Go Kart Engines - The Many Differences are Critical to Know



Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010

by Joshua Hardingur
JMS

If driving over to the nearby family fun center for a 10 or 15 mph go kart ride is your idea of an electrifying time you will not need to understand very much concerning go karts. On the other hand, if you wish to drive faster go karts and ratchet up the excitement in your life, even if you are a novice, you need to be knowledgeable about several things that concern karts. Learning the basics with regard to 2-stroke, 4-stroke, and electric powered go kart engines is actually simple, but can increase your level of fun in the activity.

Open wheel go karts is just about as stimulating as it gets. Watching expert Indy Car drivers race around a 2 1/2 mile oval at speeds greater than 230 mile per hour can be an adrenaline-pumping thrill. Open wheel racing has been around for decades and go kart racing is a variation of this open-wheel motor sport. The difference is that karts are smaller and race on shortened race courses, but the excitement of racing a go kart can be just as high. Also, many racers use go carts as a prerequisite to more costly, competitive, and speedier racing. This is where many of the top drivers got their initial start.

As with almost everything else there is a big difference in the style of go karts that can be driven. Speed is mostly determined by the go kart engines, but is additionally influenced by the quality of the go kart frame, especially when racing through hard turns. Super Karts are the quickest style and can reach top speeds of 160 mile per hour or more. If that's just a bit too speedy for your enjoyment you can choose to drive different types of go carts that will be a lot slower. Recreational go karts found at neighborhood family fun parks will generate speeds that might reach only 10 or 15 mph so there's a considerable range for you to select from.

4-stroke as well as 2-stroke engines are generally used in racing. Various types of the 4-stroke engine are found in many amusement parks and fun centers, but electric powered motors are growing in status. Electric powered motors have a number of bonuses that make them just right for small family fun center race courses. They are extremely low-priced to operate and maintain and only require a charge up when their power diminishes too much. There is no need to fill them with costly gasoline because they obtain their power from long-term batteries. And lacking a gasoline powered motor to break down they are economical to maintain. Additionally, they can be driven inside because they don't give off any dangerous emissions. The only negative aspect to electric powered go karts is that they require charging after about 20 minutes of racing, but as high-performance battery technology improves the batteries are holding longer charges.

Recognized manufacturers of 4-stroke go kart engines are Tecumseh, Honda, and Briggs and Stratton among others. These manufacturers make low-powered motors that will furnish from 5 to 20 hp. These low-powered motors are typically used by novice drivers or in family fun centers. But don't let the limited hp deceive you; a lot of these low-powered motors can propel a go kart at speeds up to 50 mile per hour. This might not seem high-speed in your mind, but as soon as you begin driving through turns in a tiny go kart at these high speeds you'll soon understand just how speedy this really is.

Some 4-stroke motors have additional muscle and can generate up to 50 hp. These motors can race at up to 11,000 rpm (revolutions per minute) and are regularly used in many National Championship class races, but if you need to go faster you'll have to get a 2-stroke motor. Many 2-stroke motors will generate as little as 10 hp or less, but some can also produce 90 hp or more at 16,000 rpm. Top speeds around 160 mile per hour can be reached with these strong 2-stroke motors. 

In the olden days motors were air-cooled, but with the faster speeds of today the majority of go kart engines are cooled by water. Many of the less high-powered 4-stroke motors are still air-cooled, but the premier hp motors are typically water-cooled. With the varied differences in power and energy, there is a motor available with your name on it, no matter what style of driving you want to do.

Joshua is a freelance author providing entertaining and useful information about an assortment of go kart topics including how to choose the right go kart frame, how to buy a cheap go cart, necessary factors to think about before purchasing a go kart, and other useful tips.
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