Arrow Karts Owner’s Manual KART SETUP GUIDE This guide is intended as a general handling and setup guide for all karts, as well as being an Owner’s Manual for the Arrow range of karts. For more information on Arrow karts, visit the web site at www.arrowkarts.com Your Arrow Karts dealer is: www.arrowkarts.com ConTEnTS 2 Use and Safety Guide 3 Cornering Diagrams 5 Rear Track s’ 7 Front Track er nn 8 Tyre Pressures gi Be 8 Rear Wheel Hubs ‘ 9 Crash & Sidepod Bar Adjustment 10 Front End Alignment 15 Height Adjustable Front Stub Axles 16 Seat Stays ed’ 16 Adjustable/Removable Torsion Bars & Clamps c n va 19 Axle Bearing Adjustment d A ‘ 20 Height Adjustment of Rear Axle 21 Axles & Wheels 23 Seat – Fit and Position 24 Weighting the Kart 24 Wet Weather 25 Brake Adjustment 26 Adjustable Brake Balance Bar (on karts with front brakes) 26 Brake Maintenance 28 ‘Blue Printing’ your Arrow Racing Kart 30 Fitting Tyres 31 Owner Registration Card 33 Gear Ratio Chart 34 Maintenance Schedule 36 Troubleshooting Question & Answer Index Please Take NoTe... Before making any adjustments be sure to test your Arrow in its recommended standard setup. It is essential to make only one adjustment at a time to get a true indication of what effect each change has. COnTEnTS  GEnERAl USE AnD SAfETy GUIDE PlEASE READ CAREfUlly Congratulations on choosing an Arrow Kart. Since 1973, we have been 100% committed to the Kart Industry. It’s our life, our passion and our livelihood, so you can count on us being there when you need us. In producing your kart, we have used only the best and highest quality materials and components, and all possible care has been taken. However you must be aware that this is a high performance racing / competition vehicle designed for use only on closed racing circuits. As such it is subject to very high levels of stress and strain, therefore it requires constant inspection, maintenance and replacement of components. FAILURE to carry out the above may result in severe injury, perhaps even death. It is your responsibility as the Owner/Operator/Driver to carry out this regular inspection and a maintenance schedule is offered to you for your guidance. Please be aware that in providing these guidelines we make no indication that these items are the only maintenance or inspection required, merely that they are important elements in the maintenance of your kart/s. To carry out these inspections, a basic level of mechanical knowledge is required. If you are unsure or do not possess the basic level of mechanical knowledge required, then you must have this work carried out by a suitably qualified person. Contact your local Kart Distributor/Dealer for further information. As this is a racing vehicle it is possible a collision may occur. If a collision occurs which results in damage to any of the following assemblies or any of their components, then the damaged component/ s must be replaced and not repaired. • Steering Assembly including Stub Axles, King Pins, King Pin bearings and Tie Rods • Brake Assembly including pedal and cables • Side Pods including Side Pod Bars All items should be constantly inspected for possibilities such as cracks from fatigue or crash contact, bending, seizing up, lubrication, normal wear and tear. Ensure all fasteners are tight and securely fastened. Items showing damage or wear must be replaced. MoDIfICATIon Please note that under no circumstances does our Company authorise or recommend modifications of any type whatsoever to Go Karts or components we produce. This includes any alternative methods of assembly of any components. Any such alteration or modification performed is totally and solely the responsibility of the person/persons carrying out the same. Arrow Karts are designed strictly for racing purposes only, and not for any type of commercial and/or rental use.  USE & SAFETy GUIDE PRoTECTIvE CloThInG For your protection and safety when driving a Kart you must always wear the following: • Approved Safety Helmet • Driving Suit • Driving Gloves • Driving Boots • Ear Plugs • Also a neck brace is highly recommended NEVER wear loose fitting clothes or scarves. If you have long hair, it must be contained in a hair net to prevent being entangled in any moving parts. WARRAnTy/GUARAnTEE As this is a racing/competition vehicle no Warranty or Guarantee, either written or implied, exists. NEVER drive your Kart on any public highway, freeway, street or road. Doing this is illegal and extremely dangerous. If you decide to resell or pass on your Arrow Kart, it is your responsibility to pass on all the Safety maintenance information to the next owner/operator. In the event of an accident, failure to pass on this information may mean you are held legally responsible. Finally, we wish you many hours of fun, excitement and enjoyable racing. These guidelines are to help you make it as safe as possible. USE & SAFETy GUIDE  CoRnERInG DIAGRAMS Many of the problems and kart behaviours mentioned in this Guide refer to the kart ‘understeering’ or ‘oversteering’, and also to the different parts of a corner where the behaviour occurs. The diagrams below graphically explain these terms and behaviours. Exit Entry (out of turns) (into turns) Apex Turn-in point Desired racing line Desired racing line Kart continues on instead of turning Rear of kart slides out UNDeRsTeeR is when the front of the kart slides oVeRsTeeR is when the rear of the kart slides more than the rear, making the kart ‘push’ more than the front, requiring more steering straight ahead instead of turning. input to avoid the kart spinning out.  