I am new to the forums and have a few different questions that I would like to ask so thought I would punt for the general forum.
I will preface this by saying that I Kart through the rental system rather than owning my own Kart (although I would love to).
4 stroke indoor Karts (Daytona Manchester). I have long struggled to find a style that works. Weight is something I know I am at a disadvantage but working on that. Is there any advice on a style that is quick for indoor?
I also drive the 2 stroke DMAX outdoor Karts and similar to the above but I lean back a bit more and is there a good style?
I have recently moved my hands up the wheel and I not only find it more comfortable but it seems more consistent. More of a 10-2 position. Is this advised?
Smoothness is often key. Especially on low-powered 4-stroke rentals. Absolutely zero countersteering and smooth minimal inputs.
Smoothness applies here too (and really in any form of karting).
There’s a whole topic on hand position here: Getting to grips with hand position
Basically, I’ve always recommended that new drivers or drivers who struggling, to put your hands up at 10-2/11-1 to smooth out your driving. It eliminates your leverage on the wheel and forces you to make smaller inputs and therefore makes you a smoother driver. So if you are feeling more consistent with your hands up high, that’s probably why.
Countersteering. Is this under braking as well? Cause I do find the rear kicks a lot under braking. Sometimes get some “hopping” also.
Is it advised to lean back more outdoor?
I find when I do sit up-right and then allow weight to shift to outside of the kart I seem to be in the corner for a long time it feels or like I am not creating forward momentum. Slide is what it feels like but not a scrubbing line, just like I am sideways for a long time.
I believe keep my hands higher is a positive. I have also noticed this within Sim-Racing as well.
You probably don’t need to be locking up the rears in a rental kart. If you’re driving that hard into the corner, that could be why you are seeing the kart hop as well.
You should almost always be leaning back in the seat, in any kart, so you can get the full effect of the weight transfer.
Shouldn’t be sliding at all, so if whatever you’re doing with your posture is causing the kart to slide, you should be trying something else.
OK. I will try that.
Bit of a different style but I may be a little over aggressive on the brakes by the sounds that steps the rear and then try throw my weight of the front to counter. Does that sound about right?
I tend to have my seat quite far forwards also. I have my pedals all the way forwards and then seat one click off the top and being over 6 foot that makes my legs very squish up quite a lot.
It’s not comfortable for sure but it’s what I have found lap time with Maybe in the wrong way.
Typically most indoor karts are on concrete floors, so the amount of grip that you have is much less than asphalt. That means that being smooth is super critical. Ideally you shouldn’t be sliding at all, because the grip level is so slow that the slightest slide bleeds away time.
Some karts have adjustable seats, so if you can adjust the seat to move your weight around, that can help too.
Also because most rental karts are beat up by walk-ins, just be aware that not every kart will handle the same.
Gentle inputs all round then.
Little eager then I think as I think I am locking the rear too much.
I know with rental the Kart’s are random but I would just like consistent driving.
Yesterday was an adventure.
Karting in probably the worst conditions I have ever raced in. Puddles were like oceans.
It was an experience for sure.
I was going offline, turning sharply and powering on. Although it mostly turned in to power oversteer. But I found the harder I got on the throttle the faster the Kart straightened. Is that advised in the wet?
Lighter, more progressive throttle is normally better in the wet, because it helps reduce wheelspin and maintain traction.
Even on a rental kart, maintenance throttle can keep a kart better in line, than jumping on the throttle. It’s less exciting to do, but faster and easier to control.
Yep. Smoothness is key in all things. A snap of the wheel on the entry would cause a strong oversteer, because you’re asking the kart to “TURN”, normally upsetting it past the slip angle that it would be helpful for good traction.
That being said, steering in the wet is super deliberate. You want to be acting on the kart, rather than reacting to slides in the wet. If you’re reacting, you’re too late because the kart is already in a slide and slowing you down.
Something else came to mind about this thread that I wanted to bring up. Make you that you drive as many of the karts as possible, rather than always hunting for the same one over and over. One of the advantage of rental karting, that people overlook is you learn how to adapt to different handling karts and get similar-ish laptimes out of them.
Besides, you never know when a walk in is going to take your favorite kart and run it into something, so you better get good at adapting on the fly.
I’m just getting into karting for the first time and am going the pro am series rental kart route at a local .82 mile circuit. Only a few rounds left in this one but the season will start over for the autumn so that will be my first taste of a ten race schedule in any discipline. Knowing someone else has taken this novice route breeds confidence. Hope you stick to it and look forward to hearing good results out of you. Davin Roberts Sturdivant knows his stuff
Maybe in the wrong way.
