Bergfelt Racing Enterprises, LLC
Kid Kart Page
Kid Kart
Tech Tip
Cutting the Flywheel of the Comer C-50 Kid Kart Engine
This picture shows a "new style" C-50 flywheel that has had the Bergfelt
Racing Enterprises, LLC Outlaw treatment.
This picture shows an unmodified C-50 flywheel.
Notice that the unmodified flywheel
as manufactured by Comer has much taller fins. The flywheel acts as
the impeller for the continuous flow air pump of the cooling system of the
engine. The blower housing of the engine is the other major component
of that pump. The air pump is very efficient at cooling the engine.
Actually, in most cases, it is too efficient and prevents the engine
from getting hot enough to make full power. That is the reason that
many of the top kid kart competitors put duct tape over the air inlet around
the recoil starter on the blower housing. This cuts down on the amount
of cool air that enters the air pump. If a competitor is racing at
an event where the engine must remain stock, the only thing to do is to get
out the duct tape, however, if the competitor is at an event with very loose
or no rules, or very few enforced rules, cutting the fins of the flywheel
is the best answer.
Reducing the amount of
cooling air is not the only benefit to cutting the cooling fins of the C-50
flywheel. Cutting the fins also allows the engine to rev higher and
easier. The best way that I can think of to explain why is to imagine
that you are running along the beach in ankle deep water. That feat
is relatively easy and will barely slow the runner down. Now imagine
that you wade out to where the water is waste deep. Obviously it is
much more difficult, if not impossible to run. The same is true with
how tall the fins of the flywheel are. The shorter the fins are the
less air that they move and less energy is wasted trying to drive the impeller
of the air pump.
There is one more benefit
to cutting down the fins of the flywheel. Cutting the fins significently
reduces the weight (mass) of the flywheel. This robs less energy from
the engine simply to turn the flywheel that can instead be used to propell
the kart.
Cutting the fins of the
flywheel is included in our C-50 Outlaw preparation.
If you are a do-it-your-selfer,
we can cut your flywheel too.
This service is $25 plus
return shipping. If you would like to order a new cut flywheel, we
will add $25 to the current retail price of the flywheel.