CORnERInG DIAGRAMS REAR TRACK PRoblem: “There’s no traction/the kart is oversteering coming from the apex out of a corner” Solution: Reduce the rear track width by 3mm on both sides at a time. PRoblem: “The back slides/the kart oversteers going into the turns” Solution: Increase the rear track width by 3mm on both sides at a time, being careful not to exceed the maximum regulation width overall of 1400mm. PRoblem: “There is understeer all the way through the turn” Solution: Increase the rear track width by 3mm on both sides at a time, being careful not to exceed the maximum regulation width overall of 1400mm. PRoblem: “There is bounce in the rear” Solution: Increase the rear track width by 3mm on both sides at a time, being careful not to exceed the maximum regulation width overall of 1400mm. PRoblem: “The track is very bumpy giving the kart a lot of bounce” Solution: Increase the rear track width by 3mm on both sides at a time, being careful not to exceed the maximum regulation width overall of 1400mm. PRoblem: “The kart has a tendency to lift up on two wheels through the corners” Solution: Increase the rear track width by 3mm on both sides at a time, being careful not to exceed the maximum regulation width overall of 1400mm. NoTe: 3mm is the easiest jump to make as most wheel hub spacers (shown at right) have a minimum of 3mm. Why? Narrowing the rear track will make the rear bite into the track and sometimes provide more rear grip. However, avoid continually narrowing the rear track to obtain more grip as you will find that only so much grip can be obtained and you will then be upsetting the balance of the kart making it much more unstable and difficult to drive. The same applies when increasing rear track. REAR TRACK  REAR TRACK (continued) Rear Track (overall width to outside of rear wheels) ImPoRTaNT: Rear track is one of the most important single variables on a kart chassis. Different driving styles and different tracks will require different settings. The standard setting is the best starting point and we suggest you vary the rear track by no more than 5mm each side per change. It is a weird karting phenomenon, but nevertheless a fact that in certain conditions a wider rear track will provide more grip and, in contrast, different conditions may see a narrower rear track provide more grip. We believe rear track is more an aid in balancing the kart and suggest you be prepared to experiment to search for your own best setting. NoTe: There is a pattern that shows taller drivers require wider rear track, and shorter drivers narrower. Rear track measurement – Overall width to outside edge of rear wheels... ‘Open’ type tyres (e.g. Bridgestone YGA) 1395-1400mm ‘High grip’ SL type tyres (e.g. MG Yellow) 1390-95mm ‘SL’ tyres (e.g. Bridgestone YJC, MG Red) 1375-85mm Low grip ‘SL’ tyres (e.g. Bridgestone YDS, Dunlop SL1) 1330mm Midget/Rookie (e.g. Bridgestone YEQ, YDS, Dunlop SL1) 1115mm NoTe: The above settings are to give you a suggested starting point  REAR TRACK fRonT TRACK PRoblem: “Understeer on turn-in to the apex of the corner” Solution: Widen the front track by a 5mm wheel spacer at a time. PRoblem: “Oversteer or very sensitive front steering causing the rear to slide.” Solution: Narrow the front track width by a 5mm wheel spacer at a time. For setting the front track width, a good FRoNT Wheel sPaceR aDjUsTmeNT starting point is... ‘Open’ type tyres – One 20mm spacer Wheel Further Out (more spacers inside wheel) and one 5mm spacer on the inside of each front wheel. ‘High grip’ SL type tyres – One 20mm spacer on the inside of each front wheel. ‘SL’ tyres – One 10mm spacer and one 5mm spacer on the inside of each front wheel. Junior kart on ‘SL’ tyres – One 10mm spacer and one 5mm spacer on the Stub Axle Spacers Wheel inside of each front wheel. Midget/Rookie – One 10mm spacer and Wheel Further In (less spacers inside wheel) one 5mm spacer on the inside of each front wheel. NoTe: When tightening the front wheels, you should tighten the nut just enough so that there is no lateral movement of the wheel or wheel spacers on the stub axle shaft, though the wheel spacers should still be able to spin using Stub Axle Spacers Wheel your fingers. FROnT TRACK  TyRE PRESSURES It is imperative that your tyres do not overheat during a race, as they will lose grip and you will lose speed! We recommend that you ‘Hot Pressure’ your tyres at the end of each session (i.e check the tyre pressure immediately at the end of a session) then adjust all of the tyres to the working hot pressure. Below is an approximate cold & hot pressure guide. For specifics, contact your local dealer. ‘Open’ tyres – Cold 9-10 PSI – Hot 12 PSI ‘SL’ type tyres – Cold 12-14 PSI – Hot 15-16 PSI ‘Low Grip SL’ tyres – Cold 22-24 PSI – Hot 26-27 PSI NoTe: Due to the many specifications and compounds of kart tyres on the market today, we suggest you seek information from your kart dealer or the particular tyre distributor. REAR WhEEl hUbS PRoblem: “Understeer from the apex and out of the corner and/or the rear of the kart feels stuck to the track, making it slow off corners” Solution: Replace the rear wheel hubs with shorter units. PRoblem: “There’s no traction and/or the rear of the kart is sliding out under heavy braking and/or oversteering coming from the apex out of a corner” Solution: Replace the rear wheel hubs with longer units. Why? By increasing or decreasing the distance between the outside of the rear axle outer bearings and the inside face of the rear wheel hub you are in fact increasing or decreasing the amount of “working” axle. In other words, the length of axle between the kart’s main chassis rails and the wheel assembly that is left clear to flex unhindered. In the same way as altering the rear track width, reducing the amount of “working” axle will make the rear bite into the track and sometimes provide more rear grip. Instead of narrowing or widening the rear track, the ability of changing to longer or shorter hubs is a major advantage in trying to obtain the ultimate kart balance. Different length wheel hubs are available and these can be utilised to further fine- tune your kart’s handling to your individual liking. 10 TyRE PRESSURES - REAR WHEEL HUBS