OK, really stupid question

[Tim.Wright]

A typical setup?

Tyre pressure (hot):
Front 30psi
Rear 40psi

Rear spring rate is damn stiff if you ask.

Downforce: what is that? Lift you may say...

Its all about making the front end to get some grip. The rear goes as loose as you can. Take your conclusions.

My understanding of the hard setup on a FWD car is so that the rear axle takes all the load transfer, leaving the fronts more evenly loaded - therefore achieving better grip.

That why FWD cars tend to pickup the inside rear, they are much more stiff in roll at the rear than the from.

I agree totally with the argument that a car will oversteer with more static rear weight, and understeer with more static front weight.

Go karts, however are peculiar things with no suspension and a locked rear axle. The locked axle is the reason for the understeer.

I belive they will under steer with more rear static weight bias because in this case the inside rear wheel won't unload as easy. If you don't unload the inside read of a solid rear axle, it will twist up and try to yaw the kart out of the corner.

[alelanza]

Go karts, however are peculiar things with no suspension and a locked rear axle. The locked axle is the reason for the understeer.

Hmmm... i would have said exactly the opposite. No diff means that on any given turn one or rather both rear wheels will always be slipping, mainly the inner one as it's unloaded, thus giving you less traction there and causing oversteering. To me go karts is all about opposite lock, then again i don't race that often or have that much experience.

[Belatti]

alelanza, you are saying the same as Tim Wright but he was talking about braking and you about traction.
Go karts usually understeer while braking and oversteer while accelerating.

[Tim.Wright]

Hmmm... i would have said exactly the opposite. No diff means that on any given turn one or rather both rear wheels will always be slipping, mainly the inner one as it's unloaded, thus giving you less traction there and causing oversteering. To me go karts is all about opposite lock, then again i don't race that often or have that much experience.

Go Karts are designed to run on only 3 wheels when they're cornering - that alone shouldn't cause oversteer.

If you shift weight backwards and put the 4th wheel back on the ground (inside rear) it will twist up the rear axle and pitch the kart out of the corner.

[sdimm]

Hmmm... i would have said exactly the opposite. No diff means that on any given turn one or rather both rear wheels will always be slipping, mainly the inner one as it's unloaded, thus giving you less traction there and causing oversteering. To me go karts is all about opposite lock, then again i don't race that often or have that much experience.

Go Karts are designed to run on only 3 wheels when they're cornering - that alone shouldn't cause oversteer.

If you shift weight backwards and put the 4th wheel back on the ground (inside rear) it will twist up the rear axle and pitch the kart out of the corner.

No, that´s true in rain weather not dry.

What you want in a gokart is to oversteer the car slightly under entry in a corner. Then at apex have the steeringwheel as straight as possible and on the exit of the corner still have it as straight as you can.
This is how all fast drivers drive a gokart. Not by lifting the inner tyre.

I asked a Swedish professional driver about this last year and that´s just how it is. His name is Alx Danielsson and he has driven the Renault F1 car several times and won alot of championships like Formula Renault. In other words, he knows what he´s talking about

// Mattias

[alelanza]

What you want in a gokart is to oversteer the car slightly under entry in a corner. Then at apex have the steeringwheel as straight as possible and on the exit of the corner still have it as straight as you can.
This is how all fast drivers drive a gokart. Not by lifting the inner tyre.

That sounds more like what i have on my head. Anyways, great excuse to hit the track tomorrow. I'll try and be more analytical this time around
Thx for all the answers.