UK Karting - Notice Board (4-Stroke Karting) : Running cost? Absolutely ZERO!

Notice Board (4-Stroke Karting)

Running cost? Absolutely ZERO!
Posted by 'itpro' on 30 Oct 2008 @ 14:49

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itproJoined: August 2001
Total Posts: 6
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Now that the title has got your attention.....

It's 100% TRUE..... for me..... except for the cost of a couple of cups of tea and a few sarnies!

How?

Because I don't OWN one and thus I have NEVER had to put my hand in my pocket!

However, on a more serious note...

The one that I use belongs to Kai. I know he doesn't like me saying so but..... Kai is NO mecahnic. I have been using his kart since August 2006 and I have seen it return to the track, on each occasion, in damned nigh the IDENTICAL condition that it left the last track.... except it's been wiped clean. In that time, the TOTAL number of occasions where we have put a spanner on it were:-

1) Free of charge supplied new clutch cover which had been left un-tightened

2) Failed EXTERNAL water pump (you know, the axle mount type) which had seized over winter.

3) Blocked Carb float bowl. So much was this the first time that it had been opened that neither of us had a CLUE what parts-went-back-where as it was the first time it had EVER been opened!

..... and that's IT!

John, I cannot stress this enough...... these things are NOTHING LIKE anything you have seen or used before! They are plain LUDICROUS! You press the starter and off you go with the BIGGEST shove you will have experienced outside a 250 twin! Damn it; Kai's Aixro (with fat old me driving it) out-DRAGGED his own ICC (125 gbox) on the straight AT RYE! That sort of power output is STUNNING!

And it simply HASN'T failed so far! So...... what would YOU say the running costs have been....????

...... excluding fuel costs..... of course....

..... that power comes from SOMEwhere.

For precision...

Kai went to see the manufacturers and, BECAUSE he has been superb PR man for them, they uprated his motor to ceramic rotor tips while he was there on the 'well........ why NOT do it when we are at the factory basis?'. I don't know if oil seals etc. were changed but I doubt they are a significant part of the servicing costs. I can lay you a SAFE bet that Kai had not changed or serviced them in the whole two years that I have known that engine!

What ELSE is there to service on a Wankel?

No Piston
No Conrod
No big/small end bearings
No valves
No oil
No 'balancing' systems
No 'power-valves'
No reeds
No rotary valve

BUT...... in MY opinion, the reasons why they need SO little servicing are three-fold:

1) quite low revving. The reduced rev rate is MUCH kinder to bearings
2) almost ZERO vibration! Without much vibration, the components get a MUCH easier life!
3) No use of bearings to resist HUGE reciprocating 'loads'! The bearings in our 'standard# engines go through sheer HELL withstanding VAST acceleration and decelleration loads at the ends of each stroke. There are simply NO components on the Wankel which pass from such HUGE 'positive' loadings to such huge 'NEGATIVE' Loadings at the end of each 'revolution'. Once you take THAT component out of it, the 'life' limition is (probably) that of rotor seals, etc..

However, Wankel cars are giving 50,000 to 100,000 mile lives before those need replacement. Wouldn't WE karters be ECSTATIC if our race engines delivered even HALF that life expectancy???? 25,000 miles of usage before a rebuild?????

You really MUST come and DRIVE the damned thing. You will leave the track 'gibbering' like the rest of us!

To mis-quote a hero of mine:-

"It's a kart engine...... but not as we know it, Jim!"

Ian

Message Thread:

Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'itpro' (28 Oct 2008 @ 9:50)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'Bertoliniii' (28 Oct 2008 @ 20:38)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'itpro' (28 Oct 2008 @ 23:46)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'lard ass bob' (29 Oct 2008 @ 8:28)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'itpro' (29 Oct 2008 @ 10:06)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'BrianP' (29 Oct 2008 @ 10:16)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'kai' (29 Oct 2008 @ 10:32)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'itpro' (29 Oct 2008 @ 10:43)

Other companies duded by the CIK .. by 'Chad' (29 Oct 2008 @ 11:04)

Re: Other companies duded by the CIK .. by 'itpro' (29 Oct 2008 @ 11:21)

