if the snow is mostly powder then you'd like the upgrade. The trade off is that the track will be harder to spin up because of the extra weight. If you do trail riding also then just a deeper lug would be better.
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long track ditch banger
i do a lot of ditch banging, and am probably gonna upgrade my track to an 1.25" version. i was wondering, cost not being to prohibitive, if a 136" conversion would be a good deal on my sled, keeping the lugs 1.25". would this make for a better cross country sled? and does anyone know how much power i would lose with this? would it be readily noticible, or would it be a worthy tradeoff for traction and floatation?
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
most of my riding is on hard pack, but when we have time we run through dried up sloughs filled with snow and rushes. we will usually take a trip to the black hills too. when the ditches around here fill up, it is usually with soft powder, up to 12" or more. on the straight and narrow the track is probably better, since it soaks up the bumps better, and has more traction. i'm just worried i'll lose a lot of power, and if my sled has enough torque to spin it.
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
for hard pack riding long tracks do not make a good cross country sled. You are right you will lose plenty of power with that 500 but it will still run fine. I never really heard of a large lug track taking bumps better but I guess it could. For hard pack a large lug track isn't really necessary either. If you ever ride icy trails I would just run like a 1" track or slightly smaller and stud it.
it isn't the larger lugs that soak up the bumps better, it's the added length of the track touching the ground that takes stutter bumps smoother. as for what i meant by 'hardpack' i guess it isn't really that hard, there are never any icy trails, and i'm not really interested in studs. i think i'm gonna go with an 1.25" camoplast predator- that will fit my situation the best and i shouldn't lose any power from my sled.
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
if it isn't really hard pack then the 1.25 should be pretty good. but I would say don;t get a long track. And I see about the bumps now I thouhgt you just meant the larger lug not the long track.
yeah, i think i'll stay with the 121". i just checked camoplast's site and they have arctic cat's new sno-x track, the 1.36" lug one. does anyone know if this is in the 15" wide version- i wouldn't think it is 13.5", since the only sleds ac makes with that track is the new sno pro, and they come with em from the factory. this would be the perfect track, since we get quite a bit of the soft stuff around here from time to time too.
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
I didn't see that track on their site. I saw the stock ZR 800 one. Link?
my bad, it's 1.375". there's even a pic of it. www.tracksusa.com/oem.html
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
it isn't a sport if you can't die doing it
'99 XC SP 500
I would go with a 1.25 inch track, but the same length as what you have in there now. You will notice a big difference in the deep snow.
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Vote for Snowmobile Fanatics.com
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Be careful going to a deeper lug. My Grand Touring 600 went from a top speed of 95 to 80 with 1.25" lugs. The main reason is that there is not enough room for air to pass underneath the tunnel. Check with your dealer. For this reason, I would not go with a deeper lug than 1.25.
P.S. I ride a long track on the trails, and I love it. I had a 98 Yam Venture 500 (liquid). It topped out at about 80, but not a 1.25" lug track. My Blade is a long track also. Maybe doesn't turn quite as nice, but oh so nice in the bumps and powder!
I want to ride every day, all day, as fast as I can.
P.S. I ride a long track on the trails, and I love it. I had a 98 Yam Venture 500 (liquid). It topped out at about 80, but not a 1.25" lug track. My Blade is a long track also. Maybe doesn't turn quite as nice, but oh so nice in the bumps and powder!
I want to ride every day, all day, as fast as I can.
i realized top speed is scrubbed off with weight, but didn't know about the air turbulence thing. thanks- camoplast's tracks are lighter anyway, so i'm not worried about losing power. yeah, i don't think i'll go any longer, i love to jump too much, and the longer the track, the harder it is to let go of the appoach and sail. last weekend one of my buddies hated his new ac mtn cat 800 because of this- although he is running a 151, not a 136 
When in doubt- Throttle out!
'99 XC SP 500
When in doubt- Throttle out!
'99 XC SP 500
quite possibly- it's just kinda hard to shell out $400 when there isn't any snow to ride on
When in doubt- Throttle out!
'99 XC SP 500
When in doubt- Throttle out!
'99 XC SP 500
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
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