I want to start karting with Rotax Max because of the low costs for maintenance. My monthly budget is kind a low, so now i am trying to find out what chassis is best for universal exchange of parts.
For example, i heard that CRG wheels only fit on CRG?
It would be best if i know what brands use the same parts like wheels, axcle, wishbone, brakes, bumpers, mounts.
So in case of a crash, i can get lots of second hand parts and not rely on 1 brand.
Also, i have a question about the quality of the chassis. How to check if a chassis is bent?
The most common answer I think you’ll find is what is supported locally near you! Every chassis can be a good one. I’ve been on 3 different chassis and the only thing that really changed was local support
I’d start with seeing what dealers are in your area and go from there. We ran CRG last year, but the dealer went under, and we opted to switch to one of the OTK (Tony kart) brands, since there are dealers for all the various OTK brands around this area, so parts and support are easy.
The CRG front wheels (on full size chassis) use a larger bolt pattern than most European karts. The rears are the same as most European karts though. Ive seen people use CRG front hubs and rims on birels, and ive seen people use other hubs and rims from other karts on a CRG just for ease of parts accessibility.
It’s true that CRG (and other brands made by Tinnini group DR being one example) have a different stud pattern for the wheels. They also use a different rail spacing on the engine mount side.
There’s a couple of ways to tackle the hub bolt pattern. One is to swap the hubs for a “standard” pattern, or find a set of wheel that support both CRG and “standard” patterns.
All that said, what’s doing well (or has a good support presence) at the track(s) you plan to run.
We ran CRG and we race in a HEAVY Birel area, so I’ve seen a bit of both sides. Parts wise both seemed comparable, if you have good support for both options, I wouldn’t hesitate with either choice.
Now this is a bit of hearsay, but talking to guys who run Birel, ive been told if you want to be competitive, you’re looking at more frequent chassis replacement, as they are softer, flex easier, and have a reputation for bending up in crashes easier. CRG have a reputation for being a stiffer chassis. Now like i said, a lot of that is hearsay as i haven’t run Birel myself, just going off what friends who run them have told me.
I’ll have to let someone else chime in there. We switched to OTK this year and, knock on wood, havent had any incidents requiring part replacement, so im not too sure. I have been told they are a bit more expensive though, i have no idea how much more.
I joined the OTK wagon this year with a brand new Redspeed, the club support for OTK at my track is truly unmatched so it was a no brainer. I went into it thinking the same thing cause everyone said OTK is $$$$ but for me it was more so the initial cost. Tie rods axles the normal bends cost just as much as when I ran Compkart. I’m a huge fan of the product though the quality really is something.
Edit: plus I think used OTK chassis are the easiest to come across for starting out and for selling when it’s time for a new one.
I have alfano 6 as well. I had a Mychron 4 before that but I’ve used the 5 as well I’m just used to the alfano now. I think it’s more about the Data programs behind the timers.
I agree with Chase, the quality of the OTK impressed me. The CRG we ran was also top notch, looking at Birels that my friend’s run, i just dont see the same quality level.
And if you dont mind, i have another question about brakes. Do you prefer only rear brakes for Rotax, or both front and rear? Are front brakes best to press with hand, or with balance adjuster by feet?
If you’re running rotax max, you’ll only be allowed rear brakes by the rules. Just run whatever brakes come on your chassis. OTK, CRG, Birel all make their own brakes