How is driving with centrifugal clutch?

[jbre...@resonate.com]

Hello!

I will soon attend my first (ever) karting class. These karts will be
equipped with a Yamaha engine and a centrifugal clutch. I have driven
standard stick shift cars and automatic cars, but never before anything
with a centrifugal clutch. I assume the 'gear-ratio' keeps adjusting
smoothly as you squeeze down the accelerator? But in practice, how does
driving differ when using a centrifugal clutch? Obviously you don't need
to switch gears, but how else does the driving behaviour change?

I would appreciate it very much if you could share your experiences
with me.

Thank you,

Juergen Brendel

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[Gary Derian]

Its no problem. Just put your foot down and go. The engine makes lots of
noise but thats normal. If you drive too slowly, the clutch will slip too
much and get hot. Drive harder and the clutch will lock up.
Gary Derian <gde...@cybergate.net>

[LOW RIDER]

I'm assuming the karts are of the racing variety and have either
an engine mounted or axle mounted clutch. The majority of clutches
nowadays are of the oil bath or similar design that allow the
engine to rev up into its powerband (around 10,000 rpm) before
engaging fully. A standard kart (non shifter) can only have one gear
setup at a time. You change gears depending on the track and
driver weight and what engine(s) you're using. The kart will speed
up until it reaches it's max speed. Depending on the type of kart,
a sprinter on a sprint track will accelerate very quickly upto
its max speed in a short distance, where an enduro or a sprinter
on an enduro track will take off much slower but will reach a
higher rate of speed. It's similar to a snowmobile but you do not
get the combo effect that a snowmobile has an in low in speed and
very high end speed. Only shifter karts have a this varible.

[Harald Stadler]

>I will soon attend my first (ever) karting class. These karts will be
>equipped with a Yamaha engine and a centrifugal clutch. I have driven
>standard stick shift cars and automatic cars, but never before anything
>with a centrifugal clutch. I assume the 'gear-ratio' keeps adjusting
>smoothly as you squeeze down the accelerator? But in practice, how does
>driving differ when using a centrifugal clutch? Obviously you don't need
>to switch gears, but how else does the driving behaviour change?

If it will be the Yamaha engine i know the clutch will close at about
4000-4500 rpm. Then the engine will act like one without clutch. Only in
slow corners the clutch begins to slip and alow a better accelleration. But
too much slip or too often will kill the clutch! And if you brake hard and
long you need to open the throttle a little bit otherwise the engine will be
stalled because the clutch suddenly opens and without throttle the revs
falls too rapidly.

[Michael D. Ray]

Back in the day, most racing karts were equipped with Horstman or Burco
clutches. They were highly adjustable and usually faster than direct drive.
The upside was that they could be adjusted to allow your engine to gain revs
(slipping) out of the corner and slowly engage to maximize power. The
downside was that too much slipping would eat up the pads and you'd burn up
and turn unconditionally direct drive. Many enduro karts used axle clutches
which would handle lots of horsepower for long races. I found these tedious
and hard to adjust.

Mike

Gary Derian wrote:

> Its no problem. Just put your foot down and go. The engine makes lots of
> noise but thats normal. If you drive too slowly, the clutch will slip too
> much and get hot. Drive harder and the clutch will lock up.
> Gary Derian <gde...@cybergate.net>
>
> >Hello!
> >

> >I will soon attend my first (ever) karting class. These karts will be
> >equipped with a Yamaha engine and a centrifugal clutch. I have driven
> >standard stick shift cars and automatic cars, but never before anything
> >with a centrifugal clutch. I assume the 'gear-ratio' keeps adjusting
> >smoothly as you squeeze down the accelerator? But in practice, how does
> >driving differ when using a centrifugal clutch? Obviously you don't need
> >to switch gears, but how else does the driving behaviour change?
> >

[Michael D. Ray]

There is a very important thing to remember when driving a cluch kart.  The key to being fast is smoothness.  It's very important to brake just a bit early and smoothly accellerate through and out of the corner.  Thrashing a clutch kart around and getting at all sideways will "bog" the clutch down and completely kill your turn exit.  On the power early and hard is the quickest way around.

Mike