getting that little extra power.

[Pappillion]

A friend was telling me that if you upgrade drive wheels and loosen off the track there can be up to 10 hp free'd up. It sound logical to me but wouuldn't the track wear a lot faster.

 

[SLEDBUNNYRACING]

Track will wear correctly if you manage the looser track right.
You can only loosen it as much as your drives will allow. If there is slip (ratcheting) then tighten i up a bit. If you have or go to external drivers you can loosen the track a lot more without slipage.

A looser track reduces the drag and gains HP. 10 sounds a bit high but it will make a noteable difference.

A friend was telling me that if you upgrade drive wheels and loosen off the track there can be up to 10 hp free'd up. It sound logical to me but wouuldn't the track wear a lot faster.

 

[kennyblatz]

i tighten my track just enough so that it doesn't slip, if the track is studded we bolted a slider or 2 up in the top of the tunnel to protect it from the picks slaping the top of the tunnel, more so under braking when the slack backs up up top.

 

[cey800]

A track that is too looose can also rob hp.

 

[Scotty]

Not sure about 10 horse for free but a track that is too tight deffinately is less efficient. I have always run my tracks loose, just a bit tighter than ratcheting as mentioned above. If you have ever played with chain saws you have probably experienced what a tight chain can do to performance... back off the throttle and the chain stops really quik. Same priciple on a skid frame... sort of. Takes less power to pull the track around the skid when its a bit loose.

 

[Haggis]

Not sure about 10 horse for free but a track that is too tight deffinately is less efficient. I have always run my tracks loose, just a bit tighter than ratcheting as mentioned above. If you have ever played with chain saws you have probably experienced what a tight chain can do to performance... back off the throttle and the chain stops really quik. Same priciple on a skid frame... sort of. Takes less power to pull the track around the skid when its a bit loose.

That is a good analogy. Anything you can do to allow that track to spin with less friction slowing it down will be helpful.

 

[Modman]

A friend was telling me that if you upgrade drive wheels and loosen off the track there can be up to 10 hp free'd up. It sound logical to me but wouuldn't the track wear a lot faster.

LOL - You may gain MPH from the friction reduction, but you won't gain any HP from loosening the track. The comparable analogy is like saying you will gain HP if you buy shorter skis. It might feel like the sled has 10 HP more to some people, its actually making the same power, just less friction (rolling resistance) as Scotty said (chainsaw analogy).

What drive wheel upgrade? You can also run bigger rear idlers to reduce rolling resistance as well.

 

[ZRrrr]

I think alot of peole are getting caught up in the media surrounding the new one ply tracks. They say 10HP less to turn the track. I can see how some might think that means a free 10 HP.

 

[teeroy]

I think alot of peole are getting caught up in the media surrounding the new one ply tracks. They say 10HP less to turn the track. I can see how some might think that means a free 10 HP.

even more of a conundrum....who wants to use 10 less hp? when does it use 10 less hp, WOT in pow, pack, or back end lifted on the stand? if it takes 10 less to turn the track, wouldn't that free up 10 more to go to the track? conspiracy I tell ya.....
:d

 

[ZRrrr]

I like how you think.

Funny that they don't market it as 10 more HP to the track, just 10 less to turn it. Hmmmmm..........

 

[heinracing]

another thing you can do is port your track make it lose 4 lbs 4 lbs on rotating mass will free up a pony or two and keep snow out of the skid

 

[Lost]

I think that running a track very loose is a bad thing becuse of track wrap. If you run your sled on a lift and pin it you will see the track wrap the drivers will pull the track up to the front of the slide rails. Just think what this will do to your attack angle can you say verticial wall not good. Find the sweet spot.

 

[ZRrrr]

I think that running a track very loose is a bad thing becuse of track wrap. If you run your sled on a lift and pin it you will see the track wrap the drivers will pull the track up to the front of the slide rails. Just think what this will do to your attack angle can you say verticial wall not good. Find the sweet spot.

Maybe on the stand, but will it do this on snow?

 

[teeroy]

Maybe on the stand, but will it do this on snow?

he may have a valid point there, the slack would gather between the drivers and the point that the snow contacts the track. albeit a very small area, but it would have to be crazy loose to make much of a difference I would think...but it surely wouldn't be much of a "vertical wall", especially with the low approach angles of the modern mtn sleds.

 

[Dr. Meatman]

running a looser track isn't meant for reducing friction as much as it letting the suspension work for you like it should. tighter track will keep the suspension from working. when the sled squats the rails take up more track or create more surface area the track takes up on the ground. too tight the suspension has a hard time decompressing all the way. a looser track will help increase the surface area the track runs on creating a larger foot print and more weight distribution helping you 'float' rather than 'sink' in the snow

 

[Lost]

Maybe on the stand, but will it do this on snow?

Yes the track wrap is even worse on the snow becouse the bottom side of the track is the slack side the top is the tight side because of the pull of the drivers. On hard packed snow you can see the track wrap or slack on a sled traveling beside you. Yes vertical wall was over stated but 5 degrees is huge attack angle change and a very slack track will give you more than that. If you have your sled setup to keep the skis 2 ft in the air it would not change your angle but if you setup the sled to have the skis just off the snow you will have all that deep snow pushing the slack in the track close to the slider tips. I can't prove this because in deep snow you can't see it but a sled usually will climb better if the skis are just off the snow. This might be a good test to doo on the hill two climbs each 1.5 inch slack , tight track , very loose just so it won't slip it could give a few feet or more than likely just a wash.