Can you get a "kart" experience from a home "sim"

Can you get a "kart" experience from a home "sim"

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Discussion

EddieSteadyGo

Original Poster:

12,006 posts

204 months

Monday 27th November 2023
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The headline is slightly tongue-in-cheek, but I visited Farnborough TeamSport today with my children, and we had a great experience. I'd slightly forgotten how much fun it can be trying to drive a kart (at relatively low speeds) whilst going around corners trying to find the right balance of power, speed, grip and braking. I know their e-go-karts are not the fastest, but they were honestly a pleasure to drive.

So I was wondering, is there anyone here who has also setup a home sim? I am wondering, if you have a rig with a direct-drive wheel and perhaps a PSVR2 headset, how close can you get to that feeling of balancing the forces that you get when driving a kart?

I'm thinking it won't be anywhere close, but interested to hear if anyone has any experience comparing the two.

Discendo Discimus

327 posts

33 months

Monday 27th November 2023
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I was at my friend's house on Saturday playing on his sim. Afraid I can't tell you what he has but it was approx £4000 for the whole lot.
Using Asseto Corsa, there's a 125 shifter cart that goes like a stabbed rat. You have to make sure the steering, pedals and view is correct for the kart if you've just come from driving a car, but it was a good laugh.
I wouldn't say it felt realistic but you could tune into it and set some good lap times.

Kart16

360 posts

9 months

Monday 27th November 2023
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NoBrakesWC

392 posts

50 months

Monday 27th November 2023
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For karting on the sim I used Kart Kraft very limited circuits based in UK. But if going to one of the big name outdoor circuits it has it on there. Assetto Corsa also has Kart mods.

Bullett

10,889 posts

185 months

Sunday 3rd December 2023
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Kart SIM is one of the best, the “full” version is £500 but there is a pretty good limited version for £30ish as an rfactor2 mod.
Kart Racing Pro also has good physics but isn’t as pretty. Loads of mods and downloads of variable quality available. Good for learning which way the track goes on some tracks up to very close match on others.
You’ll usually find PFI and Whilton Mill as the main uk tracks on these sims, after that it’s pot luck.

GlobalRacer

244 posts

14 months

Monday 4th December 2023
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No sim can compare to the real thing but any sim is better than not doing it at all IMO.

S366

1,041 posts

143 months

Have you considered just buying a kart for you and your kids to share, if you’re just wanting to just go and have fun, you can buy something like an older TKM kart for little money and there are plenty of karting tracks across the UK that are just open for track day-esque use when they aren’t holding race meetings.

DarrenO'D'

92 posts

166 months

There is a chap at our local track (camberley) who shares a chassis with his son, they do half a day each and swap the motor at lunchtime. A reasonable priced tony kart and rotax engine would be my recommendation,have a look here;

https://usedotk.com/