If you have happened to have the pleasure of being in a go-kart just for fun or even at a competitive level, you may be wondering how these vehicles work. Cars are supposed to have gears that they can shift to depending on how fast they are going. But is it the same with go-karts? Do go-karts have gears?
Go-karts need gears to put torque under certain circumstances, as well as to shift into reverse. Some even have six-speed manual transmissions. However, most go-karts have a simple auto transmission system consisting of only a few gears.
The go-kart is supposed to be a straightforward vehicle used for fun and simple competitive races. However, transmission is still very much an important part of a go-kart. It allows you to switch gears to ensure that the go-kart engine is running optimally.
Do Go-Karts Need a Transmission?
The transmission is one of the most important parts of any vehicle. That’s because this system allows the vehicle to stay within the rev limit to avoid exploding. The transmission system allows you to shift from one gear to another so that the gear ratio between the engine and the drive wheels alters as you keep the rev limit under the “red line” that you see on your tachometer.
So, in that case, go-karts have transmissions because this allows them to function normally while keeping the RPM of their engine in the rev limit. Because go-karts have a transmission system, they also have gears that allow the transmission system to work. But the transmission system of a go-kart is pretty simple enough that it is only made of a few gears.
The transmission system is relatively simple because it only uses a few gears that control the vehicle’s speed to stay at an optimum level in terms of how its engine is running. This prevents the engine from overheating as the transmission switches between gears.
Are Go-Karts Automatic or Manual?
Some people ask whether go-karts have a transmission system or gears because they don’t notice them having to change gears whenever they are go-karting as a hobby.
In that sense, you don’t notice that the go-kart has an actual transmission system because most go-karts have an automatic transmission system. This transmission system automatically changes gears to control the speed and keep the RPM at an optimal level that doesn’t overheat the engine. That is why you hardly notice the go-kart changing gears, as the transmission system automatically does that for you.
However, some go-karts are becoming quite popular in the US and the UK because they have a manual transmission system. Of course, this is popular among professionals and competitive go-kart racers because the manual transmission system allows them greater control over their machines.
This separates their skill levels in terms of how well they control their go-karts’ transmission and engine, similar to how drag racers use manual transmission cars over automatic ones. These go-karts are often called shifter karts.
How Many Gears do Shifter Karts Have?
So, now that you know that shifter karts exist, you might wonder how many gears these shifter karts have. To answer your queries, shifter karts are six-speed manual transmission go-karts with six different gears they can shift to so that the go-kart racers can get the most out of their engines.
With these manual transmission shifter karts, you need to know when to change gears because the go-kart will no longer do this for you. So, in that regard, if you don’t know when to shift gears, the go-kart might end up having an overheated engine due to the high RPMs. That’s why you need to adjust to shifter karts before you drive one at a competitive level.
The transmission in these shifter karts is important in ensuring that the engine gets the most RPM without overheating the engine. As such, changing gears should be a challenge for those who have been used to driving automatic go-karts and automatic cars. However, if you have driven a manual transmission car for a long time, driving a shifter kart won’t be too difficult as it is already second nature to know when to shift gears.
Do Go-Karts Have a Clutch?
Modern and earlier go-karts can have clutches, but clutches are more commonly used in newer models. Earlier go-karts were often direct drives, meaning the engine was directly connected to the rear wheels without any intermediary transmission.
However, in recent years, many go-karts have switched to using more powerful 125-cc engines with centrifugal clutches. This has made clutches more essential in many go-karts today. While not all go-karts have clutches, they are becoming increasingly common in the industry to provide drivers with more control over the engine and transmission.
Read Go-Kart Clutch – The Ultimate Guide to learn more about go-kart clutches.
Do Professional Go-Karts Have Gears?
Professional go-karts are becoming quite popular because go-karting has become very popular among different speed enthusiasts. In that regard, you might wonder whether or not go-karts used at the professional level have gears that will allow them to shift from one gear to another.
Well, of course, professional go-karts have gears. Most professional go-kart racers prefer to use shifter karts because they have greater control over the engine to get the maximum RPM without overheating it. This allows them to go faster and provide more power to the go-kart while ensuring they are not overpowering the engine.
And even if some professional go-karts are not shifter karts, they still use an automatic transmission system in most go-karts. In that regard, it becomes easy to understand that go-karts, whether used professionally or for leisure, have gears and a transmission system that controls them.
Goran, an experienced go-kart racer, fuels GoKartLife.com with his passion and expertise. He offers valuable insights and tips for fellow enthusiasts, fostering the growth of the go-kart community. Join Goran at GoKartLife.com and immerse yourself in this exhilarating sport.