3. Steering System

So after having mounted the rear axle (with brake disc (or brake drum) and sprocket), and having placed the engine and chain system in place, proceed to mounting the front steering system.

Before we did some measurements of the person sitting in the comfortable position, make sure you remember the measurement (relative to the go kart frame) of the steering wheel. That is the target point for the steering wheel.

The actual position of the front wheels is a bit more involved though. You will need a scale. Place the scale first of all under the rear wheels. I typically use a board placed across the rear frame rails underneath the wheel area. Have someone sit in the go kart. (Be sure to a have the front wheels, steering wheel and steering structure on the go kart when you weigh it)

Now proceed to the front of the go kart and place the board in the general area that you want the steering system. Again weigh the go kart.

Take the two weights and add them together. That is the total weight. The front weight ideally should be with-in 5 to ten pounds of the rear weight. This is called 50/50 weight distribution. The more weight you have on the rear, the more the go kart will under-steer. Meaning, when you turn the wheel the go kart will tend to keep going straight. The more weight you have on the front wheels, the more the go kart will over steer. Most drivers are used to under-steer, it is easier to recover from.

But I digress...

Once you have placed the front wheels in place then fix the front steering system in place there. I typically use plates, so that I can move the steering system back or forward. So I weld mating plates on the frame and the steering system, then bolt them together.

For wood go karts, you can actually design a very stable wood go kart using the carriage style steering as long as the steering is supported an not aloud to twist.
A word on steering systems: You can purchase from the store steering assemblies that you tack onto tubes. These work real well, with one exception, they typically come in .750 inch diameter shafts, where most high speed bearings use .625 diameter shafts. The shafts may need replacement. Look for .625 shafts... Additionally, there are ways to make the steering more tractable and more user friendly, these involve geometric relationships such as camber, caster, Ackerman and so forth.

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