How much difference between go-karts and actual car driving?

in terms of handling and stuff.|||Real cars weigh what, 8 to 10 times as much as a go-kart? The stopping distances are much greater, the speed and acceleration is much slower and the driver's mentality and goal is vastly different.





Also on the real streets, the driver's skills are tremendously different from driver to driver, unlike go-karting.





If you can handle a go-kart, you'll be able to drive easily.





Just remember, on the track there isn't a highway patrolman with a radar gun watching you.|||They are completely different. Remember, a kart has no suspension. So everything's different. If you've raced karts and are going to begin driving cars, the biggest adjustment is learning to drive with one foot! However, your instinct and reflexes that you learn when driving a kart will serve you well on the road.





Side note to BM: While rental karts are restricted and thus slow, true racing karts routinely run 60-80 mph and many are faster than that. Our kid karters (age 5-7) race at appx. 30 mph, and our 8-12 year olds race at around 45 mph. Adult classes easily reach speeds higher than cars.|||Go-karts are a lot easier to drive, and have really good handling because they can't go as fast as a real car. A real car is also very sensitive when you touch the brake and gas, so yeah.....|||Just imagine a go-kart on a much larger scale. The main difference, aside from size/weight/power, is the timing. Everything is a go-kart is tight (steering, braking, acceleration) but in a real car these things take longer to function. You actually have to plan your maneuvers in advance, which most people who drive don't think about because is becomes second nature. You have to begin braking way sooner, turn slower, and pay attention to your environment. Also, there are laws that have to be obeyed when driving a real car on the streets.





If you can drive a go-kart, you have a basic idea of how to drive. But in order to drive a real car you need to practice a bit to get used to the differences. It could be a matter of life and death (for you and others), rather than just an injury from the kart.