Does anyone have an opinion on top kart chassis? Just wondering about the pros and cons, if any. .Keep it constructive. Thanks
Which one and for what class?
Kid kart with a Comer? Cant beat it.
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I have seen them be competitive in almost every class so they seem to work well.
I enjoyed mine a 32/32, but parts were an issue for me in Australia.
Any chassis can be competitive in reality, just makes sure of the parts and other support for your chosen chassis.
I love the appearance of the Top Kart. I am seriously considering one myself. The owner of Top Kart USA is very responsive and answered all of my questions. He said parts were usually about 3 days out in the USA. I suppose you would have to buy spares of things you may need so in the event you needed it at a race event, you would have it. I understand OTK is the go to for parts availability here in South Florida.
There are other brands that are less expensive but does the owner answer the phone and get back to you? For me that is how customer service should be. I can’t afford a new kart at this moment but Top Kart is first on my list when I can.
Isn’t the Top Kart just another parolin in blue colors nowadays?
I’m not sure, but that blue scheme is just sexy IMO.
I believe so. The new stuff looks like it has Parolin components.
To OP:
Chassis brand is largely irrelevant. Support and parts availability should trump everything when looking at buying a new kart. Most major kart brands will perform similarly when set up and driven correctly. The differences come down to component quality and having someone who knows how to set up the kart. As a Parolin-made chassis (I think), parts should be widely available, as Parolin manufacturers lots of karts for other brands, and the quality is generally pretty good.
But if you don’t have someone with knowledge of the kart to help you set it up and get you those parts, you’re buying the wrong chassis.
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In all my research for what cadet to buy for my kiddo. Top kart confirmed to me that the chassis and brakes are parolin setups. After that you start to see top kart specific parts. Pedals, stubs, steering supports etc all seem to be specific to the top kart
Might be different on the cadet chassis but the senior chassis for sure has Parolin brakes, pedals, steering wheel etc.
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I second this. I haven’t had a top kart but they are very responsive and just seem to be less focused on national level stuff, which is why you don’t see them as much in the big races anymore. They seem to be doing well in the stuff they are racing in, and having quick responsive support is a plus.
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They’re there. They just use Tony Karts as their national brand. That tells me everything I need to know about which chassis to buy.
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Just playing devils advocate that some karts are certainly softer than others. Maybe one is better for a single race whereas another might last a season or more. National races get a lot more rubber down, etc… There are differences to consider.
What does this mean for the uninformed (like me) regarding Top or Tony?
Top Kart USA, based out of Indy, doesn’t even support Top Karts in the US. They are also the Supertune USA Tony Kart team, and only work with those anymore. That customer service is there because they have no customers.
Top Kart is currently made by Parolin, although last I checked they used the CRG brake system but that may have changed recently. I would go and find a local shop that can give you help at the track and get your karts from them, whether they’re used or new.
They can still be Parolin made components but branded as Top Kart. Pedals, spindles, etc should all be the same from Parolin to Top Kart, steering columns may have slightly different geometry but still are a Parolin made design.
That’s why I wanted to point it out. The geometry is clearly different. So you could not simply order parolin parts.
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You’re saying they don’t have Top Kart chassis and parts in inventory?
Sorry, I meant they don’t show up to any races with the intentions of supporting the drivers on the Top Karts. Last time I worked with a driver on a Top Kart we had to get parts from a team that didn’t even run Top Karts when we broke something.
Whether they have inventory in their shop or not I have no idea, but they’ve been showing up to races with everything OTK and not Top Kart since at least 2020
Gotcha. I was aware that Billy had been doing OTK stuff for their race team, but Top Kart USA seems to still exist as a shop. I think that’s a key distinction is that not all shops are race teams, but they still support brands they sell, e.g. Comet, Fastech, Acceleration, etc.
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It seems more like Billy does the OTK stuff and national, and Blake does the TopKart local stuff. 
I was over there last fall and they have plenty of TopKart stuff.