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In terms of seat position, I followed this guide
For the pedals, I moved them as far forward as a could. Also, on the accelerator side, I’m using a 3rd party pedal. With the OEM pedal, I was rolling my ankle onto the throttle cable on left hand turns. To remedy this, @Bokeno_Racing added an extension to the pedal to add the throttle cable out wider.
Also, I added a pad to the left of the steering column because I was banging my knee on the bolt that connects it to the chassis.
Lastly, I raised the steering column as high up as it can go.
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I have the same problem on the throttle cable. Definitely stealing this. Thanks for sharing!
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I wonder if you get the adjustable steering boss and lengthened column if that would make it even easier…hmm
I’ll use this as a base and then if needed, push the seat back.
Thank you for your participation, hope this thread helps other “tall” drivers looking to get into the sport.
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Not me, but my kid. 6-4, 175lb. We have the seat set too far back and down as low as we can without blowouts every time there is an off. I want to get his knees up more and get him more forward, but he hates that driving position. So we are typically 39-41% front instead of 43%. Try talking sense to a 17 year old…
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Yea but he looks comfy, as! haha.
Does it impact laptimes that much? More setup challenges right.
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It affected him more in LO206 than it does in KA100. But he is extremely fast in the cold or wet (low grip), top 10 in TSRS. In high grip he struggled to be top half of the TSRS field in KA this year (first year). Our club track we started in LO206 at is crazy grip, and he would struggle to be top half at a 12 kart club race but then go podium in a 30-40 kart regional field in lower grip. Some of that is his height, some is his seat position, and some is his level of comfort with being on the edge of grip in the wet/cold.
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Thanks for the input, Chuck.
Very interesting.
I don’t own a kart, but i’ve driven rentals.
I am roughly 6’0, 250lbs. I find that the rentals at my “local” track aren’t great. The staff push me as far back as possible, the pedals I don’t think can be adjusted same with the wheel, so I’m just struggling to keep a grip on the wheel the way I want, I am barely holding on to it.
I also have pictures of me when I was younger when I raced horrendous rentals from when I still lived on Vancouver Island, but I’d rather not share those at the moment.
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You’re a bit taller than this, but start here:
Seat position is more about getting your weight distribution correct than comfort. It’s one of the biggest factors in kart performance, as it determines where the biggest piece of ballast (you) sits in the kart. Having the seat placed incorrectly will throw off your weight balance and cause issues for every adjustment you make to the chassis to help the handling.
You should fit fine, but if you need leg room, there is always the option to extend the front porch to stretch out a bit more. There is wiggle room on the recommended seat position for some comfort adjustment, but if you start getting too far outside the recommended dimensions, the kart won’t react predictably to handling adjustments and could be very difficult to drive with poor balance.
This isn’t me, but it’s my buddy Scott Kopp who is like 185cm:
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I am 6’2", I have a KR2 the steering shaft has a extra hole to put it higher which helped me. When I ran 4cycle I always ran Besley Laydown seat.
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Yea I couldnt find the extender porch for an OTK though…I saw a CRG and apparently there is a Birel one, but no OTK.
Its interesting, some posts above that are taller than you have their legs a lot flatter, and then there is your example where the legs are much higher. Interesting. I guess its how far you are willing to push for the comfort (seat position etc).
No you’re right, I think it has to be a custom job or retrofitting the other brands. @GregF don’t you have an extended porch on your OTK? Or am I imagining that?
speaking of chassis for tall and heavy driver, has anyone tested a OTK 30mm vs 32mm for this application?
Does 32mm better suit a tall and heavy driver?
I went through this exercise with a few people here in Australia, and the guidance from many different people was 32mm is better, hence my buying a 32mm chassis.
Lasts longer apparently.
You can make a 30 work well and win races at that weight but it will take more work. The 32 is easier to work with at high weight.
I know plenty of X30 Masters who go well on 30s and I know others who prefer the 32.
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This is great info. My son is 14 1/2 and 6’3" 160 lbs running KA SR in an OTK. I figure he’ll add another inch and possibly 15-20 lbs (bulking up for football) before next season. I’ve seen multiple people say leave the seat in the correct position and figure the rest out. Makes sense.
Fortunately our home track is more technical and not many drafting straights.
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