jeremy
Active VIP Member
Just wondering what everyone prefers to have their track slack at? I prefer mine pretty close to tight, but have just had a discussion with someone who runs sloppy loose and likes it that way??
slack in the track???
- Thread starter jeremy
- Start date
powderhoundbrr
Active VIP Member
You want it just tight enough so it won't ratchet. If it is too tight you are robbing yourself of some ponies to the track! If you lift the back end off the ground there should be an inch or 2 of droop in the track from the rails. There are differences in different sleds too of course but this is a general rule.
- Thread starter
- #3
jeremy
Active VIP Member
i run my short and long tracks at about a inch and a half slack, which buddy is telling me will shorten the life of the sliders and bearings in the wheels......
Free Rider
Active VIP Member
Run it as loose as possible. Thats the benefit of extrovert drivers, so it can be loose without ratcheting
A lot of testing has been done on this subject and it well noted that a loose track can actually cause a wave as the track comes off the drivers that can in soft snow continue down the rail to the back wheels which actually robs more power than a track adjusted properly. This has been and likely will forever be debated and I was one of the guys that ran my track as loose as I could without ratcheting but I now run my track right at factory spec which is pretty darn tight.
007sevens
Active VIP Member
I don't like to sloppy. I suppose tighter would be better, But what do I know I'm married with three kids. My track is just not like the new ones today.
thegeneral
Active VIP Member
Had this conversation with an engineer buddy of mine and he says it like this " your track, drivers and rails are a pulley system and pretty much every pulley system you look at runs the belt as snug as possible"Hard to argue with that
Cheers
Cheers
pipes
Active VIP Member
interesting observation. I can see what your saying. I noticed that my sliders were wearing funny. By that,I mean in a spot where you would expect the least amount of wear. Could be that wave you are talking about. I will snug mine up to factory spec and install a new set of sliders and see what happens.
Yes that would be it, loose seems better when it is on a stand and you can turn the track by hand with no effort at all but at 45 or 50mph the centrifugal forces are huge and can make some pretty crazy things happen.
Pulley systems are based on the premise that you are transferring power from one shaft to another with no lateral load directly on the pulley belt itself, just longitudinal load along the pulley belt. Not as much the case with the a sled track as it is only being driven from one end and transferring the power to the ground for forward momentum where there is lateral load on the track (against the sliders etc). As others have said, this will be debated until the end of time, just like track porting. A little looser is better than too tight IMO, but I ran one track really loose last year and it was wrapping off the extroverts and kept breaking the plastic ski tips off. Don't run it too loose or you may stab your track on the rails.
hippiekiller
Active member
I had the same problem as modman, ran mine a littel looser last year and ended up replacing a rail tip, and the sliders wore down really quick right at the front.....usually I find the sweet spot on the stand where I can just spin it over with my fingers with teh belt off....
oler1234
Active VIP Member
Bingo, look at the guys doin big air backflips, you will see the wrap in most of them
I think it has alot to do with power and track speed. Your not gunna run a 300hp apex with the track tension of a 500cc 2 stroke, it will spear everytime. Just get your buddies to tell yea. Pull a major catwalk with the skies in the air and unload the track hard, if your buddy see a wrap after the driver or beginning of the rails.... tightin er up. Most stock sleds run between 37 to 43mph, you can run it pretty loose.
Similar threads
