Go-kart drifting

[Rossie]

I've been racing go-karts for about two years, the idea of drifting came into my mind lately.
From my experience, due to the short wheel base of a go-kart, the kart will spin out. Go-karts have rear brakes only, I think this also contribute to the spin out problem.
I was wondering whether is it possible to drift on a go-kart.
I have a Yamaha KT100 engine, the most powerful in it's class. I don't have to worry about the power department.
I would try to add front brakes if it's possible...
Any information?
Thanks in advance.

[markeese180sx]

when im in thailand...i rally go karts...its great fun but i cant hold a slide for more than 1 second...and it was hard to spin out in the dirt...its possible...download the GIXXERKART video or whatever...manual tranny go kart speed machine

[Rossie]

Thanks!
Yeah, I encountered the same problem when I tried to drift on the track. I wanted to drift around a hairpin to overtake someone on the track. I hit the brakes hard and I started to go side ways, but it never stopped... In the end I spun-out... Come to think about it, I feel so stupid trying that move...

I don't think my kart is the same as yours. The kart you raced in has a roll cage, right?

[markeese180sx]

yeah..its like a dune buggy..my little couisins use the mini ones which are no fun...well when ur 10 its fun lol...i mean, i could get sidewayscome to think of it, but if the dirt was dry...id spin out cuz the ground was pretty hard...for dirt...it seems like dirt kart racing is a lot easier than tar mac

[Driftin180sx]

I have a video of my shifter cart drifting its pretty bad i thought it would be hard but it was alot of fun

[s0nny80y]

hey, i'm goin to boomers (dania, s fl) which houses thhheeeee biggest go cart track in the world and includes an all day/night pass to ride around the track as much as you want ! i was wonderin tho, how would you bust out a really clean drift in one of those cheap go carts provided at amusement parks?

[Rossie]

Originally posted by s0nny80y
hey, i'm goin to boomers (dania, s fl) which houses thhheeeee biggest go cart track in the world and includes an all day/night pass to ride around the track as much as you want ! i was wonderin tho, how would you bust out a really clean drift in one of those cheap go carts provided at amusement parks?

I don't think you can...
They are too weak, engine and chassis.
You can still try though. Drifting uses the weight distribution, so to speak. But with the size of a go-kart, I don't think that's possible.
Sometimes in a fast corner, I could side a little on the rear wheels, but not sideways.

[Rossie]

Originally posted by markeese180sx
yeah..its like a dune buggy..my little couisins use the mini ones which are no fun...well when ur 10 its fun lol...i mean, i could get sidewayscome to think of it, but if the dirt was dry...id spin out cuz the ground was pretty hard...for dirt...it seems like dirt kart racing is a lot easier than tar mac

Hmmm...... I don't like the bumpiness in dirt kart racing... lol...
Tarmac kart racing has slick tyres...
Go kart has a more racing type approach. Not that exciting though... Think Formula One... I was getting bored of the cruising, so I figured to try out drifting on my kart...

[Feint]

115ps to 135kg=some nice long drifts.This karts wild.

Go-kart drift

[Chas]

A friend of mine has video of me drifting his cart, its kind of hard, but it can be done.

[S3AN]

since i dont have a car yet i find myself drifting go karts quite often... just go to a local place like boomers or whatever...i have been known to get pretty dang sideways at pharaoh's lost kingdom in the san bernardino/redlands area in so cal. i usually use the feint method,lift off method or the good old power over... so maybe try that..

[D1Skyline]

It is possible

Hey, the amusment park go karts can drift in a simple sense, maybe not a showy super sideways drift, but they work, all you have to do is lean to add more weight transfer in certain areas like if you make a right turn, turn sharply right (leaning very right as of now, like your head should be way over the side), then countersteer lightly because amusment park karts steer very strong, as your countersteering, you should lean crazy left since this was a right turn. And you should be able to slide ever sooooo slightly really weak angle but it works to an extent, mainly u get realli lucky.

edit: I forgot to mention the braking part, just slam the brake once before you beginning steering and release quickly and also when you lean I also mean like slamming you body that direction, Kinda weird looking to the staff working there, but yea whatever, O and don't forget the gas after the brake.

[nedinic]

hey, i used to race o karts wen i lived in germany at Micheal Schumachers place it was kool there.
and when i moved here i raced for a little so ive raced for like 8 years.
I tried it once but i coulnt get that big of a slide.

[Drift IT]

theres this one place i go to its called Go Kart World ... its none of that serious stuff its just a place with karts toping out at a good 30 Mph and they have this track called the slick track its pretty kool it simulates sprint car racing but me and my freinds go there just to drift its kool......heres the site if you want to take a gander...www.gokartworld.com

[nedinic]

yea that does sound fun