Re: Other companies duded by the CIK .. by 'kai' (29 Oct 2008 @ 11:21)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'BrianP' (29 Oct 2008 @ 11:08)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'itpro' (29 Oct 2008 @ 11:18)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'TheLegend' (29 Oct 2008 @ 11:55)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'BrianP' (29 Oct 2008 @ 14:49)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'itpro' (29 Oct 2008 @ 14:53)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'jc123rules' (29 Oct 2008 @ 15:43)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'positivekarter' (29 Oct 2008 @ 15:52)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'jc123rules' (29 Oct 2008 @ 16:06)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'Boosta' (29 Oct 2008 @ 16:51)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'Stig' (29 Oct 2008 @ 17:15)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'kai' (30 Oct 2008 @ 0:12)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'John' (30 Oct 2008 @ 0:16)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'itpro' (30 Oct 2008 @ 1:17)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland' ? by 'John' (30 Oct 2008 @ 13:44)

Running cost? Absolutely ZERO! by 'itpro' << You are here!

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'John' (30 Oct 2008 @ 15:31)

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'kai' (30 Oct 2008 @ 15:39)

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'itpro' (30 Oct 2008 @ 16:15)

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'John' (30 Oct 2008 @ 17:58)

Errrr..... by 'itpro' (30 Oct 2008 @ 18:35)

Re: Errrr..... by 'Bertoliniii' (30 Oct 2008 @ 19:02)

Berti by 'itpro' (31 Oct 2008 @ 10:14)

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'kai' (31 Oct 2008 @ 7:46)

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'John' (31 Oct 2008 @ 8:53)

Re: Running cost? Real costs Please! by 'itpro' (31 Oct 2008 @ 10:07)

Re: Boosta - SA by 'kai' (30 Oct 2008 @ 15:44)

Re: Boosta - SA by 'Boosta' (30 Oct 2008 @ 20:24)

Re: Boosta - SA by 'wizkid911' (30 Oct 2008 @ 21:28)

Re: Boosta - SA by 'Boosta' (31 Oct 2008 @ 11:15)

Errr, Rene, I agree with you but we are WRONG! by 'itpro' (29 Oct 2008 @ 19:25)

Re: Errr, Rene, I agree with you but we are WRONG! by 'jc123rules' (29 Oct 2008 @ 19:35)

Glad you both admitted you are wrong .. by 'Chad' (30 Oct 2008 @ 1:32)

Rene, I agree with you but we are WRONG! by 'positivekarter' (30 Oct 2008 @ 8:48)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'John' (31 Oct 2008 @ 10:46)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'stecrmh51' (31 Oct 2008 @ 11:20)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'kai' (31 Oct 2008 @ 12:11)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'John' (31 Oct 2008 @ 12:35)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'Boosta' (31 Oct 2008 @ 12:45)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'kai' (31 Oct 2008 @ 13:47)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'John' (31 Oct 2008 @ 13:59)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'kai' (31 Oct 2008 @ 14:09)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'itpro' (31 Oct 2008 @ 18:23)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'Boosta' (31 Oct 2008 @ 19:51)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'jc123rules' (31 Oct 2008 @ 20:09)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'John' (31 Oct 2008 @ 20:11)

pricing by 'Stig' (31 Oct 2008 @ 22:21)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! by 'itpro' (03 Nov 2008 @ 13:49)

Re: Ian, cannot post above! continued by 'itpro' (03 Nov 2008 @ 13:56)

again by 'itpro' (03 Nov 2008 @ 14:01)

Re: IAN, cannot post below! by 'John' (03 Nov 2008 @ 14:15)

Re: IAN, cannot post below! by 'itpro' (03 Nov 2008 @ 16:28)

Re: IAN, cannot post below! by 'John' (03 Nov 2008 @ 17:48)

Re: IAN, cannot post below! by 'itpro' (05 Nov 2008 @ 0:22)

Re: IAN, cannot post below! by 'John' (05 Nov 2008 @ 0:39)

Re: IAN, cannot post below! by 'itpro' (05 Nov 2008 @ 2:21)

Re: the future by 'kai' (05 Nov 2008 @ 9:57)

Re: the future........swiss auto by 'positivekarter' (05 Nov 2008 @ 10:39)

Re: the future........swiss auto by 'John' (05 Nov 2008 @ 11:48)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'alex64' (10 Feb 2009 @ 21:34)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'kai' (11 Feb 2009 @ 13:56)

Re: Vampire? Are they doing a 'Biland'????? by 'alex64' (12 Feb 2009 @ 14:33)

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