clutch questions

[Greg Shebert]

hi folks

what is the difference (advantages/disadvantages) of a wet clutch versus a dry clutch?

is one type more appropriate than another?

are the maintenance requirements more involved for one or the other?

i don't have a real need but i'm curious to know... the more and more i look into owning your own kart, the more i find that i need to learn about - there are so many choices it seems

-greg-

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

Greg

All else being equal, a kart with a dry clutch will have a performance advantage over a kart with a wet clutch.

The dry clutch takes less power away from the motor because it is lighter and there is no fluid to cause resistance. The dry clutch engages at around 6000rpm and is suited for karts with low rpm power bands such as Yamaha can and HPV motors. They are very delicate and cannot handle any abuse.

The wet clutch is usually a beefier clutch carrying mulitple discs and is suited for motors with a higher rpm slip such as Yamaha pipe....clutch engages at around 10,000rpms. It requires a little more maintenance by way of changing the fluid regularly, but the discs usually lasts a longer than the dry clutch.

Hope this helps.

Phil

[Greg Shebert]

thanks phil!

i was finally able to find some information online that covered some of what you said... it didn't talk about what was appropriate though for a given engine... also, it didn't cover engagement rpms either

your advice will definitely help someday... hopefully i won't need a new clutch any time soon ;)

-greg-