06/13/2003

GO-KART TIP OF THE MONTH
PRESENTED BY BONSIGNORE KART SHOPPE
written by Doug Ogiejko

Well, it's been a long winter, but finally, the 2003 racing season has arrived. Sorry for the delay with the tip of the month folks, but the pace has surely picked up in the past couple of weeks, EKRA hosted 2 shows in the past month, as well as the NE Divisional series hosting their first race of the 2003 season at Westhampton Speedway. Now onto the tips…

Hopefully everyone has had a safe start to the 2003 season. The month I would like to discuss general set-up knowledge. The biggest complaint that I hear at the track is that "this kart's just not as fast as everyone else's". Go-karts are designed to be very equal. It's all in how you set the chassis up. In order for a kart to achieve the best possible set-up you must first establish a baseline. Lets get into this a little more, this word, baseline. A baseline set-up is where the kart is set neutral, it is balanced well, and will handle with ease, it will be neither tight, nor loose. In order to achieve this baseline set-up you must first establish where the go-kart is weighed out. Weighing out is to find out where the chassis's weight is distributed, also known as scaling. The overall weight of the go-kart and the driver is distributed across the 4 tires, or corner weights as I refer to them, these weights will give u certain numbers that you need to know. Here are some definitions that you should store to memory:

1.) Nose Weight- the weight of the LF and RF tires added together, then divided by total weight of the kart and driver.
2.) Left side weight- the weight of the LR and LF tires added together, then divided by the total weigh of the kart and driver.
3.) Cross weight- the weight of the LR and RF tires added together, then divided by the total weight of the kart and driver.

These numbers will give you a percentage of where the weight falls, then with this you will work to get a baseline that you can then work with at the track.

Now… where should my baseline be set? Most open go-karts start off with a baseline as follows.

Nose: 43-44%
Left: 53-55%
Cross: 51-56%

Now these numbers aren't set in stone, as driver height, weight, and class will cause you to have to change these numbers, this will just get you in the general area to start with.

Scaling should be done every week. There are certain steps to follow when scaling a go-kart. Here is a list that I have made up that will help you get organized when scaling.

1.) Check all air pressures. Set them to the pressures you run during the race.
2.) Make sure tires are free from pebbles and rocks.
3.) Check the front and rear stagger (the measurement between the 2 tires, LR should always be smaller)
4.) Check scales for zero (if using digitals, if you are using bathroom scales make sure each scale weighs out the same, meaning if you put a 5LB brick on the scales, make sure each scale reads 5LBs)
5.) Put karts on scales and proceed to write down percentages as well as corner weights.

Hopefully this gets you in the general area of where you have to be. If you are unsure on where your kart is set-up ask someone at the track to help you. If you need help scaling your kart I suggest you give Bonsignore Kart Shoppe a call at (631) 243-5220. They have scales available at the shop and will gladly scale you out and get you pointed in the right direction. Feel free to email me at any time if you have further questions. Next month I will be discussing front end geometry as well as tire stagger.

Till next month…
  Doug Ogiejko

Doug Ogiejko is an accomplished go-kart racer with many championships under his belt.  If you got any questions or comments you can contact him at Dogiejko@longislandjam.com.

Sources:  Doug Ogiejko/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:  June 13, 2003