I was just wondering if i had a 4m kite which was much faster than a 6m kite, if it would pull harder or lift higher?

Assuming you are flying both in the same winds, a larger kite generates more power.

Well, this is not such a simple question. Assuming the same kite, the larger version of the kite will generate more power. There's a lot of variables that go into the kites "power". I'm don't think you can make a broad generalization about two different kites based solely on their flying speed. However giving a kite more speed will reduce it's static grunt.

Do you have two specific kites in mind?

Yeah, i'd have to say we'd need specific kites to have a better understanding of what you are talking about, as a "meter squared" does seem to differ a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, and things like angle of attack and kite shape can have huge effects even when comparing two 4 meter kites to each other.

Speed DOES equal power !!!!!!


The problem with the 4m over the 6 is that the power created is in short spurts as you " speed " the kite through the window. The speed in the kite is temporary and so is the power.

If you get moving and set a 4m and 6m in place the 6m will pull harder.

Depends on the conditions too. If its a park and ride kind of day the bigger kite in the same wind will pull more. However, if its a slow 6m in flaky winds you may get more power from the 4 if it is more nimble and can be worked harder so its less likely to fall out of the sky.

I sold my 8.5 Blade after buying my 6m Bego. In park and ride conditions the blade out pulled the bego but because it was a low wind kite it was often flown in lulls and the bego had the upper leg as it was faster turning and could be worked to keep the power when the big, slow and heavy blade would collapse.

depends on the kind of kite. sometimes in light winds the smaller kite will win because it can turn faster and be "worked" more effectively for speed and therefor power.

can go either way depending on relative kite size, designs and wind.

I missed the mark this morning.

I am talking about a 4 and 6m kite of the same model.

You also wondered about how that speed / power effects jumping.

Again the problem is that the power created by the speed is short lived. You can boost HOOJ with a fast lifty kite.( Think 4.9 Blade " widow maker " here.) Sustaining the power is harder though. To qoute my buddy Rip' "Woop Woop Kite Loop"! There's your power !!!!!

There really is a lot of variables that need to be considered. If you are talking about the same make, model and size of kite then size will usually determine the total power output and the larger one will be more. But if you fly a larger sized kite in a mostly stalled position while flying a smaller kite in a full speed situation then the smaller kite will be producing more power than the larger sized kite that is stalled out. If both kites are flown the same way in the same winds then the larger kite will always produce more power.

Aspect ratio has a lot to do with power output as well. A higher aspect ratio kite can get up to speed faster and quicker than a lower aspect ratio kite, therefore a higher aspect ratio kite will usually produce more power than a lower aspect ratio kite. I would generalize that a 4.5 meter high aspect ratio kite will produce more overall power and speed than a 5.0 meter lower aspect ratio kite - when both are flown in the same manner. It would be a huge stretch to get a 4.0 meter to out produce a 6.0 meter though unless they were on the extreme opposite of design - say a 4.0 meter Vapor or Yak GT compared to a 6.0 Beamer or Hornet. If the 4.0 was flown extremely aggressive and the 6.0 flown rather lazy then the 4.0 would probably out perform the 6.0 - but even then it would be determined on how the kites were flown. If both were flown the same then the 6.0 low aspect kite would outperform the 4.0 race kite in total power output only - the race kite would still fly faster, turn faster and give you better upwind ability - the Beamer would be more stable and pull harder.

If considering what kite to purchase, you could probably get by with a slightly smaller higher aspect ratio kite as they do tend to produce more power per size - but they will need to be flown more aggressively to match the power output of the larger sizes. .5 to 1.0 meter would be the difference in size so you could possibly replace a 6.0 meter low aspect ratio kite with a 5.0 or 5.5 meter high aspect ratio kite with hardly no power loss and maybe even a slight increase. Trying to replace a 6.0 with a 4.0 would be a bit tougher to do and you may find yourself a little underpowered at times.

Speed is the key to power though. Flying your kites faster will produce more overall power output than flying it slower. Whether or not the kite is capable of faster flying speeds is determined by the design of the wing. Low aspect ratio kites will reach terminal velocity much sooner than high aspect ratio kites.

This opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Austin95 I was just wondering if i had a 4m kite which was much faster than a 6m kite, if it would pull harder or lift higher?

without getting into any scientific fact/theory. think of this...
all the latest (NABX) top speed records (buggy/kite) are owned by kites smaller than 4m. the latest record at 82.9 mp/h (NABX) was had with a 2.7m kite. i can guarantee you that the record breakers have much larger kites in their full complimented quivers.
Paul

But remember, the larger the kite, the more lateral pull you need to overcome with the buggy... where's a good mathcad chart when you need one?

As far as the speed record goes, it is all about the wind....and the hooj ones of the pilot.

With kites you can usually double the wind speed and in the most perfect of conditions, get close to 3 times the wind speed. So if you think of the wind speed of 20 mph, in perfect conditions you may get close to 60 mph in the buggy. Realistically you will get to around 40 to 50 with a high aspect ratio kite. So, what kite do you fly in 20 mph winds? When the record was shattered, winds were gusting well over 35 to 40 mph. You really can't fly larger kites in those kinds of winds and live to tell about it. So, the smaller kites are the ones that you get the highest speeds with because of the winds required to hit those speeds. Flying a 2.7 meter Vapor in 40ish winds is quite insane and about as much power as you could physically hold down under full speed. Especially on the smooth fast surface of the dry lake beds.

Kent summarized it well.

I hate working the kite, I personally would use the largest kit size that I could manage and be a little over powered. My dear friend ken #3 likes to ride a size smaller and work the kite. I'm faster upwind wind with the bigger sail but driving in a straight line I also need to manage the buggy a bit with the extra bit of side pull.

It's true that small kites are super fast in extreme winds but talking with Michel and Arie it would have been faster using a bigger kit. At those speeds holding something bigger would be insane and the buggy would than be the issue.

I think in the end the pl nz speed buggy will capture the speed record. It's proven to hit 115km driven by Arie.
They need to drop the weight a bit and/or move it more center. The hardwire is the right idea because you can use a bigger size kit. My nabx vid had a clip with craig using s vapor 7.8 in that wind and on the last day of the event Arie was screaming with a vapor 5.4 and all other riders were on 2m and 3m kits.

Get out and ride and enjoy the wind.