One of the most important elements of driving a go-kart is steering. Kart Steering Wheels is what separates the best drivers from the average drivers, so many people have been asking about how to improve go-kart steering. Remember, smooth is fast!
It’s not simple, and it takes a lot of practice. However, once you get your steering inputs nailed down, you’ll be able to find much more pace than ever before. Today, we’ll be exploring some tips for newcomers and more advanced drivers, so keep reading to find out how you can improve your karting steering technique.
1. Identify your driving style
The very first aspect of your Kart Steering Wheels that you need to identify is your driving style. It’s crucial for you to identify your driving style. Each driver’s style is unique and has different elements. This means you need to find your driving style and adapt it to go faster.
The two main driving styles are smooth and aggressive. There’s a range of styles in between, but most drivers prefer one or the other. Some drivers have a combination of both, but this is unique and rare to find in a driver.
Your driving style is where you feel most comfortable and fastest and is not influenced by your favourite driver. You must match your driving style to that of other professional drivers and get their tips from there.
For example, if you have a smooth driving style, studying Jenson Button and seeing how he got the most out of his car is a good idea. This is the best way to develop your driving style and get the most out of your steering techniques. Smoother drivers generally make fewer mistakes as there’s less action taken when cornering. Aggressive inputs can be better in certain conditions, but drivers will find their kart losing control if not mastered correctly.
2. Find the racing line
The racing line is the fastest way around the track. Some circuits have different racing lines, and your driving style can also influence the racing line that you take. However, sticking to the fastest line around the track is always important.
Hitting each apex perfectly will allow you to go faster around the lap. However, it’s essential to ensure your steering techniques are accurate. It would be best to ensure your steering is smooth and stay on the racing line every lap. The less you turn the steering wheel, the faster the kart will drive, so try to have one steering input per corner, as multiple can induce both understeer and oversteer.
3. Adjust your set-up
Once you’ve gotten the basics of Kart Steering Wheels techniques down, you can get to the more specific areas that will help you improve your technique and go faster. The best way to do this is to adjust your kart’s set-up. You can make many different set-up changes, but we’ll be covering some of the quickest and easiest ones below.
If you want to fine-tune your kart’s oversteer and understeer, one of the quickest ways to do so is to adjust the spacers on your front stub axle. The spacers are located just behind the wheel rims and essentially widen the kart’s front track width.
Putting more spacers in behind the kart’s rims will widen the front track width. A wider track width gives you more front-end grip, which results in more oversteer as the rear of the kart loses grip before the front end. This can be ideal when it rains, as the karts need the additional steer to compensate for the loss of grip in these conditions.
If you have too much oversteer, you can reduce the number of spacers behind the wheel or even use the 0.5 spacers to get more precision. A narrower front track width will lead to more understeer through the corners.
4. Change your tyre pressures
Tyre pressures can be complicated to understand, but luckily, you’re here with us at KartClass! You can adjust your tyre pressures to change how your kart handles on track. This is an excellent way to perfect your steering technique.
If your kart has too much oversteer (back-end sliding) and you’re looking for more understeer, you have two options. You can either lower your front tyre pressure or raise your rear tyre pressure. These have the same effect, giving the rear tyres more grip than the front tyres.
If you have too much understeer out on the track (the kart doesn’t want to turn into the corners), you need to do the opposite. You need to give the front tyres more grip so that they can help the kart change direction. To do so, you can either raise the front tyre pressure or lower your rear tyre pressure.
5. Get help from a coach
If you’re still struggling to figure out how to improve your Kart Steering Wheels, then the best thing to do is get a coach. A coach can immediately spot any issues you have, and their knowledge and experience can be transferred straight to you.
Getting a coach is always a good idea; even Formula 1 drivers have their coaches. Many drivers believe they are good enough and don’t need a coach. However, the best way to do it is to have your teacher when it comes to learning and developing.
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