UK Karting - Notice Board (2-Stroke Karting) : Re: Engine tuners RIP

Notice Board (2-Stroke Karting)

Re: Engine tuners RIP
Posted by 'SimonS' on 22 Dec 2014 @ 18:19

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SimonSJoined: December 2004
Total Posts: 4
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Is there a need for kart tuning?

Classes such as Formula Blue have shown that for anything but very special drivers, those who can lap consistently within the same 100th of a second, modern production methods can provide engines where the greatest differentiator is the driver.

I think we also need to decide what we mean by 'tuning'. Banzai's suggestion that without 'tuning' we might as well drive simulators suggests we may have different definitions.

So the first question is do we regard tuning as being performance or machinery related? In other words, are we looking for parity of performance or are we looking for parity of appearance? This is quite crucial because F1 is all about parity of appearance, with huge differences in the power output of engines designed to 'appear' the same. Chance and the ability to spend money have become the most important deciders of the World Championship.

Parity of performance though would be quite easily achieved (in F1 at least) by simply mapping the various engines to meet a given power and response curve.

Of course in F1, where the important Championship isn't won by the driver but by the Manufacturer, it is important that they stick to tuning by appearance, that's where the money is.

But in karting, is the average driver interested in manufacturer or team performance? I suggest that most of the drivers don't even know who won SuperOne, let alone care that they were the product of any particular team. It represents less than 10% of all the drivers, yet wields a disproportionate influence on the rest of the sport.

So what does the average driver want? I suspect they want engines where the driver skill is paramount, not engines where the application of money to engineering makes a decisive performance difference.

Indeed, it was regularly said about Rotax is that the tyres are so sticky that even a mistake-making novice can stay on the racing line, that as a result the 'push to pass' is necessary if the advantage of grid position was not to be lost.

Another factor of previous classes was that carburettor management was critical to winning, but now the carburettor settings are fixed, again limiting the ability of the driver to show individual skills.

I think there is a huge difference between 'tuning' an engine ( and the greater difficulty of detecting subtle non-compliance when machining and fettling are permitted) and the 'tuning' of the set-up, getting kart and carb to operate at their best on a certain track.

Setting-up is a skill which requires driver ability, sending an engine to the most expensive tuner isn't.

I don't think we should be advocating an out of date practice, tuning the engine by appearance, when the majority of drivers seem to want to have engines of similar performances, but with an opportunity for 'set-up' and driver intervention. They are not driving for Manufacturers Trophies, they are driving for measures of their abilities.

And since modern engines can be produced having performance characteristics that are so close that it is driver ability that is the biggest differentiator, 'tuning' as such seems to be an irrelevance.

Message Thread:

Engine tuners RIP by 'PortlandBill' (22 Dec 2014 @ 8:37)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (22 Dec 2014 @ 13:37)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BrianP' (22 Dec 2014 @ 15:44)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PaulMRotax' (22 Dec 2014 @ 15:50)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (22 Dec 2014 @ 15:57)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PaulMRotax' (22 Dec 2014 @ 17:27)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'SimonS' << You are here!

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'goman' (22 Dec 2014 @ 18:50)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'alanrr' (22 Dec 2014 @ 21:54)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (23 Dec 2014 @ 11:39)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'SimonS' (23 Dec 2014 @ 10:03)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PortlandBill' (23 Dec 2014 @ 10:48)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'alanrr' (23 Dec 2014 @ 10:55)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BD' (23 Dec 2014 @ 11:09)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PortlandBill' (23 Dec 2014 @ 11:17)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (23 Dec 2014 @ 12:04)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BD' (23 Dec 2014 @ 12:51)

In answer to your question B D (off topic slightly) by 'BanzaiBoy' (23 Dec 2014 @ 14:32)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'BilandRacer9' (23 Dec 2014 @ 15:44)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'alanrr' (23 Dec 2014 @ 16:06)

Formula Blue website and marketing by 'goman' (23 Dec 2014 @ 19:03)

Re: Formula Blue website and marketing by 'BilandRacer9' (24 Dec 2014 @ 13:01)

Re: Formula Blue website and marketing by 'SimonS' (29 Dec 2014 @ 11:27)

Re: Formula Blue website and marketing by 'goman' (29 Dec 2014 @ 11:43)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'BD' (23 Dec 2014 @ 16:30)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'alanrr' (23 Dec 2014 @ 17:17)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'MaxRacewear' (23 Dec 2014 @ 16:04)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'FlyingCarpet' (23 Dec 2014 @ 17:29)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'goman' (23 Dec 2014 @ 19:05)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'VanDiemen' (24 Dec 2014 @ 12:24)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (24 Dec 2014 @ 13:27)

StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stroke!! by 'Attack2001' (24 Dec 2014 @ 23:50)

Re: StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stro by 'BanzaiBoy' (25 Dec 2014 @ 9:28)

Re: StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stro by 'LoneRanger' (25 Dec 2014 @ 13:01)

Re: StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stro by 'Attack2001' (25 Dec 2014 @ 13:21)

Nah! Thomas, the Biland sounds.................... by 'alanrr' (25 Dec 2014 @ 17:05)

Re: Nah! Thomas, the Biland sounds gorgeous by 'BrianP' (25 Dec 2014 @ 17:18)

Re: open TaG by 'kai' (25 Dec 2014 @ 23:37)

Re: open TaG by 'karter212000' (26 Dec 2014 @ 6:43)

Re: open TaG by 'SimonS' (26 Dec 2014 @ 12:33)

Re: open TaG by 'Attack2001' (26 Dec 2014 @ 22:03)

Re: open TaG by 'MaxRacewear' (26 Dec 2014 @ 22:36)

Re: What if i want to do sprint racing? NT by 'Attack2001' (26 Dec 2014 @ 23:40)

Re: open TaG by 'faster' (27 Dec 2014 @ 9:54)

Re: open TaG by 'NikG' (05 Jan 2015 @ 4:27)

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