Broke a 30 series driver
- Thread starter chrisr
- Start date
I bought a minibike that had a similar broken clutch.
This will fix it
$21.38 with Free Shipping
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Torque-Converter-Clutch-Go-Kart-CVT-30-series-3-4-Bore-212CC-Comet-Max-Torque/352174819340?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D52910%26meid%3D8c08fc2e35914a48bef1e5ccc631bb10%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D331761231662%26itm%3D352174819340&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
This will fix it
$21.38 with Free Shipping
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Torque-Converter-Clutch-Go-Kart-CVT-30-series-3-4-Bore-212CC-Comet-Max-Torque/352174819340?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D52910%26meid%3D8c08fc2e35914a48bef1e5ccc631bb10%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D331761231662%26itm%3D352174819340&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
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This leads to the question, is there a huge quality difference between the Chinese and Comet brand tav30?
I ask because it appears to me there is a difference. I have a comet brand 30 on one bike and noticed that the shifting is smoother and just seems nicer. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but it just seems better.
As a test, I bought some series 30 Comet branded drivers. I’m gonna try putting them on the Chinese knock off kits. So everything will be Chinese except for the driver itself. Be interesting to see if this changes anything.
It seems the driven side is harder to get separately with the comet brand. You can buy the Chinese ones cheaply, but I’ve never seen the comet driven side for a fair price. But my theory is that the driver side gives most of the feel and quality. So I’m betting that may make the Chinese kit seem better. On the driven side, maybe just using a genuine comet spring would change things?
I will report back after my experiment completes.
The Chinese knock off‘s are really a good price point. At $52 including shipping, they are hard to deny. A genuine comet series 30 will cost about three to four times that. But I’m sure there is a quality difference and that’s what I want to determine
There’s some things I like about the Chinese kit’s. For example, I like how they secure the plastic cover. They bolted in place with four bolts. On the original comet brand they just snap in place.
I ask because it appears to me there is a difference. I have a comet brand 30 on one bike and noticed that the shifting is smoother and just seems nicer. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but it just seems better.
As a test, I bought some series 30 Comet branded drivers. I’m gonna try putting them on the Chinese knock off kits. So everything will be Chinese except for the driver itself. Be interesting to see if this changes anything.
It seems the driven side is harder to get separately with the comet brand. You can buy the Chinese ones cheaply, but I’ve never seen the comet driven side for a fair price. But my theory is that the driver side gives most of the feel and quality. So I’m betting that may make the Chinese kit seem better. On the driven side, maybe just using a genuine comet spring would change things?
I will report back after my experiment completes.
The Chinese knock off‘s are really a good price point. At $52 including shipping, they are hard to deny. A genuine comet series 30 will cost about three to four times that. But I’m sure there is a quality difference and that’s what I want to determine
There’s some things I like about the Chinese kit’s. For example, I like how they secure the plastic cover. They bolted in place with four bolts. On the original comet brand they just snap in place.
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I got a comet series 30 driver in the mail today. I have an MTD with a 4 hp tecumseh and it had originally a Fairbanks Morse torque converter set up. But somebody change the driver to Chinese Comet 30, and kept the Fairbanks Morse driven side. The Fairbank Morris was originally a series 30 also with an asymmetrical belt.
The bike rides really well with the set up. But I wanted to try a genuine comet Richmond Indiana USA made Drive side. So I took the Chinese Drive off and put the genuine Comet in.
To be frank, I don’t think I can tell a difference. They seem to operate pretty much identical.
My gut reaction is the driven side is probably more important. I’ve noticed on the Chinese TAV 30 set ups, the center position on the spring doesn’t seem to be the ideal driven position. So the driven side may be more important than the drive side. At least in this experiment that seems to be the case.
Comments?
The bike rides really well with the set up. But I wanted to try a genuine comet Richmond Indiana USA made Drive side. So I took the Chinese Drive off and put the genuine Comet in.
To be frank, I don’t think I can tell a difference. They seem to operate pretty much identical.
My gut reaction is the driven side is probably more important. I’ve noticed on the Chinese TAV 30 set ups, the center position on the spring doesn’t seem to be the ideal driven position. So the driven side may be more important than the drive side. At least in this experiment that seems to be the case.
