The distance between the centres should be between 30 and 50 chain pitches.
There is an ideal length for a chain travelling at a certain speed, but in karting the variation in speeds means that one is rarely anywhere near an ideal length.
Theoretically, getting the ideal length can reduce chain resistance by as much as 3% (ie 3% of chain induced resistance, not 3% of available horsepower).
The book suggests that for high speed and variable speed operations a shorter chain is preferable (and an odd number of teeth on the driving sprocket).
However most of the decisions regarding chain length are already made for you by the position of the engine on the kart.
What is most important is to get the tension right as this has implication both in chain life and efficiency.
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