So here in the southeast (Florida, Georgia, Carolinas) people in Lo206 seem to be flocking toward the “White Rino” aka Stewart Racing Engines. I know there was a bit of tech scandle as of late involving Stewart Engines, but aside from that, they are gaining in popularity none the less in the southeast.
So I had a recent opportunity to race a kart with a White Rino, and I had some takeaways . . .
SMOOTH- From Idle to wide open throttle, it was a very smooth running engine. (By contrast, I run a TS Racing Engine) From a smooth power delivery perspective, it was like night and day compared to what I run. How is that possible given spec class characteristics of the Briggs, I have no clue.
However, I’ll preface this by saying I have only run two Lo206 engines (TS Racing and Stewart Racing) the Stewart engine had zero mid range torque compared to my TS Racing Engine motor. Again, being no expert- I have no idea why that is; but I found it very interesting being the track and gearing factors were “nearly” identical for the purposes of my experience. I’ll also say, on the top end, the Stewart Engine pulled like a mule in comparison to my TS Engine.
So the Dominate Names in Lo206 where I reside (southeast) are: (In no particular order)
- Ghost Racing
- Kansas City Performance (Kart City Performance)
- Stewart Racing
- TS Racing
- AEM
With Stewart the claim to fame (trackside) is support. I don’t know Stewart, I’ve never met him, but those who buy his engines say the trackside support is second to none. If he see’s a motor in the pits that bears his name, he stops buy and asks how you did, and if it didn’t perform as expected, the guy will start trouble shooting or begin turning wrenches himself. With that kind of dedication alot of people are moving in that direction as the track support seems second to none.
But it got me thinking, what are YOUR experiences with the engine builders and track support? In my mind, with such limited things these engine builders can do, what makes you to prefer one engine builder over another? From what I hear Stewart (Just as an example) has a very intimate relationship with his dyno when tuning his engines, which is why (some) claim his engines can squeak out wins in tight fields where a tenth of a second maters.
I can’t say which way is up on this one. I have personally met two engine builders, and if it was a popularity contest, I have my favorite (he is also a member of KP) so I’m biased in that regard.
But what is your experiences where your from? Where people are racing a spec class and any little advantage is viewed as a game changer in the top 10 in the fields . . .
What have you run? What have you determined?
I’m curious . . .