How do Go-Karts Work? | GoKartGuide (2024)

Go-Karting is an extremely fun activity, regardless of whether you are a first-timer, a hobbyist or a professional go-kart racer. Many of us race our go-karts on tracks every weekend or whenever we can find the time.

Believe it or not, many professional NASCAR and Formula 1 drivers start their careers with go-karting. It’s an easy sport or activity to pick up on a weekend and the barrier to entry is extremely low. You can either rent a go-kart at the race track, or if you’re more serious you may opt to buy your own.

Even though go-karts are quite simplistic compared to cars, many people don’t understand the basics of how a go-kart actually works. They do contain parts that may be complex for some people to understand (engine, braking system, and so on), so I will focus on keeping the explanation as simple as possible.

In fact, understanding how they work isn’t as hard as you think it is. They’re much less complex than a sophisticated racing car.

Go-Kart Parts

In order to understand how go-karts work, let’s first acquaint ourselves with the individual parts. To make this understandable to a wider audience, we won’t go into too much detail. I’ve compiled a separate list of all essential go-kart parts. For now, here a list of the 6 most common parts and how they function on a go-kart:

1. Seat

You will notice that most often go-karts will have bucket seats. These seats are designed to wrap around your back. The seat contour prevents riders from being flung out of the karts when turning into sharp corners at high speeds.

Recreational go-karts or off-road karts will typically have padded seats which are more comfortable. Racing go-karts on the other hand are designed to be as light as possible and will often just be made of plastic or fiberglass to reduce the overall weight of the go-kart.

2. Tires

Go-kart tires are usually 10″ – 11″ tall and 5″ to 8″ wide. You’ll find wider tires on the back of the go-kart, as most of the weight is distributed towards the rear end. These tires are usually small in height and wide, to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. Go-karts are usually equipped with one of the three most common tire types.

Slicks are used for dry conditions and are designed for racing. You can either opt for soft tires which provide high amounts of grip but also wear out faster, or hard tires that offer less grip but last longer.

Wets are also known as rain tires and are used for wet weather conditions. They are grooved to provide maximum amounts of grip in rainy conditions and are designed to prevent aquaplaning.

Special tires are used for different types of races or occasions. They are commonly used for dirt, off-road or recreation. Concession or recreational (non-racing) go-karts tend of have larger tires that make for a smoother ride.

3. Steering

Go-kart steering wheels are simple in design and are typically made of aluminum. They’re commonly around 10″ – 12″ in diameter. A steering wheel has three mounting holes that connect to the steering shaft (part of the steering column), which attaches to the front axle.

Higher quality go-kart steering wheels are wrapped with neoprene and feature molded finger grip grooves that provide riders with an ergonomic grip. Comfort on the steering wheel is extremely important, as vibrations and hard turns can be strenuous on your grip.

Go-Karts also don’t have power steering, so you often have to keep a tight grip on the steering wheel. The lack of comfort of your handling can greatly impact your racing experience.

4. Engine

You’ll see go-karts equipped with either a gasoline engine or an electric motor depending on its type.

Gasoline engine on go-karts are either two stroke (up to 18,000 rpm) or four stroke (up to 11,000 rpm). While the two stroke engine is more commonly used for racing, due to its higher revs, the four stroke is quieter and runs smoother. Here’s a list of the best engines for go-karts.

Electric motors have increased in popularity over the last few years. They can be advantageous due to their quicker acceleration, better weight distribution and the ability to reverse. The downside of electric go-kart motors are the short ranges and the time they last on the track (usually 20 minutes) before needing to be recharged.

Electric motors run much quieter than their gasoline counter-parts, of course. Here’s a guide on the best electric go-kart motors.

5. Chassis

The chassis of a go-kart consists of two parts. The first is the frame of the kart also referred to as the platform. It’s a metal construct where all parts are mounted onto.

The second part is the body kit (also known as body work) that consist of bumpers, panels and spoilers. They protect the foundation and the inner parts of the go-kart and are made out of hard plastic or fiberglass.

6. Frame

The outer metal “cage” around a kart is referred to as the guard frame. It surrounds the go-kart and protects the body work from damage. It also ensure that any wheel collision in a race is avoided. Wheel collisions can sometimes cause a kart to flip and even knock it out of the race track.

As these frames are made out of metal, it adds quite some weight to the go-kart. Professional racing karts often forego metal frames in order to maximize acceleration by keeping the weight of the go-kart to a minimum.

So, How does a Go-Kart Work?

Now that you understand the 6 basic parts of a go-kart, you are able understand and familiarize yourself with how the parts all work together. Note that there are many more parts in a go-kart that are required in order for them to function, but this guide will focus on explaining just the basics.