In this coming off season…i think i need to re position my seat. I bought a used kart and have just raced it how it came. But my comfort level is off and I think it is seat position. The way I am seated now I can hardly lower my head enough to see info on my micron. I run a Leopard MY09 on a Haase chassis.
I see others and their bodies are in more upright position. I am not very tall only 5’7"…so I have a couple questions below if someone wouldn’t mind answering a couple.
How do you hold the seat unmounted to test different positions?
Is this comfort most important—or should i be more worried handling?
And I know there are some guides out there but I am hoping to get some first hand knowledge.
Handling is most important, comfort is secondary. That’s why manufacturers usually post a seat placement chart. Putting it where they recommend is going to get your weight distribution close and should be comfortable for most drivers, though some tweaking may be required as we are all built a little differently. Your body is the biggest piece of ballast on the kart, so placing it in the wrong spot can sink any handling adjustments you make right off the bat.
The process should be:
Set the seat where the manufacturer seating chart recommends
Make VERY small adjustments back or forth depending on comfort level, though the recommended spot should be pretty close
Adjust up or down with small adjustments depending on driver height
I’m also 5’7" and my seat is just a slight amount above the bottom of the frame rails to get my CoG higher. Some drivers have tall torsos and short legs though, so they might need it lower, even if they are the same height. We used to calculate CoG and stuff, but that’s pretty unnecessary. Figuring out your seat height is more trial-and-error. If you find you’re constantly fighting the kart not lifting and rotating enough, you might want to raise your seat. If you’re constantly trying to keep the kart from hopping in the corners, you’ll want to lower your seat.
I’d check with your local Haase dealer for a seating chart.
Thanks TJ…i will get with my guy this weekend at the track and talk about my options. As of right now the kart handles pretty well. Not hopping much…but I am spinning my rear wheels a bit coming out…so I thought about shifting the seat up an inch or 2…then moving it back an 1-2" to get a better position and more weight in the rear.
I will not be out at Badger, and with the season schedule the way it is, Innovative (the team I work with) won’t be out there either. Lots of racing going on this time of the year and Innovative doesn’t get to the club stuff as much anymore.
Wondering if my neck collar is being to restrictive. I have a leatt i found used. My issue is I have short neck…so my collar pushes up on my helmet and I can’t look down.
This is partly why I think I need to re position my seat. Also another racer recommended it.
Looks like what you really need is a smaller neck collar…
But no unfortunately won’t be at RA either, like I said, Innovative doesn’t really go to club races anymore unless there’s a demand or special case. You’d have to contact Scott (owner/manager) to get a real idea of where and when he’ll be places. I’m just a low-level driver coach/mechanic lackey!
Have you spoken with Mark or Scott Vielgut at TCT? They should have Haase specific information.
Yeah I bought my kart thru Scott. I am new to this again…ran as a kid but it has been a long time. So back to being a beginner again. So I have been hitting him up a lot and just wanted to get some other insight.
For my neck collar—I just ordered the k1 collar to try something else. I did try the EVO4 and even that was to thick…I may have to shave down a foam collar to make it more comfortable.
But there is just not that much protection with the foam collars vs the Leatt or another similar system.
I have Scott working on my starter next weekend at RA so I will get with him about seat info.
Do you have any other suggestions for a neck collar for a guy with no neck…LOL
I always felt like weight distribution was more important than anything, left to right, front to back. Anybody tells you there’s a set rule for those, they don’t know what they’re talking about. As much trouble as it is, don’t be afraid to move that seat around until the handling is just like you want it. Keep your hands low on the steering wheel and your elbows in. Your seats should be a tight fit. I always positioned my steering wheel with one support straight down lots of people but it with one pointed straight up, not my way. I like it close to 8 – 4. I couldn’t get my hands low enough on the steering wheel.
Thanks for the tip Alvin!! I kept at working out and such and I’ve fit much better into my seat. And my fitness levels are much higher now. So it is a different feeling than I had when I started this summer. I wrote this thread right as I started and I think I was just looking to make changes to quick.
Working on driving style right now before I make any big changes to the kart. It handles pretty well for not touch much. But I still have some work to do.
I have the K1 collar. It isn’t bad but still a bit thick. But these are foam and I could do a little modification to it.
I did buy my Leatt used. So I played with it some and found some adjustment. I was able to pull it down my chest another 1" or 2 and give me a bit more room.
I do think I may try to borrow someones EVS at the track just to see how it fits with me sitting in kart.
