Lubricants and fuels for go-karts that care

Did you know that lubricants and kart fuels do a lot for the Formula 1 races you enjoy so much? Kart competitions are a great school for future champions of motorsport, who have been learning to drive and compete on these circuits since they were very young.

It has hung the sambenito of being a minor sport, but the emotion of a kart race must be lived. The proximity of the track, the races that follow one another throughout the weekend, the constant suspense and the beauty of the fight for victory are there to accelerate the hearts of drivers and public.

These competitions, moreover, are not only a real factory of pilots, but also of mechanics and car specialists. That’s why they’re an ideal place to start understanding the technical importance of lubricants and high-performance fuels from an early stage.

A more complex machine than it seems

A go-kart is a machine of apparently simple design. However, the competition places a high demand on these vehicles. In fact, it is a high-level sport in which professional teams are measured with the same intensity as in major Formula 1 competitions.

For this reason, the products demanded by modest but powerful go-karts are designed on the basis of a demanding level of quality that guarantees optimum performance in the race.

Kart engines are usually two-stroke (2T). Their displacement ranges from 50 cc to 250 cc. As in any other 2T engine, it is essential that the lubricant mixes perfectly with the fuel. In this way, you will be able to lubricate the system correctly.

In fact, too much lubricant can cause serious problems. For example, the formation of deposits, varnishes and unwanted smoke. To avoid them, it is essential that the lubricant, especially in competitive applications, has as low an ash content as possible. This is due to the severe conditions that usually occur in races, with significant levels of temperature, pressure and revolutions.

This will minimize the deposits that tend to form when there are ashes in the oil that burns in the combustion chamber. It is the way to avoid some typical problems of 2T engines, such as the sticking of the rings or breakdowns by formation of deposits in the spark plugs and the rest of the engine.

What about fuel?

It is clear that a high quality lubricant will be able to offer the protection that a go-kart requires. What about the fuel? Well, it must also measure up, because it is the main source of energy for these vehicles.

That is why it is very important that the fuel supplied to a go-kart is of the highest possible quality. In regulated competitions, it must also be included in the list of products.

A racing fuel must guarantee that, regardless of the conditions, its performance will always be uniform. This is achieved thanks to the standardized formulations of these gasolines.

Commercial gasolines meet a legal minimum of quality. From there, they can vary their formulation, as long as they do so within a certain legal range. However, the competition ones do not present chemical variations that can give rise to sensible differences in performance. In other words, they always perform at their best, which is why they always offer the same performance.

With more octane, will I get more power?

This is a typical belief, but this rule should not be followed. The recommendation is always to use the right octane rating according to the specifications and regulations of the competition, or the one recommended by the engine manufacturer. This usually indicates the octanes and other technical specifications that the fuel must meet.

However, in a competitive environment, there is no golden rule for recommending gasoline, especially when engines have been assembled, reinforced or modified. Especially in these cases it is advisable to consult a specialist to make a tailor-made recommendation. Then all that is left is to test and measure whether it is the right type of petrol.

Lubricants and fuels for karts are just as important as any other type of fluid, whether they are high competition or daily use. Therefore, using high quality products that guarantee a fast and safe arrival at the finish line is the best option. Nor should you forget to change them regularly so that the engine goes like silk and the emotion is not lost.