SuperKarts

[the man]

Thanks Tas for the site

[tassuperkart]

No worries dude
L8tr
E

[tassuperkart]

Heya guys
Sadly the time came and I have sold my Zip/RS250 Honda superkart.
There was just no racing happening in tasmania so it had to go.
On a much brighter note, I have just bought a newer F-Vee to replace the superkart and the old historic Elfin 'Vee I was racing.
Its a Kestrel KC-3/1 http://www.ozsuperkart.net/images/kestrel_kc3.jpg
A really well made machine that looks really stunning in the flesh. Much better than the pix suggests.
L8tr guys
E

[the man]

Tas the car looks excellent. When is your first race or when was your first race. How does it feel when you are driving it, Is it a big difference to the 250 superkart?

[tassuperkart]

Heya dude.
I ran it at Symmons Plains last Sunday.
The car is easy and forgiving to drive and I was able to put it round Symmons 5 seconds a lap fatser that i ever did in the old Elfin.

Sadly tho, the difference in "feel" of the Vee to the F/E is huge. You just dont get the sensation of speed and pure horsepower that the big kart gives. The kart is really hairy chested but the Vee is really docile compared but to be fair, it is really like comparing apples to oranges.

What I enjoy so much in the Vee is the drafting trains and thinking required to get the best out of it on the track.

F/E=90Hp and 220 kilos
Vee=40Hp and 475 kilos...................

Just a whole different world dude.

L8tr
E

[the man]

it sounds like the formula vee is good race dice with a 5-10 car train. all drafting. Is it like the other one make series where if you muck up a corner you are pushing twice as hard to make up time?

[tassuperkart]

awww hawhawhaw **** yeah!!

[the man]

All the running gear on the f/vee is all off the beetle isn't it?

[tassuperkart]

yep dude
Mostly Type 1 stuff.
The class was originally based on Type 1 36 Hp beetles. Over the years later stuff has made its way in such as steering boxes, barrel type gearbox (36 Hp type is a "split type" gearbox) brake drums and ****e like that but the recent thing now is the introduction of Formula First which uses a 1600 twin port engine and gearbox with no choices of gear/diff ratios and now allows rack and pinion steering and disk brakes.
Onward and upwards!
L8tr dude
E

[the man]

With the drum brakes it would take a while for the car to pull up wouldn't it.

[tassuperkart]

Actually no dude.
The brakes are standard Type 1 Vw drum brakes designed for a 800 kilo car plus driver and the Vee is only 480 Kilos with a driver so the thing stops surprisingly well.
They have one advantage over the disk brakes in that if you lock up a brak you only need a tiny bit of pressure off the pedal to unlock the wheel whereas with the disks you need to unload the brakes quite a bit to unlock them so the disk brake guys just put up with it.

Other than that the disk brakes are better to use so I am told.
I am i the process of adding the disks, again which are stock VW type 1 or 3 disks and calipers for no other reason that they look "right" and it opens a whole world f different wheels to use!

L8tr M8

[the man]

Sounds like a big choice. What engine modifications can you do, such as- exhaust etc. THe tyres they run i am curious to know as well.

[tassuperkart]

Umm, engines are bog stock apart from some porting allowed so long as the valve head and the inlet/zorst port diameters are within specified limits.
Balancing is allowed.
Zorst is free.

Just a box stock 36Hp 1200 kraut really.

The new Formula First is a 1600cc VW but there are NO alterations allowed with a few other steering and suspension freedoms.

Formula First is the "new" generation F-Vee and I expect the 1200 'Vees to slowly fade out over time.

Cya M8
E

[the man]

So really it isn't that much to spend to set up a formula vee?

[tassuperkart]

****e no dude
Cheaper than a kart anytime.

L8tr
E

[yelodwg]

Originally posted by tassuperkart
****e no dude
Cheaper than a kart anytime.

L8tr
E

Hey, E, maybe cheaper than a superkart, but not a 100cc

BTW, guys, I just bought my first Formula Vee, so now I have the Vee and my 100cc kart. Vees can be very inexpensive, but my kart was less.

Tom Stephens
www.kartfinder.com
www.tvracer.com

[tassuperkart]

Aww Tom
I gotta dispute that.
Purchase price initially, yeah absolutely, however my vee cost me one set of tyres, 2 oil changes for a complete season and one engine freshen up for a competitive season.
Thats about a grand and a bit plus anything that might break.
I cannot name a 100cc clubman dude that would spend that little amount in a similar season of "competitive" kart racing.
What with maybe 2 meetings for a set of tyres with most only doing one at nearly 300 bucks a set, control fuel at a ******* cost, engine rebuilds every 4 meetings at 500 bucks a pop.........nawwwww vees are a much more attractive proposition as far as year to year running costs are concerned however the associated costs are more as far as licensing and clothing, equipment such as trailers and **** and soforth.
However, it is all relative to how far up the field a karter wants to be cause there is no way a dude can flog his engine and tyres week in week out like you can in your Vee and be anywhere near the money.

