| The biggest problem that faces a karter at a race meeting, is knowing what to change on the chassis and when. Remember, the biggest mistake you can make is to do nothing!. The most important part before you start changing anything is to document all your changes and some comments on the result encounted. Do the same for all race meetings you attend, including the track conditions, weather conditions, gearing etc. All track testing must be done on a fine day and on your home track or a track that you are familiar with. You will need an exercise book to document all your changes and their effect, tape measure, tools, tyre gauge and a timing system with a tachometer. The tacho is handy to check your revs coming out of corners and up or down the straights and will enable you to judge in a very practical way whether the changes you have made has made you quicker over sections of the circuit. Providing you have the track pretty well to yourself you will have ample time to glance at your timing system without danger. TYRES Before anything else can be evaluated, make sure your tyres are in good condition or new. Erratic handling conditions on your kart will not disappear no matter what you do if your tyres are old and hard. Tyre pressure has a bearing on your kart handling, so make sure you have the correct pressure in your tyres before you start. If you are unsure of what tyre pressure to run, refer to the manufacturers recommended tyre pressure as a starting point and go from there. It is also important that both front tyres are the same circumference, and likewise the rears. KARTS Different brands and ages of karts will respond in different ways to various changes, this is why we recommend test days. One set-up change suited to one chassis and driver may not necessarily be the winning set-up hint you are looking for on race day. There will always be a driver or mechanic out there claiming to know all about karting since the dawn of time, however, the reality is, they are usually full of it. Do your own testing, make your own decisions, but also listen to the advice from your local kart shop owner, more than likely, they have been around the track more than once and they will know what they are talking about. However, your own testing is important, once you have tested various changes over various different weather/track conditions, you should be prepared to make these changes on race day and be confident that the change is for the best. Testing and documenting set-up changes is extremely important, so you are prepared and ready for anything on race day. Don't test a new change during an important race meeting, this is a waste of time and more than likely will be an incorrect change. The idea of testing is to get the quickest possible setup, suited to the track and weather conditions. PROBLEMS The main problems you are likely to encounter during a race meeting is too much or not enough grip, oversteer and understeer. As far as grip is concerned, every track will have different grip depending on use and the age of the track surface. Major meetings such as a national or state title are notorious for providing grip at any track. As the meeting gets closer to that all important winner takes all final, changes are necessary to overcome the increasing grip. STARTING POINT The basic starter setting for a dry track should be with wheels straight ahead and straight up and down. On a wet track the wheels should toe out about 8-10cm. Correct any oversteer or understeer conditions first to eliminate any confusion you have with too much or lack of grip. In a way the two conditions are the same, but there is a fine line that determines whether you have steering or grip problems. OVERSTEER If you have an oversteer problem the method of correction will depend on the rear axle size. If you have a thin axle, you move the rear wheels in to get more traction. If you have a think rear axle, you move the wheels out to provide more flex of the axle and therefore get more grip. Another factor in oversteer is your seating position. If you are too far forward there will be insufficient weight on the rear wheels to get traction. Move the seat back to put more weight on the rear of the kart, and sometimes raising the seat can also help. UNDERSTEER To correct understeer, you can obviously try the reverse of the oversteer methods, but you can also have a positive effect by moving the front wheels out. Moving the seat forward is another positive way of correcting understeer without affecting the kart too much. LEAD WEIGHT If you are forced to carry a large amount of lead, where you put it is important to the kart handling. Too much at the front or back will have the effect of providing oversteer and understeer. Spread it around the kart including around and under the seat area to distribute the weight evenly. GRIP If you have a grip problem, you will either slide off the track evenly with insufficient grip, or the kart will hop around the corners with too much grip. The seat, front and rear crash bars and side pod bars can either be tightened or loosened to overcome grip problems. If you have too much grip the kart should be tightened, and not enough grip loosen up the bars. Another factor that can effect grip is the three bearing rear axle, where the third bearing should be loosened to give more grip. Hollow rear axles provide more grip also, as they flex more than a solid axle. GOOD LUCK Now you have some basic information on kart handling problems and some ideas on how to combat them, good luck and remember to have fun. Remember, the biggest mistake you can make is to do nothing! Till next time. | 
