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TKART magazine Must Have | 5 Paddle Shifting versions for karts
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5 PADDLE SHIFTING VERSIONS FOR KARTS

TKART Staff
28 March 2023 • 6 min. read
Driving a Shifter kart (those who own one know this well), requires significant skills behind the wheel and physical preparation. In fact, one only has to watch any on-board video on YouTube to realize that the driver, most of the time, drives with only one hand on the steering wheel because the other one is practically always engaged in shifting gears, which certainly makes it somewhat difficult. There is, however, a solution that accommodates a less physically trained kart driver, as it enables the driver to operate the Shifter kart with both hands on the steering wheel: the paddle gearshift. It is a type of product that tends to be an aftermarket purchase, in the form of a kit (this does not apply to those who buy a Rotax DD2 engine, which includes the paddle gearshift in its acquisition price), which can be installed on any Shifter kart. In karting, steering wheel paddle gearshifts have struggled to establish themselves in the market. The reasons for this are diverse, but often related to the characteristics of the first products of this type launched into the market place. One primary problem is the difficulty in the initial installation, also the additional weight they add to the kart itself and the fact that they often proved to be slower than the shifting speed of the classic manual lever method. Furthermore, in the social imaginary, steering wheel paddle gear shifters are prohibited by the technical regulations imposed by FIA Karting (the international federation which regulates much of the competitions throughout the world). In reality, FIA Karting allows only mechanically operated steering wheel gearshifts to be installed on the chassis, while it prohibits electronically operated ones. The latter – if we always think of races, in particular, FIA Karting regulated races – it can only be used in KZ (that is, the queen category of  FIA Karting approved Shifter Karts, in which experimentation is also allowed).  However, it must be said that the entire world of amateur drivers (who only drive practice laps or participate in non-FIA Karting-regulated races), can safely overlook these regulatory limitations and, if they wish, consider purchasing a steering wheel gearshift, either mechanical or electronic. To help drivers orient themselves in this world (which, over the years, has been able to reduce the installation time and product weight), we have selected five models (from 500 to 2,000 euros in cost), demonstrating them based on the information stated (hence, we have not physically tested them) by various manufacturers.
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SEVEN PADDLE SHIFTER

Produced by the company Motori Seven, the Seven Paddle Shifter has already been thoroughly analyzed by us in the article “First Analysis| Seven Paddle Shifter, the Steering Wheel Gearbox Approved for Racing”. It is a mechanically operated steering wheel gearbox, where each paddle initiates the change of gears by means of steel cable connected directly to the engine that are inside protective sheaths. This ensures that the Seven Paddle Shifter can be used in all FIA Karting regulated Shifter kart competitions. The purchase of the kit includes: an anodized aluminum steering wheel hub in which the clutch lever (positioned on the top) and the rocker arm with the two paddles are connected, a gear shift lever, a kit of 2 cables (one for each paddle) and all the accessories for installing the various components. The devices total weight is less than 500 grams and it can be installed on any Shifter chassis (for some models they need to use a steering wheel hub adaptor).

Indicative price


About 500 euro

To buy: motoriseven.it
Photo credit: Motori Seven
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