Turblue
Active VIP Member
Anyone that installed a belt drive in a sidewinder regret not having reverse?
Notice any difference?
Notice any difference?
Sidewinder belt drive
- Thread starter Turblue
- Start date
M1ryguy
Active VIP Member
I think its the best thing I did to mine along with the older style clutches, I don't miss reverse at all but I have a drive through enclosed so loading/unloading is easy. It dropped at least 15lbs and just seems to spool up quicker now. Not cheap but worth it in my opinion
0neoldfart
Active VIP Member
I had installed a C3 belt drive on my 2013 M1100 when I installed the bigger turbo at 480 miles, as the stock chain was junk. It was on the sled when I sold it in 2018, on the original belt, and after some pretty rough miles. That being said, I did miss reverse, so my 2017 King Cat is still running the reverse gear case - the chain seems to be better quality then the earlier offerings, and I don’t recall seeing a drive for the D&R case used on the King Cat when I looked into it a few years ago, and I modified my original C3 kit as I wasn’t a fan of the oil tank hose setup that came with it (I’m picky). Performance wise I can’t say it was a lot better if at all, but longevity and ease of repair on the hill is what sold me…
tmo1620
Active VIP Member
That’s the reason I swap to the specialty belt drive on my cats, strictly a reliability thing and how easy it is to just change a belt. That vs a tow out and possibly lots of parts replacement is a huge plus for me
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Lunch_Box
Active VIP Member
Only time I wish I had reverse is when I have to pull the sled off the deck. I know 3 guys that have done it now and none of us regret doing it.
Lunch_Box
Active VIP Member
Other than losing reverse what makes it not a good idea. Shave off a ton of weight. Better throttle response. Easy gearing changes. I know of 2 guys that have had their chaincases blow up on them, no quick belt change there to keep your day going.
. Reverse does come in handy at times. . I would be scared to run a belt drive on a turbo anything. Seen a lot of 2 stokes pop the belt drives. I guess if u are run that junk cat track it just spins so no worries
M1ryguy
Active VIP Member
My belt looks new after a full season, I was skeptical too. My winder is tuned and the belt drive worked awesome. If it blows a belt its an easy swap on the hill anyway. You can have issues if your belt tension isn't adjusted correctly but same with a chain. 15lbs weight loss, almost zero maintenance, better throttle response. Its the Sh*t!
tmo1620
Active VIP Member
We run 1000’s of electric driven pumps 24/7, 365 days a year on belts , many of them 300-500 hp and bigger high consistency pump setups that really put the torque to the belts. These pump 1000’s -10’s of thousands of litres a minute of 8-15% consistency stock upwards of 100’ straight up to the top of towers. I’m guessing a 200 ish hp snowmobile motor with low torque rating in comparison will probably be just fine. I’ve destroyed a couple diamond drives, blew apart a couple chains and cases but never shredded a belt….. Been running belt drives for the last 5 years and not a hiccup with reliability
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M1ryguy
Active VIP Member
- Thread starter
- #13
Turblue
Active VIP Member
I do like the simplicity and wouldn’t be worried about durability. Not to sure about giving up reverse. Lol.
Kibbels
Active VIP Member
Nice work… I’d do the same if I still had my winder. Love these sleds we are a dying breed unfortunately.
I bet you notice a difference
Kibbels
Active VIP Member
Maybe lots of Polaris in early factory days or alignment/tension issues. There are literally 1000’s of turbo sleds running belt drives in North America/Sweden/Finland/Russia
there is a lot of reasons why to have belt drive - weight - inertia - mitigate exploding chain/cases
junk cat track.. I personally think the AC ALpha track is impressive.
but agreed hard to be without reverse for old fellas like me.
climbmax
Team Thunderstruck
So what is the best go to on Belt drive? Never really considered it but I have one I may try it on. Im not even sure the brands out there.
TKI
Specialty
What else?
Thanks for info
TKI
Specialty
What else?
Thanks for info
M1ryguy
Active VIP Member
Me and a few buddies went with the specialty kit, zero issues after one season. I was worried about another belt to break but seemed like the guys running them on the 4 strokes haven't had issues. Belt tension is important, Rob at specialty told me that the only way you break a belt is from incorrect tension or not warming it up. Throttle response is noticeable and the weight/maintenance you save is well worth it.
Kibbels
Active VIP Member
Is the specialty kit the pre C3 - like Bdx sells? Very clean set up…
M1ryguy
Active VIP Member
You are correct, I looked at the TKI setup but it doesn't seem like they have a kit for the winder and I like having the local dealer and reviews were good on the specialty kit so went that route
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