How Do You Make A Go Kart Stable?
The other day I was watching a You-Tube video with two kids riding a go kart with a roll cage. It was plunking along solidly when they took a hard corner and rolled the go cart. That is one of the most frightening aspects of vehicle dynamics, rolling and flipping. What causes it? Good question, because there are a couple of factors that go into go kart stability. To understand vehicle dynamics first the consideration of what the vehicle is expected to do must be considered. The go kart that flipped had a 4 wheel independent suspension, which can give a false security of stability. If anything, it increases instability. The factors of stability are: – Wheel Base – Center of Gravity – Power – Tires – Speed. In the case of the rolling go kart, it had two things working against it from the outset: – Too many riders – Too high of a center of gravity. Additionally, when a corner is taken with a suspension go kart, the suspension gives on the side of the corner, causing the center of gravity
