THE SECRETS OF THE FRONT STABILIZER BAR FOR KARTS, EXPLAINED BY DINO CHIESA

Among the different parts of a kart on which you can intervene to adjust the set-up of a chassis, there is certainly the front bar. Like the other removable bars, its task is to increase the rigidity of the chassis in the area in which it is located, but while, as we will see, the rear bar is decidedly less used, the front one is of fundamental importance in the set-up of a kart. This is because, first of all, the front bar can simply be inserted or removed and this already has a significant effect on the behaviour of the chassis when driving. But not only that: because there are different materials and shapes of front bars. Furthermore, you can choose how much they are tightened to the chassis, because this aspect also affects the kart’s set-up. In short, it is a very simple element, but which offers a variety of uses that can be confusing, especially to the less experienced. This is why we asked Dino Chiesa, founder of Kart Republic and a technician who developed drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in their karting days, to clarify our ideas with some advice.

1 First of all, how does mounting the front bar change driving?

Since the front bar increases rigidity throughout the front area of ​​the chassis, the result is greater stability during braking and cornering, as well as greater responsiveness. This applies in general, although it is important to remember that the effects of the bar vary from chassis to chassis, since each is studied and designed to provide a certain degree of rigidity, and may need the bar to a greater or lesser extent. In fact, there are, so to speak, soft chassis, that is, chassis which basically flex more, which need the front bar in practically 100% of cases to perform at their best. Others, such as the Kart Republic for example, are already quite rigid and will basically only need the bar 90% of the time. With this I am absolutely not saying that one is better than the other, only that the various chassis follow different construction approaches and this must be taken into account when using the bar.