UK Karting - Notice Board (General Karting) : Re: newbie needs advise

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Re: newbie needs advise
Posted by 'SimonS' on 10 Nov 2008 @ 15:42

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SimonSJoined: December 2004
Total Posts: 4
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As it was pouring with rain, you probably weren't at Clay, but if you were it was a fine opportunity to see all three sets of karts.

It is very difficult to set a budget for any form of karting, because the variables like damage and the weather tend to destroy any budget.

So you tend to have fixed cost, what you are likely to spend looking at normal maintenance and variable costs depending on incidents.

The other problem is the difference between the advertised maintenance periods of the various engines and the practical care needed for an engine which, let's face it, is pretty brutally abused during the 5 to ten minutes it is actually on the track.

Lastly you can do the work yourself or have someone do it for you. It someone is doing it for you then you are paying for their time and knowledge.

The biggest regular cost is tyres, and some tracks and some drivers eat tyres, others don't.

Lastly is the issue of how and why you drive. If you go and practise in every slot on a Saturday, because you enjoy it then you will wear out engine and tyres more often that someone who doesn't.

Also it matters a lot how you plan to do what. If you go with a buddy who stays focussed on helping you get out on each drive, records what you have done and why and works out what you are going to do in the next session, and keeps you to it, then life will be a lot cheaper than if you go out on your own. (EG; Search for how to set up your tyre pressures and set your front end up. If you need to only do 5 laps, then only do 5 laps even though you are really singing and could go faster with just one more lap, because what you are doing is setting up the front end, rather than seeing how fast you can go).

The other thing is tools. The right tools can be cheaper (but cost more) than the wrong tools.
If you wear out several sets of tyres trying to find the right settings by guesswork, when it could have been done in one session using the tools then ignorance has cost you a couple of hundred pounds. (OK, a thermometer costs Ł27 and a pair of discs are between Ł30 and Ł50, so lets settle on Ł100?)

But, with most of my maintenance being done for me and doing a lot of driving 'just for the fun of it', I reckon to spend around Ł200 a weekend on kart and engine in Formula Blue. (not including tyres). (That's an average. Some weekends it is more and some less)

But an incident could increase this, bent axle Ł40, chain Ł16, sprocket Ł10, new wheel rim Ł20 and so on.

Your budget may vary.

Message Thread:

newbie needs advise by 'seanie199' (04 Nov 2008 @ 16:34)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'KevinW' (04 Nov 2008 @ 17:07)

...and 33 is not too old for karting by 'KevinW' (04 Nov 2008 @ 17:09)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'seanie199' (04 Nov 2008 @ 17:17)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'Hootsman' (04 Nov 2008 @ 17:45)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'SimonS' (04 Nov 2008 @ 18:10)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'IanF' (04 Nov 2008 @ 19:10)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'seanie199' (04 Nov 2008 @ 19:28)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'FrankTheTank' (04 Nov 2008 @ 23:41)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'seanie199' (05 Nov 2008 @ 19:04)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'KevinW' (05 Nov 2008 @ 22:17)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'seanie199' (08 Nov 2008 @ 16:41)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'chriskasch' (08 Nov 2008 @ 17:12)

Re: newbie needs advise by 'SimonS' << You are here!

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