My view, horses for courses.

L8tr M8

BTY, been for a fang in that dak dak yet??

E

[the man]

So throught out a season in formula vee. you wouldn't spend more than $5000 in a season.

[yelodwg]

E, no, your dispute makes no sense because your water drains go the wrong way, and you think Christmas is in Summer

I think it is possible we are both right, depending on how we looked at the original question. The Man's question was: "So really it isn't that much to spend to set up a formula vee?" And your response was: "Cheaper than a kart anytime".

My response was from reading the question as "from purchase to getting the car race ready" (not from an ongoing maintenance point of view), in which case, my 100cc kart cost $6500 USD including EVERYTHING, kart, trailer, parts, racewear, first fuel. My Vee will end up at $8000 USD incl. trailer and everything else.

Running costs depend upon what type of racing you do. I road race 3 times/year. My kart engine yearly rebuild costs are $600 USD for 10 hours of time. I think my Vee engine cost will be next to $0 for the same # of hours.

So from a continuing maintenance point of view, I think you may be right, besides I will have to defer to you anyway since you are already running your Vee, and I haven't raced nor driven mine yet, to answer your last question

Tom

[tassuperkart]

Yeah!
Deferr to the more experienced dude here.....Hail Me! LMAO. You are correct! Water does swirl the other way coz we like to be different, same as driving on the "wrong" side of the bloody road!!!!
I gotta agree thyat the curious ritual of spraying on frost onto windows and the usual christmas activities when the temps are climbing into the thirties (C) does appear a little weird!
I reckon the Santas should have on a pair of boardies, yellow and red lifesavers cap and a tank top with thongs (footware type you bozo), ((I could see your gears grinding as i wrote it)) LOL, when they do the shopping centre thing.......bizare!

You are correct Tom in that I misread the intention of the Man's original question of setting up, rather that running a Vee over a year versus a kart! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwshucks! However, you are a rather argumentative and pedantic (soon to be ) EX karter and I should be more careful with my cavalier response to a rather pertinent question!!!! Bwaaaaahahahahahahahah!

Anyway, the Man should get value for money here as he got both ends of the debate really yeah!
To answer you last question (Man), Now way known would i spend anywhere near that amount unless i was doing crash damage.
Hell, a brand new chassis with bodywork costs less than that !!!!

Tom, havent driven it yet?????? Phhtttt!
I know what that is like as I had my kestrel for some months before I bothered to drive it and that first time was qualifying for my first race in it LOL!

You get that! Make sure you read my signature wont you Tom
It should be quite relevant!!!!!!!!!!!Sucker!

L8tr guys
E

[yelodwg]

E, we have some friends who live in S. California where the weather during Christmas can be more like Australia in your summer at times. Every year we exchange Christmas ornaments. This year I kid you not they sent a Santa ornament that was decked out pretty much like you described...except for the thong in your mind

I just put my Vee up on jacks for the winter, we have had about 10" of snow today! My kart is on a vertical kart stand, racing has stopped, but only for a short time!

Tom

[tassuperkart]

(incredulous raising of one eyebrow)
Snow.......10" of it????????
Where you live dude....the ******* arctic!!!!!!!!!!!

Here in the temperate maritime climate of southern Tasmania, we race ALL YEAR ROUND, unlike our softer appendaged northern hemisphere.......friends!!!! Bwaaahahahahahaha!!

[yelodwg]

E, I live in sunny Northern California, where we can also race year-round, however, I happen to live at 4000' in the pine trees and it's 30 degrees right now and snowing

When I was sprint karting (as opposed to road racing), I could leave the snow and be at the dry track in 1 1/2 hours!

Tom

[tassuperkart]

Oh all right then.
There is no accounting for where a dude lives I s'pose!

Hehehehehehe

Right now it is around 33 deg C. I am suffering as I dont like the heat much!

I wanted to run the superkart in a hillclimb we had early in the year but due to the nature of the fencing, karts and open wheelers were not allowed.
Too dangerous!

L8tr M8

[250Shifter]

Hi there, new here, Im in the US. I have a Tonykart Esprit with a YZ250 engine, pretty easy install. Where do people buy parts for the 250 IC/E karts, or are they mostly hand built? I am mainly looking for an exhaust pipe, I welded the stock exhaust pipe up, but it is very ugly and doesnt have any overrev.

Thanks!