TRAKCAR

Well, I guess you could have a point... Sometimes.

9 out of 10 times you are getting in a kart that has been running most of the day, or even up till right before you get in and so, the only varience is the floor temp.

If you get in a kart that has not run at all that day, maybe it makes a little difference, but still less than a track that has been run on all day in combination with a kart that just ran before you got in.

i'd take the cold tire kart on a "hot" track over a kart with hot tires on a cold track.

Remember, all the grip on an indoor track is the rubber that had been put down on the concrete / asphalt. If you run the kart one a bare surface there is no grip at all.

JClark

+1

MTosi

How much is it?

Odds are I'm too poor to afford it, I can just do these things in one offs, lol.

I think I'll start up a thread for a meetup day.

95m3racer

Don't forget the driver plays a big role in the karts suspension and dynamics. Weight shifting, and flexing the kart with the steering column can make drastic differences.

ltc

^ + 1
Concession karts usually run a tire that is incredibly hard (long life, cheaper operating costs).
They also usually run plastic tie rods (bend, don't break....less time out of service).

In a word: POS

Now, that having been said, there are some places that have much better karts than others, but they are still nothing like a proper outdoor sprint kart.

BostonDMD

$440 for six race nights.....

4 races of 30 laps each plus 1 warm up race per night......

All in all, pretty reasonable......what do you say?

jenk12m

Andretti's indoor karting has a nice track

va122

+1. Which places in So Cal do you run? I've run a couple down there.

I go to KI speed and Miramar, both in San D. I have yet to go to the other KI's in OC.

ltc

IIRC, the indoor karting track in Phoenix hosted the World (or US) championship a year ago.

kfyork

That's correct.

The Indoor World Kart Championship had a three year run at F1 Race Factory in Phoenix.

It went to Belgium this past year and is going to Brazil for 2009.

ltc

Thanks.
I remember driving by it when my son was out at Bondurant Superkart School out at PRKA, (.....and my wife was relaxing at the Spa at the hotel....I really envy her job as team CEO/President for Life/CFO/Treasurer/Maker of All Decisions.....it sucks being the "mechanic who can't quit")....it looked like a nice facility and some folks at the kart races spoke highly of it

multi21

Lewis,

Are you the only crew member for your son or do you get help (home or away)?

ltc

This year my son has requested that I stay away from the him, the kart, the tools.
He will have a mechanic and tuner to handle him, the kart and parc ferme.
I will be relegated to "gopher duty".....lunch, parts, tools, fuel......I am SO looking forward to it. I will however miss the feeling of brake clean in my eyes, cuts, frantically hammering a bent chassis/axle and trying to make it to the grid in 5 minutes....you know, the fond karting memories.

In the beginning and up to last year, it was just me and him, he drove and I was clueless (hey, karts dont come with instruction manuals ).
I took him as far as I know how to, he's won a lot of races, developed into a pretty decent driver, learned how to give accurate feedback, can turn 3 laps within a couple hundredths of a second each session, so he is now more comfortable with people who know what they are actually doing.....actually I believe his exact words are 'Dad, stay the hell out of the tent this year".

Of course, when something goes wrong (chain breaks, ignition coil failure, etc) my wife still blames me....must be a 'maternal instinct' thing.

DanR

so all you have left is picking up the bill.............. what are dads for

ltc

Yes....although I try not to think about it.
No 'rational' person would spend $ like this...then again, I"m not usually mentioned in the same sentence as 'rational'.