Shifter Kart Kills Impala SS

[Trackmagic11]

First of all I am 14 and drive 80 cc shifter karts around the western part of the U.S. and the East Coast periodically. My kart weighs about 300 lbs. with me in it and has an RM 80 motocross motor. It usually runs about 90 on the tracks we run at and runs a 0-60 mph time of about 3.6 sec.
Anyways my dad was at work and I decided since my friend was over I would have him start me and help me run the kart up the street a bit. My neighbor pulls up and is in his 96 Impala SS with some mods. All he says is underdrive pulleys but you can hear the intake noise and exhaust. He sticks his head out the window and asks for a race. I notice my water temp is low but I pull up next to him anyways. I spin it up to 13,000 rpm and he launchs so I dump the clutch and bog it. I start pullin him in and run out of road. we ran the 1/8 , roughly. I roll back and he does too. He offers another run and now I am up to temp. We line up and when he leaves I dump it and pull past him hard off the line. By the end of the street I was in 6th gear at about 94 mph and he was 10-12 cars back. He still is mad at me

 

[Joe 1320]

No doubt! Those are lightweight fun machines. One of these days I've got to get into racing those.

 

[blackbuick87]

You wanna sell that thing?

 

[bruce]

A good runner, will outdo most cars for 50' or so.
A human, in 3-4 strides is at full speed, and has a real good hole shot.

 

[mygrain]

I used to run cars with my dirtbike for money. Only ever lost to one car, a big bock chevelle with nitrous. fun times.

 

[Casper]

I run a 100cc lay down on tracks like thunderhill, sears point, and laguna seca (not anymore). My dad has a 125 shifter (which he just blew the tranny on) and has been doing it for almost 20 years. I assume you do short tracks since you top out at around 90, but some ppl bring their sprint karts onto the road racing.

I know you don't get much glory with go-karts but man are they fast. My kart, as it sits, (which is a real low one, just 100cc reed valve, old too, with a centrifugal clutch) is faster around thunderhill than a 360 modena. A new 250 will (and has) beat a NASCAR around laguna by more than 10sec's per lap. The 250's claim that they have hit 170, but i doubt it. Its pretty hairy up there with no rollbar/seatbelt/anything really.

P.S. Last race I rocked a 125 trackmagic sit-up

 

[blackbuick87]

170 in a go kart???

And I thought 110 on my sled with trees a foot away in the trail was fast

 

[Trackmagic11]

The world superkarts as they are known , run at Laguna Seca. They are 250 cc twin-cylinder yamahas making around 90 hp. They do infact run lap times 12 seconds faster than a Winston West car and believe it or not there is proof that these karts have exceeded 180 mph down the front straight !
Eddie Lawson runs one and he was the 500 cc f1 superbike champion a few years ago.
These cars also have run mid 9's in the quarter and I am sure it would be odd to kill one off the line with a modded out TB and then see that little kart fly by on top end. That would hurt some egos

 

[Casper]

I have driven in one of eddie's ex-karts (a brand new engine from him costs 25g's!) and I really doubt those things are 9 second machines. It would be awesome if they were, could u provide me with a link?

I think it is suprising how many now famous race drivers came up from go-karts. My dad remeber when Scott Prueit passed him so close at the end of a huge straight, it scared the hell outta him. Scott is now a retired indy and nascar driver.

P.S. 180, wow, my kart only hits like 125.

 

[Trackmagic11]

OK Casper look.here scroll to the bottom and then look at the specs. proof

 

[Fastblack87]

geeeez im 14 and i would DIE to have a shifter kart!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Paul]

You could just buy a little Honduh CRX and have yourself a Go-Kart!!!

 

[Casper]

Originally posted by Trackmagic11
OK Casper look.here scroll to the bottom and then look at the specs. proof

Sorry man but I hardly call that proof. Looks more like guessed speeds/1/4 time to me. Go check out the eKarting forum, they have a multi multi multi page discussion on top speed. From what I understand it isnt Daytona where the real top speeds are being acheived but Silver Stone, if anyone knows anything about racing, you will know why it happens on this track. There is a lot of input from people who have both a 250 and a formula atlantic, they have put up some pretty good proof that the 250's rn't going much faster than 140-150, but a few guys swear up and down that they were clocked at 170+.

*shrug*

 

[Trackmagic11]

Casper , a 250 cc single sit-up goes over 140 at Willow Springs. A 400 lb 65 hp windblock goes 140 what is a 35k dollar Aerodynamic 274 lb 90 + hp kart gonna do ? Your a fool if you think that much power-to-weight ratio is only gonna run 140. Sounds to me like your just pissy because the shifters eat your 100cc clutch kart like its nothin.

