Kart chains and sprockets: how to choose, and what 18 UK shops charge
We compared 243 kart chains and sprockets listings across 18 UK shops. The typical cheapest price is £24.00, and the same part number can cost up to 38% more depending on where you buy it.
UK edition2026-11-014 min readData: PitHunt weekly scan
Key takeaways
- 18 UK shops list 243 parts in this category; 17 part numbers are stocked by more than one shop.
- The typical cheapest price is £24.00; a tenth of parts cost £8.00 or less, a tenth £43.10 or more.
- Biggest gap for one part number: £8.51 on Precision Chains PC219H 1.8mm Link Kart Chain | High-Performance 219H Pitch.
- KKC Kart Components had the lowest listed price most often — 8 of the 17 part numbers stocked by several shops.
- Shops
- 18
- Listings
- 243
- Typical cheapest
- £24.00
- Biggest gap
- £8.51
- 38% on one part
What a chains and sprockets does
The chain carries the engine's drive to the rear axle, from a small sprocket on the engine or clutch to a large one on the axle. Those two tooth counts are the kart's gearing, and the chain's pitch — the distance between its pins — has to match both sprockets exactly.
Divide the rear sprocket's teeth by the front's and you have the ratio: a 12-tooth front driving a 60-tooth rear is 5:1. A higher ratio, meaning more teeth at the back, pulls harder out of corners and runs out of revs sooner; a lower ratio does the opposite. Pitch sets what the chain can take: the small 219 pitch is light and smooth and suits the high revs and lower torque of two-stroke engines, while the larger #35 is made from more metal and handles more torque, which is why most four-stroke karts run it.
How to choose
1 · Pitch
Chain and both sprockets must share a pitch; nothing else fits.
How to judge it: Measure pin to pin. 219 pitch is about 8mm (7.774mm) and is what most two-stroke karts run; #35 is about 10mm (9.525mm) and is the four-stroke choice; #40, #428, #41 and #420 are about 13mm (12.70mm) and belong on rental and fleet karts.
2 · Ratio for the track
Gearing is the cheapest lap-time change on the kart.
How to judge it: Rear teeth divided by front teeth. Go up a tooth or two at the back for a tight circuit that needs acceleration, down for long straights. Keep the engine in the rev band it works in, and change one tooth at a time.
3 · Tension and alignment
A chain that is tight, loose or crooked wears itself and both sprockets fast, and can jump off.
How to judge it: About half an inch of vertical play at the middle of the lower run, checked at several axle positions. Use a laser aligner on both sprockets; alignment by eye is not reliable.
Compatibility. Pitch must match across chain, front sprocket and rear sprocket, and the rear sprocket's bolt pattern must match your sprocket carrier. A chain run with worn sprockets, or new sprockets with an old stretched chain, wears the new part quickly — they are replaced together far more often than separately.
Types, and the trade-offs
| Type | For | Against | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 219 pitch | Light, smooth, longer sprocket life. | Less material, so lower strength under torque. | Two-stroke racing karts. |
| #35 pitch | Stronger pins and plates; takes more torque. | Heavier; coarser drive wears sprocket teeth faster. | Four-stroke karts. |
| #40 / #41 / #420 / #428 | Robust and cheap. | Heavy and coarse. | Rental, fleet and concession karts. |
- 219 vs #35
- 219 is lighter for a given length, runs smoother because more pins share the load, and is kinder to sprocket teeth; #35 has thicker plates and larger pins and is simply stronger.
- Matters when: Your engine decides it — two-stroke 219, four-stroke #35 — but it is why a 219 chain on a torquey engine wears quickly.
- Tooth count
- Printed on the sprocket. The rear is the one you change to tune gearing; the front is usually fixed by the clutch or engine.
- Matters when: Every new track, and every time the weather changes grip.
- Material
- Rear sprockets are commonly aluminium for weight; front sprockets and chains are steel.
- Matters when: Aluminium wears faster and is the part to inspect first.
What it costs across UK shops
£8.00
a tenth cost this or less
£24.00
typical
£43.10
a tenth cost this or more
| Part | Cheapest | Range | Dearest | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision Chains PC219H 1.8mm Link Kart Chain | High-Performance 219H Pitch cheapest at Precision Kart · 2 shops | £22.49 | £31.00 | £8.5138% | |
| Precision Chains 219H Pitch - Racing Chain for Karting Racing cheapest at Precision Kart · 3 shops | £20.99 | £29.00 | £8.0138% | |
| Muc-Off Motorcycle Chain Care Kit cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £29.95 | £35.95 | £6.0020% | |
| Castrol Chain Lube cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £12.39 | £18.00 | £5.6145% | |
| 215 Pitch Chain Splitter / Breaker Tool cheapest at LMR Kart Store · 2 shops | £22.00 | £26.00 | £4.0018% | |
| Muc-Off Motorcycle Chain Cleaner 400ml cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £11.95 | £14.95 | £3.0025% | |
| Muc-Off Off-Road All Weather Chain Lube 400ml cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £12.95 | £15.95 | £3.0023% | |
| Muc-Off Motorcycle Chain Brush cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £12.95 | £15.95 | £3.0023% | |
| Muc-Off Motorcycle Wet Chain Lube 400ml cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £14.95 | £17.95 | £3.0020% | |
| Muc-Off Motorcycle Dry Chain Lube 400ml cheapest at KKC Kart Components · 2 shops | £14.95 | £17.95 | £3.0020% |
Same part number at every shop in the row. Parts listed at £10.00 or more; ranked by the gap in money, not percent.
