Go-Karts are insanely fun cars to have, especially if you want to play with your friends and kids. Those who have go-karts, once in a while, think of speeding up their kart-driving game without fail. However, it’s often confusing to choose the best way to increase the speed of their go-karts.
That’s where turbochargers come in. Turbochargers are basically fans that can pump more air into your engine by controlling the airflow in your exhaust. It acts as an exhaust turbine that works together with the impeller to increase the air pressure intake into the fuel engine.
Now, you obviously know the basics of turbochargers already, but do know all the benefits of using one? Well, let’s discuss those before you can actually run one with your go-kart!
Contents
Why Should You Turbocharge Your Go-Kart?
As you know already, the most important highlight of turbochargers is that they can increase the speed of your go-kart. However, that’s only the very tip of the iceberg, really. Here are the reasons why you should use turbochargers with your go-kart:
Increase Weight & Balance
Apart from giving you more torque and acceleration, the weight is also increased. Now, you might think how is that a good thing as increased weight usually means more drag and less speed?
Alt: Modified go-kart with a turbocharger
Well, as turbochargers increase your speed, it’s crucial for your go-kart to balance that with a good amount of weight otherwise, you will find it difficult to control your cart. So, the added weight actually acts as a balance for your go-kart.
Improved BHP
Obviously enough, with better airflow and higher fuel consumption, it’s easy enough to understand that your engine will be able to pump more power. Consequently, your go-kart’s total BHP can increase up to 50%.
For example, if your current BHP is around 5 HP, then it can raise up to 8HP, given that the air pressure is well-maintained. Keep in mind that to make your BHP go up, the importance of air pressure can’t be taken lightly. Otherwise, you may end up damaging your go-kart.
What are the Disadvantages of Using Turbochargers?
Adding a turbocharger definitely has its benefits but what about the disadvantages? To put it simply, adding a turbocharger makes your engine system heat up more often compared to before. On top of that, oil pressure is another aspect that can prove to be a detriment to your go-kart.
To maintain the speed of your go-kart at peak level, the oil pressure has to be increased. So, more fuel and oil consumption means higher maintenance costs. So, you have to consider the drawbacks associated with bolting a turbocharger as well.
If you are in doubt, check out the next section where you can understand more about turbochargers and superchargers.
What are the Differences Between Turbocharger & Supercharger?
No mods are actually perfect and there’s always some pay-offs. That’s why it’s imperative to know about the alternatives to turbochargers for your Go-kart. If you haven’t heard of superchargers, now you can understand what it is.
Essentially, superchargers are the domain of turbochargers. That means turbochargers are also a variant of superchargers that can enhance the speed and performance of your Go-kart engine.
Alt: turbocharger on a go-kart
Compared to turbochargers which use a turbine in the exhaust system, superchargers are just the air compressors used to increase the pressure and power of your Go-kart engine.
Superchargers can use power from a belt, chain, or gear and increase the oxygen burn in the engine.
Are you fully aware of the options in hand now? If you have made up your mind about turbochargers, then let’s start with how you can use them on your Go-kart.
How Can You Turbocharge Your Go-Kart?
You may think turbocharging a Go-kart is pretty easy but you have to be careful about many things. Some turbochargers come with an easy installation guide but some don’t. That’s why you have to be extra cautious while picking up the right turbo for your go-kart.
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to use a turbocharger on your go-kart-
Step 1: Analyze your go-kart and get proper measurements of the whole car. Then determine whether your go-kart can take a turbocharger or not.
Step 2: If your engine is not capable of pumping enough power, then there’s no point in turbocharging. So, assess carefully whether your engine needs to be replaced or not.
Step 3: Choose a turbo that can be easily modified and included in your go-kart. The smaller the size of the turbo, the better.
Step 4: Upgrade the fuel system if necessary. Often than not, the existing fuel relay system fails to compensate for the heavy air pressure.
Step 5: Check your heat management system and add an intercooler if needed.
Step 6: Choose a good mounting space for the turbo and start the installation process.
Step 7: Connect your turbo to the intake system and then to the exhaust system.
Step 8: Make sure to look out for the oil pressure system as it will need more intake than before.
Step 9: Install the exhaust pipes and tune your go-kart properly with the turbocharger.
While this guide was only based on increasing the speed with a turbocharger, you can also increase the performance. You can follow the ultimate guide to Go-kart performance upgrades for more mods on your Go-karts!
Final Words
Now that you know about turbochargers in finer detail, it’s time to get to work!
However, always remember to follow proper safety measurements and caution while doing something on your own. Because if you’re not careful enough, not only you can hurt yourself but also void the warranty of your go-kart.
With that being said, go and make your go-kart lightning-fast with turbochargers now!