Measuring a Go-Kart Belt

When it comes to measuring go-kart belts, you’ll first need to measure a few key things on your torque converter. This will reveal what type and size of go-kart belt you need for your go-kart setup. You can follow the 4 easy steps below, which will guide you through the entire process.

Step 1 – Determine Belt Type

The first thing that you’ll need to do is to identify which type of drive belt you need for your torque converter. When it comes to go-kart belts, there are two types. On the one hand, you have symmetrical belts, and on the other hand you have asymmetrical belts. The type of belt that you require for your go-kart depends on the type of torque converter you have.

If you look at the cross section of a belt, symmetrical drive belts are evenly angled at 15 degrees. An asymmetrical belt would have an angle of 18.5 degrees on one side and 2.5 degrees on the other. If you look at the illustration below, you can see the cross section of the two belt types. You can easily spot the type of belt by looking at each side of the go-kart belt.

If you’re looking for a go-kart belt for your torque converter and are unsure which type is required, you should look at the pulleys. Each pulley is made of two sides. If both of the pulley components are equally angled then you’ll require a symmetrical belt. If only one side seems to be angled and the other seems flat, then you’ll need an asymmetrical belt.

Step 2 – Measure Driven Pulley Diameter

The next measurement you’ll need is the diameter of the driven pulley. A torque converter has two pulleys. The pulley that is attached to the crankshaft is called the driver pulley, as it drives the belt through the rotation of the crankshaft.

The other pulley that is on the opposite end of the torque converter is called the driven pulley, as it’s driven by the belt. This pulley is connected to the jackshaft. You will need to measure the diameter of the driven pulley, as you will need the diameter in order to establish which belt size you require.

Measuring the go-kart driven pulley diameter is very easy and straightforward. Simply take a measuring tape and hold it against the outer plate of the pulley. Measure from one side of the plate to the opposite side. If you’re running a standard torque converter the diameter will either be 6-inches, 7-inches, 7.5-inches or 8.5-inches.

Step 3 – Measure Center Distance

The third measurement you’ll need in order to measure the go-kart belt size is the distance between the driver and the driven pulley. This distance is also known as the center distance. This distance is measured from the center of the crankshaft to the center of the jackshaft.

Measuring the center distance is very easy, simply hold a measuring tape against the center of the drive pulley to the center of the driven pulley. You don’t need to remove the torque converter or the plates for this. You can easily spot the center point from the outside. For easy reference, the center point of each pulley is the crankshaft and the jackshaft.

Step 4 – Check Measurement Against the Belt Size Chart

Now that you’ve identified the belt type, driven pulley diameter, and center distance you can easily determine which belt size you need for your go-kart torque converter. Head over to the go-kart belt size chart that I created. I suggest that you keep the belt chart open in a separate window and continue reading, as I will now teach you how to check for the right belt size.

Let’s work with the follow example:

• Type: Symmetric
• Driven Pulley Diameter: 7”
• Center Distance: 9 1/4″

In our example we have established that we require a symmetrical belt, the driven pulley diameter is 7-inches and the center distance is 9 1/4-inches (9.25”). Now, take a look at the chart and match those dimensions against the correct belt size.

Firstly, check all the symmetric belts that support a 7-inch pulley. That will be a Comet 20, Series, 30 Series and the TC88 Series. Now, check in the Pulley 7” column for a center distance of 9 1/4-inches. This should lead you to the belt Comet 20 Series with the part number 203583A. This go-kart belt has an outer diameter of 32.2-inches and a top width of 3/4-inches. Congratulations, that’s it! It’s that simple.