 

[Casper]

Ok fine, I will prove it to you the best I can.

First of all Eddies 250 TWIN (faster than a single, but even you knew that) has a race weight of 420-450 (depending on what year, it changed), his kart has 93 hp AT THE CRANK. 93 * .15 = 14, 93-14= approx 80 rwhp and weighs approx 450 pounds.

Now, the brand new 2003 Yamaha R6 has 123 at the crank, and with a rider will be less than 500 pounds. Now, i'm not gonna run the #'s to show at the rear wheel because it is so painfully obvious that the power to weight ratio is better. Also, it is a four stroke so (i assume, not that it matters a huge amount) its torque is better, and is spread out much better. Even though bikes are peaky, you try a go-kart, wayy more.

So Eddies kart run's 9's huh? Well then how come a bike with better power to weight ratio, which has better means of transfering it to the ground (suspension) can maybe with a professional rider only break into the 10's? (10.9 if your really lucky). Btw, if you try to say well it's not his kart I was quoting, it has been proven many a time over that his kart is the fastest in the world.

On to your little comment about me just driving a 100cc. I drove a 125 shifter for years, but when I cracked the steerting coming into turn 2 in Sears Point and hit the wall and broke 2 ribs and totalled my kart, I had to go down to the kart I had graduated from. I couldn't afford a new frame, pipe, and head.

Sorry little man but as much as you may love go-karts (which is great, keep on racin) they're speed isnt in acceleration, or topspeed, it is in the corners.

 

[Turbo Ryan]

Originally posted by Casper
Sorry little man...

Ouch. Pretty bold for a 14 year old boy.

Ryan

 

[Trackmagic11]

Well Casper , you are correct. You are still not very intelligent as I earlier reffered to SuperKarts (the ones in Europe) and you are looking at Eddie's American karts.

European: 274lbs/better tires/Aprillia 250 twin dynos @ 112 fwhp

American:450 lbs/no traction/Yamaha TZ twin dynos @ 93 fwhp

European tracks are definitely bigger on average than our tracks and therefor allow for higher top speeds but even you probably knew that.

P.S. Its not hard to make a 1200-1300 cc street bike run 9's with 200hp and 600 lbs w/rider . . . why can't a kart with 110 hp and 350 lbs do it ????

P.S.S sorry about your ribs .... i had a similar accident when my magnesium steering hub broke and I got thrown.

 

[Casper]

Originally posted by Turbo Ryan
Ouch. Pretty bold for a 14 year old boy.

Ryan

He's 14, I am 26.

 

[Casper]

Originally posted by Trackmagic11
Well Casper , you are correct. You are still not very intelligent as I earlier reffered to SuperKarts (the ones in Europe) and you are looking at Eddie's American karts.

European: 274lbs/better tires/Aprillia 250 twin dynos @ 112 fwhp

American:450 lbs/no traction/Yamaha TZ twin dynos @ 93 fwhp

European tracks are definitely bigger on average than our tracks and therefor allow for higher top speeds but even you probably knew that.

P.S. Its not hard to make a 1200-1300 cc street bike run 9's with 200hp and 600 lbs w/rider . . . why can't a kart with 110 hp and 350 lbs do it ????

P.S.S sorry about your ribs .... i had a similar accident when my magnesium steering hub broke and I got thrown.

You are severly dilusional if you believe that 274lb's is the wet weight with a rider, with gas and a rider that would be (shocking!) about 450 or maybe a little more. I was qouting RACE WEIGHT, maybe you didnt notice that I added on a rider for the bike to make the power to weight ratio's similar. Ok, lets say Aprilla does make a 250 twin that has 113 fwhp, you really think that is gonna add 40 mph and take off seconds from their quarter time??

If you had any experience in racing, especially in drag racing, you would know that saying "o this platform with roughly the same power to weight ratio runs 9's, why can't this complelty different platform run the same??" I noticed you basically quoted the times for a busa', that thing barely dips into the 9's, just barely. So you think that a 250 twin with no suspension can hang with a full race drag bike (which is what they are, I have ridden one and those things can't handle S's at all)?

You say the European tracks have longer straights (very true, I have been to silverstone and lemans, not raced on them though), but why is it the link you gave me to "prove" how fast the kart where state that the top speed was set at Daytona and besides it only says approx 160 (very far from 180 you stated earlier in this thread).

O and sorry about the accident, I've know how much it sucks to loose a steering hub.

P.S. To your earlier comment on how 250's fly by my, of course they do, but I have rocked many a 80 cc shifter. They just dont cut it on a real track.

 

[Trackmagic11]

I'm done arguing with you . . . they are 13 second piles of **** and only go 130 . . . happy ?