Cheapest most often
Of the 17 part numbers stocked by more than one shop — a count of wins, not a verdict.
- KKC Kart Components8 of 17
- LMR Kart Store4 of 17
- Precision Kart3 of 17
- Strawberry Racing1 of 17
- IC Kartstore1 of 17
What this covers
This is a snapshot of kart chains and sprockets as listed by UK kart shops on 2026-11-01. PitHunt indexed 243 listings from 18 shops, covering 221 distinct part numbers. Of those, 17 are stocked by more than one shop, which is where a price comparison means something: the same manufacturer part number, different tills.
Prices are the shops' own listed prices in their own currency, captured by PitHunt's weekly scan. They are not quotes, they move, and the cheapest shop for one part is not the cheapest for every part. Each one links to the shop's own page so you can check before you buy.
The price range
Taking the cheapest listing for each part number, a tenth of them cost £8.00 or less, the middle of the range sits at £24.00, and a tenth cost £43.10 or more. The spread is wide because the category mixes small hardware with complete components, so the useful comparison is always like for like — the same part number across shops.
The widest gaps for the same part
The comparison ranks part numbers by the difference between shops in money, among parts listed at £10.00 or more — a big percentage on a tiny part is arithmetic, not a saving.
The largest gap in money is on Precision Chains PC219H 1.8mm Link Kart Chain | High-Performance 219H Pitch: £22.49 at Precision Kart against £31.00 at the dearest of its two shops — £8.51, or 38%, for the same part number. The full list is in the comparison table above, ranked the same way.
A gap like that is not a judgement on either shop. Listed prices reflect stock bought at different times, different suppliers, and whether a shop is clearing a line. What it tells you is simply that for this part number, on this date, checking a second shop was worth the minute it took.
Which shops were cheapest most often
Across the 17 part numbers stocked by more than one shop, KKC Kart Components had the lowest listed price for 8 of them, followed by LMR Kart Store with 4. That is a count of wins, not a verdict: a shop that is cheapest on the parts you actually need matters more than one that is cheapest on average.
The honest way to use this is the boring way. Find your exact part number, look at every shop that lists it, and let the number decide. Name the part, and PitHunt lines every shop up cheapest-first.
Before you buy — the checklist
Buying used, check
- ☐Stretch: a chain that needs the tensioner at its limit, or re-tensioning every few sessions, is finished.
- ☐Sprocket teeth: look for teeth worn thin, pointed or leaning to one side, which means it ran misaligned.
- ☐Confirm the pitch and tooth count stamped on the part before paying; they are easy to misread in a listing.
Mistakes to avoid
- ✕Running the chain tight because it looks neat; it loads the engine output shaft and axle bearings and runs hot.
- ✕Aligning by eye — a small offset that looks fine generates friction and wear under load.
- ✕Reaching the end of the mount's adjustment and tightening again instead of replacing the chain.
Questions
›Will a smaller rear sprocket make my kart faster?
It raises top speed and costs acceleration. Whether that is faster depends on the track; on a tight circuit it is usually slower.
›Why does my chain run hot?
Too tight, or misaligned. Check the play at the lower run and put a laser aligner on both sprockets.
›Chain or sprockets first?
If one is worn, check the other — a worn chain damages new sprockets and the reverse. Replacing as a set is common.
›Where do these prices come from?
From the shops' own websites, collected by PitHunt's weekly scan of UK kart retailers. Each figure is the price the shop listed on the date above, in the shop's own currency, before delivery.
›Why would the same part cost more at one shop?
Stock bought at different times, different supplier terms, and clearance decisions. None of that is visible from the price alone, which is why comparing the same part number across shops is the only fair comparison.
Sources for the buying advice
- CPR Kart Parts — chain pitch identification
- CPR Kart Parts — choosing the right gear ratio
- Comet Kart Sales — motor mount setup: chain alignment, tension and common problems
Reviewed 2026-10-28. Buying advice comes only from these sources; prices come only from PitHunt’s own scan.
How this was built
Every number on this page was computed from PitHunt’s weekly scan of kart shops’ own listed prices, in the shop’s own currency, captured on 2026-11-01. The text was then checked against that data: any figure not in it fails the article. Prices move after we scan them, and exclude delivery — always confirm on the shop’s page.