Something interesting I have noticed is how far back most shifter drivers I have seen are putting their seats in comparison to me. Most of my competitor’s karts have their seat 2 inches or more rearward.
I suspect that there’s a “copycat” trend that has led to this, because most of the people I see with the seat back that far are also visibly suffering with handling issues that (to me) are obviously directly related, like entry push on tight corners, and the rear stepping out in fast sweepers. Admittedly I have not been able to observe the top pros seat positions, so they could be making it work that far back.
Curious to hear opinions on how we got here? Is this extreme rearward seat position trend “everywhere” in shifter racing, or just something localized to my area? Is it something you’ve made work?
For reference, I am having success with the OTK KZ recommended position, puts me at about 58% rear weight.
There should not be a reason to set your seat position outside of what is suggested by your chassis manufacturer.
Consider that all manufacturers will suggest a KZ seat position that is more rearward than their single speed counterpart, to benefit braking stability and traction.
When I say I am at the recommended position, I mean that I am at the more rearward KZ position. I am seeing lots of karts with the seat 40-50mm further back. It just seems odd, and I feel like I am missing something related to the reasoning of setting the kart up like that.
When I mount a seat on a kz I typically strive for 12-13cm from the back of the seat to the middle of the axle. That is pretty far back, but works amazing in most cases.
That is about 2 to 2 1/2 cm further back than mine which is pretty far, but I am seeing guys with it double that where the seat is almost against the rear crossbar. I mean it’s not that big of a deal and whatever works works it just is surprising to me and anytime I try to drive a kart set up like that it does not work for me
Seat position is going to depend a bit upon driver size (height/weight), tire, and track conditions. With nearly every KZ chassis I’ve ran in the last 5 years I’ve been somewhere around 12cm from the leading edge of the axle to the back of the seat, measured perpendicular to the seat back. Sometimes I’ve been close to 11cm, but other times I’ve been 12.5+. From left kingpin to top of back of the seat will be around 106-107cm in this position.
Anything under 11cm is pretty far back, and farther than what most drivers will be able to use.
Having the seat farther back is important to give the rear traction, but it can be dependent on the driver being effectively able to rotate the kart by way of steering/braking. If the kart is set up close to factory baseline or within one or two small changes, and you’re experiencing understeer then your seat is too far back.
