How Tight Should A Go Kart Chain Be?

Chains are a crucial component of driving a go kart. Engines and wheels are connected by this device. Go karts cannot move without it, and if it is not installed properly, it can cause performance and damage to your kart. Go karts should have a chain that is tight enough to prevent slipping.

You should make sure the chain on your go kart is tight enough to not dislodge while you are driving. Still, the chain should have a little bit of flexibility (play). 

Consistent maintenance of your chain is essential to keeping your kart running and reliable, although it is not very time consuming.

What Is The Impact Of Chain On Your Kart?

A Crucial Component

Chains are essential components of go karts. The engine and the wheels are connected by this component. As a result of the chain, the wheels are only able to turn. It is extremely important that these chains are properly maintained and that they are fitted properly.

Chains are similar to bicycle chains. There is no drive on the rear wheel if it hops off the gears, so you cannot move. It is more difficult for a karting chain to handle the high speeds and bumps associated with racing, but the gears are still crucial if you want to move the kart.

An Appropriate Amount Of Tension

Additionally, you need to ensure that your chain is properly tensioned. The sprocket will easily jump off if it is too loose. You can pop your chain off if you hit a curb too aggressively, or if another kart bumps into you from the side or the rear.

Overtightened chains create too much tension, causing damage to the chain and the gears, and slowed performance. The friction between the chain and sprocket will cause the rear axle to have difficulty rotating if you have too much tension in the chain.

Also Read: Can Go Karts Flip?

Maintain proper chain tension

Karting beginners may find it challenging to determine the right chain tension. In order to find the right length and tension for your kart, there are several ways you can shorten or lengthen its chain.

Making Adjustments to the Rear Axle

Trying to adjust the rear axle should be your first step. You may experience performance issues depending on your specific set up. Back or forward adjustments can be made to the rear axle. Depending on the action, the chain will either be tightened or loosened.

Backwards movement of the rear axle increases chain tension.

The engine can also be loosened and moved forward or backward on the chassis if it needs a fairly minor adjustment. Using this method, however, you don’t have as much room to work with.

Changing the axle of your kart changes its wheelbase, which means that it could become stiffer or more flexible. Your kart will handle differently around corners if you keep this in mind. Vehicles can be adjusted easily and quickly in this manner.

It will be necessary for you to have the right equipment for these next two methods.

Go Kart Chain Adjustment: The Best Way’s

Disassembling chains

It is easy to adjust the chain length this way. It makes the process much easier and faster to remove chain links with the removal tool. Around $10 can be found for them.

If you need to remove a specific number of links from the chain, make sure to measure it beforehand. Depending on how tight you want the links to be, you can fold some together until the desired tension is reached. If you cannot find the right tension, you can try removing links until you do.

Master Link Management

It is first necessary to remove the chain from the kart. This can only be accomplished by removing the clutch. The clutch should already be removed before removing the chain from the sprocket. To determine the master link, find one that has a clip on it, and which might be different from the rest (sometimes it is a different color).

Using pliers, undo the small clip on the master link of the chain, and then extract the two pins carefully. Because you’ll need to reattach the clip later, be careful when storing it.

Don’t lose your pins

You want to add or remove links right next to the master link when adding or removing them. Ensure that the pins of the chain are facing the screw as you position the link removal tool. Once the pin is freed from the link, adjust the screw to release it, but do not remove it. Losing pins is easy when they’re detached from links. Reattaching links is the same procedure you would use to remove them.

In the absence of chain link removal tools

Using this method is not simply as easy as it seems due to its unconventional nature. There is a possibility that the chain will break, it requires more effort, and it takes more time. In the absence of a chain link removal tool, you may have to resort to this option if you want to remove some links.

Hammer, 2 x nuts, 1 x Nail or pin are Required!

Placing the chain the wrong way up with the pins facing upwards is the right way to do so. Generally, we recommend using two nuts (or three if the pin is too long to detach). You can gently loosen the pin by using a hammer and a nail. As the chain is placed underneath the nut, the pin will fall into the center.

In this method, heavy-handed hammering can damage the chain, so be careful, and don’t rush the process.

Maintenance of Chains

Chains on go karts are exposed to a lot of dirt due to their position. You should therefore make sure to properly maintain and clean your kart’s chain on a regular basis. A chain protector should be installed on your kart if you do not have one.

Dirt & Oil

Oil and dirt get sprayed onto the chain from the engine and the tires (especially as the bike travels through the grass). You might experience a performance drop-off in your kart if either of these types of dirt get stuck within the chain links.

Of the two, oil is the worst. As a result, oil becomes thinner and behaves more like a liquid when it’s warm. Because of this, it splatters very easily onto the chain. You may notice that your kart’s oil becomes more viscous or even hardens and solidifies once it has cooled down.

You will not be able to turn your chain more easily around the sprocket with these solid blocks of sticky oil. As with dirt, oil is susceptible to becoming clogged with dirt.

Regularly clean it

A weekly cleaning of your chain should resolve any issues you have. In addition to cleaning and maintaining your track before and after a run, you should also check on the chains, as the condition of the chains will vary based on how much time you spend on the track.

Depending on whether you have removed the chain from the kart, you can soak it in either petrol or brake cleaner. Alcohol with a high proof can also be used. Your chain should be soaked in your liquid of choice for approximately 30 minutes. Dirt and oil will be loosen from the chain by the liquid. If you remove the chain entirely, you should have only a few bits left, which you can remove by hand.

Lubrication

Keep your chain lubed at all times. Every day, typically before going on a track, this should definitely be used. Having the chain close to the sprocket will reduce friction between the two. Wear and tear on sprocket teeth can be seen if you’re not using chain lube enough (these get the most abuse from chain wear and tear). As the paint chips off the teeth, you will see a silver metallic color showing through.

Wrapping Up!

Kart performance and reliability are directly affected by chain tension. Chains need to be able to flex about an inch. Using an incorrect tension can cause the chain to jump off the sprocket, whereas using an incorrect tension damages the chain and sprocket.