Comments?
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The center position is just fine for low/stock hp engines. As soon as you start making real hp, you need more traction on the belt, hence the tighter position. The big thing to remember is the more tension you have in the driven spring, the less efficient the whole system gets. This is because you are yanking the belt in and out of the pulleys harder, creating more friction. The goal is to be able to handle the hp you throw at it, but not go overboard on belt tension.
This is different to a degree on a 20 series because of the steeper belt angle.
This is different to a degree on a 20 series because of the steeper belt angle.
I think i will probably re-test this. I noticed the belt is actually the wrong belt - it's a series 20 (symmetrical) belt, running on asymmetrical hardware. But it's been on the bike long enough that it has re-cut itself to be asymmetrical! When i first removed the belt i thought it was a stock asymmetrical belt from how it looked. but i looked up the number and it's symmetrical. upon closer inspection i could see where the hardware had cut the belt to be asymmetrical. pretty weird. the thing is, this belt works fine!
I used another bike that has a stock Chinese TAV 30 clone set up. It’s brand new so it has a new belt, be it Chinese. I replaced the driver with a real comet and I would have to say the results are basically the same. I cannot notice any significant difference between the Chinese driver and the real comet driver. In fact I may actually like the Chinese one just a smidgen better, but it’s so close that I would say in a blind test, it would be hard to tell the two apart.
At this point I would like to try this comparison with a comet versus Chinese driven side. But I don’t have one right now to use
At this point I would like to try this comparison with a comet versus Chinese driven side. But I don’t have one right now to use
One concern I have with your testing is the Chinese quality control. Most bought for the price Chinese stuff I have seen varies a lot from one to the other in quality. So no matter what your testing shows it may not be the same in the next batch of stuff. I would think the Comet brand would be more consistent. I been waiting for one of our machine shop guys to post about a TC they made. You know with needle bearings, within a 10th of a thousand, hard surfaced, chrome plated, forged aluminum, $100,000 dollar overkill one. What I do like about mini bikes is it is something anyone can afford to play with. Kinda like hot rodding was back in the 50-60's. If you have a 100 dollar budget or 10,000 you can still play.
All the Chinese tav30 stuff I bought, I purchased within the last few months. It seems to be pretty consistent best I can tell. But over time I suspect you are correct. If you go to buy this stuff a year later I bet you will see a difference. My understanding is there’s a couple different factories making these parts. There’s probably inconsistencies between those too.
But who knows? I see people complain about the Chinese belts but I haven’t had any problems. On the other hand, I haven’t rode countless hours on one bike. I usually ride about 30 minutes and then I’m off doing something else or riding a different bike. Because of that I may not be the best tester
I have two bikes both MTD with a mix of torque converter parts. Both have a Fairbanks Morse driven side, with the Chinese drive side. This combination seems to work OK but you have to have the correct belt. The Fairbanks is 5/8” wide where the Chinese Drive unit is 3/4 inch wide belt, both asymmetrical. But you can modify the Chinese drive size to be 5/8”. I’m playing around with that stuff right now. It would be great to find some Fairbanks Morse Drive clutches, but I don’t see that as happening. The Chinese parts certainly solve the problem and a nice price point. I bought the Comet Drive clutches for this application, trying to keep everything American. But I’m not sure it really was worth it in the end
But who knows? I see people complain about the Chinese belts but I haven’t had any problems. On the other hand, I haven’t rode countless hours on one bike. I usually ride about 30 minutes and then I’m off doing something else or riding a different bike. Because of that I may not be the best tester
I have two bikes both MTD with a mix of torque converter parts. Both have a Fairbanks Morse driven side, with the Chinese drive side. This combination seems to work OK but you have to have the correct belt. The Fairbanks is 5/8” wide where the Chinese Drive unit is 3/4 inch wide belt, both asymmetrical. But you can modify the Chinese drive size to be 5/8”. I’m playing around with that stuff right now. It would be great to find some Fairbanks Morse Drive clutches, but I don’t see that as happening. The Chinese parts certainly solve the problem and a nice price point. I bought the Comet Drive clutches for this application, trying to keep everything American. But I’m not sure it really was worth it in the end
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