggesting, put it back to baseline and start all over again. :smiley:

Does the KZ frame have the same amount of caster built in, and is the frame identical to the single speed frame?

Is the frame identical to the single speed frame?

Depends on how Robazzi feels that day, but they mostly use the 32mm TDX frame. Fun fact, the 32mm is homologated under the brand “OTK” while the 401 is homologated under the brand “Tony Kart”. The manufacturer of both is of course “OTK”. Quick way to check what they are using in official international events when looking at entry lists.

The TDX has different position of left seat support and very slight different geometry. Race team has different degrees of spindles that they play with depending on track conditions.

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Also discovered that the rear cassettes are taller on the KZ chassis, so I’d assume the rear ride height is different too.

OK! So this weekend i tried with a neutral caster pill on the bottom and and the upper pill looking backwards. The rest is more or less standard: front track one big spacer, heights on the middle, camber one hole negative, toe out 1mm on each side, back track 139,80cm, tie rods with the upper setup of the steering column.

For me the caster change made it much more intuitive, i feel it behaves now normally, i even feel it behaves much less pointy.

The problem… my times are not better, the tires are now worn, i had no time to try with a new set, but i think im about 1 second slower. Im sure with how it feels now I can go faster when i get used to it, but maybe 1s is too much.

So i do not know if this caster change makes me feel better but will not let me explode the full potential from the chassis. I have doubts about going back and trying again with the standard caster setup.

My other doubt is if maybe with the worn tires im loosing grip on the front and that makes me feel more comfortable and when i place a new set, I will experience the same again.

I had this gripe with all my OTK’s for many years and forced myself to drive around it and get use to it (this did result in me getting better when I was relatively fresh to the sport), recently however I went back to a 30/30 2024 OTK chassis after running a DR J90 for a couple of years.

As soon as I hopped back in an OTK first thing that went through my mind was FARK this front end has way too much weight transfer, in short, in conjunction with a few other changes I dropped the front ride height as low as it would go, this made the kart a lot less reactive, more stable, and for me personally reduced the amount of load being pushed to the outside rear tire eliminating all of my snap oversteer mid corner and improving my exit speed.

Granted this is all highly dependent on your experience level, tire compound, driving style etc, so take this with a BIG pinch of salt.

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Hey mate, im not one to comment on forums but signed up here to respond to this. Every late model OTK kart ive driven has this mid corner snap. Ive had 4 different drivers drive them.and they all say the same.
I raced a mates 2024 model 2 weekends ago. He had a jecko floor tray fitted and the front bar flat with the 2 bolts tight on the chassis, the other 2 were out. I was suprised at how it handled. I didnt feel any mid corner snap at all. The front was really settled. Could be something worth trying.

Was that the Jecko Basic or the carbon fiber floor tray?

Jecko Carbon mate. Otk bar flat
Just my opinion but I highly doubt this is a driver issue. Seems like most drivers are saying the same thing.