In quali, I find that it takes a bit to get the tires to go “off” a bit before I can rotate kart in corners.
Do any of you do anything in terms of setup for quali to counteract the big grip?
Depends on the tire. Different brands change balance differently when they’re new. For example, I usually find new MGs pick up more front grip relative to rear, so if my kart is slightly free on used rubber, I know it’s going to be too loose on new rubber.
You’ve got to listen to your kart though, what are you experiencing in handling when you put new rubber on?
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Difficulty getting the kart to turn in and then to rotate. As I drive through it, the kart frees up. I’m guessing when I’m in the first 3 laps, I’m slower and maybe I’m just not going hard enough yet.
But literally the kart feels pointy and jumpy on turn in followed by feeling like there’s too much grip in turns. It almost feels like there’s a resistance due to grip.
It could be that I’m setting wheel down early somehow and that’s what I’m feeling
“Difficulty getting the kart to turn in” and “kart feels pointy and jumpy on turn in” are contradicting statements.
It sounds to me like the kart is indeed pointy on turn-in because of the increased grip, and it feels slow to rotate off the corner because you’re letting the inside wheel set down early from countersteering or lifting to eliminate the aggressive turn-in.
Something to do to help the kart feel more comfortable on new tires is to narrow the front slightly or increase front negative camber. This will settle the front down a little.
Otherwise, remember you’ve got a bunch more grip on the new tires, so you’ll have to drive the kart harder through the turns to get it to flex and work properly.
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Hmm thanks. Yes, the drive harder approach works. Setting the wheel down makes the most sense. You are probably right that I react to the sharp turn in by lifting, braking or something that is setting the inside wheel down, thus making it feel too grippy.
I’ll ask to narrow the front a bit for quali and see what happens.
You may be a much better driver than I ever was, I can’t say but this was my philosophy. I always wanted to match the best time I had all day during qualifying. There was no way I could put on new tires, or do anything else, and be assured I was going to match, or beat, that best time. If anything, I was just a little more cautious on my qualifying lap to ensure I made no mistakes. Fast time was always great, but I could win from 2nd or 3rd. The best brace I ever won was from a third-place qualifying position. And think about this, if you blow that qualifying lap, and you end up farther back in the field, it’s only going to make it that much harder to win.
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I’d agree with that. When I can, I always try to put in a banker lap in a qualifying session, just so that I’m pretty sure to have a lap that should put me in a good position, before I try for something more risky.
Of course, I can’t always do that, but whenever I can, I do.
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Dom, I know what you are talking about when the kart feels darty on new tires. In qualifying, especially if the grip was good or high, I’d soften the front a bit by running a less stiff bar. It may not be optimal but it was better than having a darty-on-turn-in kart.
Good suggestion. Will try that. Thank you!
“Koyen The Kart Whisperer”