Under Review | Analysis, details and secrets of the Sodikart Sigma KZ

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Under Reviews

ANALYSIS, DETAILS, SECRETS OF THE SODIKART SIGMA KZ

Carlo Forni

24 August 2018

CIK-FIA 2018-2021

HOMOLOGATION
The Sodikart Sigma renewed its approval, updating it, in 2018. Approval expires in 2021.

CONFIGURATION
The Sodikart Sigma chassis is specific to KZ classes. The French company is developing a chassis with different specific characteristics for OK.

TUBES DIAMETER
After several trials and tests out on the track, Sodikart is determined to forge ahead with the solution featuring all 30 mm diameter tubes.

ROBOT

WELDING
There are two “schools of thought”: manual or robotised. Sodikart has been using the robotic solution in recent years

ALLUMINUM

ACCESSORIES
Except for the rims, which are made of magnesium, all the accessories for the Sodikart chassis are made of aluminium

Robotised welding using the latest machinery; continuous checking of the geometries of each frame; sample quality control of every detail. A total of 115 changes from the first Sigma model to the current one... Goal: maximum performance on the qualifying lap and in the race, for the flagship chassis of the French Sodikart company.

The Sigma chassis is the top model in the Sodikart range; the most successful by the French manufacturer, but also, in recent years, among the most competitive on the international shifter kart scene. The Sigma has a long history and the new 2018 approval does not include any major upgrades, but the changes add to the continuous evolutions performed over time, with the aim of remaining at the top of the class. Sodikart’s main goal has always been to offer a package with a basic set-up suited to almost all circuits and conditions, with the opportunity to make small adjustments that can have a significant impact on the chassis. Moreover, in this latest version of the chassis, a lot of work was done regarding reliability, a key aspect in races, when it is crucial to maintain maximum performance right up to the last lap.

The chassis has a traditional shape, even if it is wider in the central part where the two parallel tubes pass from the rear axle to the front axle. The automated welding adopted by Sodikart in recent years are excellent in mass production to obtain high and consistent levels of quality.

Sodikart Sigma fits KG plastics, which have always been used by the French company and are considered particularly high-performing in their lastest version

The chassis’ front geometries are managed using an eccentric bushing that can be adjusted to 4 or more positions. The upper one is adjusted for the caster and the lower one for the camber

The dimensions range from 1 to 6, indicating the progressive increase in eccentricity

In truth, the welding of the chassis foresees an initial process of small, manual welds, subsequently finished by a robot. If, after this step, once the frame has cooled down, the measurements are precise and satisfactory (no residual stresses are found), the rest of the welding is completed, otherwise the frame is rejected. Every chassis has a code that allows all the batches of materials used to be traced, from the frame’s tubes to the axles, in order to check any differences in the performance of different chassis. During the welding phase, the tubes themselves are coupled together and numbered using a code that is then covered by paint.
The eccentric bearing caster and camber adjustment system allows at least 4 different positions, depending on the fixing positions. The upper eccentric is used to adjust the caster angle, while the lower one is for the camber angle. New for 2018 is the head of the through-bolt in the flared C on the lower part, which is inserted in the central part of the eccentric, which is also flared and such as to allow the easy movement of the bolt angle in the C itself. Similar logic is used for the washers in the C, which now allow simpler assembly and disassembly of the stub axle in the C.