OTK brakes loosing pressure?

[Tyler Howard]

Hey guys,

Im relatively new to karting and need some advice. I have a Kosmic Kart chassis with a Leopard set up and Ive noticed after about 5 laps my brakes start to lose pressure. I have to press harder and harder to slow the kart down. Any suggestions on this ?

[Steen Carstensen]

Make sure you are not “riding” the brakes, which will overheat them. It’s a very common mistake and can be fixed by adjusting the brake pedal so it’s a little further away from your foot.

[Rob Kozakowski]

Tyler –

OTK brakes are kind of notorious for needing pretty constant maintenance.  Guys I race against love them when they’re working, but they are bleeding them frequently, replacing pads regularly, and swearing at them as a result.  And remember, the newer OTK uses DOT5 silicon brake fluid – not 4, not 5.1.

I’d start by flushing out the old fluid, and making sure they’re bled with new fluid (and talk to an OTK dealer to make sure you’re using a good DOT5 fluid and using the correct method to bleed them – I know some experienced guys who struggled getting it right when switching to OTK from other brakes).  This should hopefully fix most of your problems.

[Taylor Young]

Rob is pretty right on, I rebuild my brakes at least once a year (all new seals etc).  If it still happens after that, could be user error like the first comment suggests.

[Tyler Howard]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the feedback. I am most likely due for a rebuild on my brakes. Steen, that’s what I initially thought when I came off track, so I made it a point not to touch them unless needed. It’s a little distracting when I’m setting up for a turn but I’m hoping that will go away with experience.

Thanks again guys, you’re awesome.

[Ted Hamilton]

Just be thankful you don’t have BS1’s….lol

www.facebook.com/hamiltonhelmets/
2014 Praga Dragon / IAME KA-100

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