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I have avoided this whole topic for a VERY long time...because it
will open up a can of worms and MAY even add more confusion...but I
think the time has come and it is near impossible, with my typing
skills, to effectively relay what needs to be said.. so, I will just
touch on the high points and hope it translates well.
1)
Since all sleds have the SAME medium (Clutch, belt, chain, and
track) for movement. unless you change one of these "items" AS A
WHOLE there can be no more or no less power transfer. It really is
that simple!! So, unless you physically are running a DIFFERENT
clutch (not clutch internals.. but clutch) or belt, or Chain.. the
power transfer from the engine crank to the chain is the SAME! The
only time this is not true is if the belt is slipping in the
clutches!! If you have continuous, not momentary, belt slippage,
then there transfer of
energy
will be lower. BUT if there is not slippage in the mediums, then the
transfer of energy remains the same. Can the rotational speed
change? Yes. Can there be a parasite (like a bad bearing) that is
robbing HP due to
frictional losses?
YOU BET!
2)
If you have a clutching set up that previously did, say 90 MPH and
you change out some clutching component and now you do 100MPH, what
you did is change the final shift ratio! Your final shift ratio
changed and allowed for the added MPH, not the HP. You did not
suddenly find new HP to allow you go another 10MPH... You were
simply able to NOW overcome a "blockage" that did not allow you to
get to the higher shift ratio.
Think of a baseball being thrown into the air
where there is a 5mph head wind. Now throw that same ball , the same
way (like your clutches and engine always do) into the air with zero
head wind. The baseball will go further and faster. Was the baseball
thrown with any more "power" or initial velocity?? NOPE! It was
thrown with the exact same amount of energy
every-time. Just like
your engine turning your clutch... same every time.
So, I think the terms "HP to the track" is a bit
misleading.. because the HP delivered by the engine remains the
same! Your track is still seeing (if your track could actually see)
the same HP every-time..
The real difference is how far your belt is moving UP in the clutch
sheaves!
Simply put.. you can not gain power transfer with
any system unless you alter a component that is causing loss.
Changing ramps, springs, and helix designs do not
change how those components "do their job" in terms of mechanical
functionality nor do they transfer any HP that was being "left" at
the crank end! The HP at the crank end is ALWAYS there for using and
is always the same for given RPM!!
IF any of these individual components were
causing belt slippage, then that is a different story..BUT.. belt
slippage is NEVER a constant deal.. if it were, you would not get
anywhere. Belt slippage , if present, is always a very intermittent
entity that only rears its head under certain conditions.
3)
OK, so what about
dyno sheets that show
the HP going up with different clutch components?
OK, let's define HP and maybe this will clear up
the whole track HP speed part:
Horsepower is defined as
work done over time. The exact definition of one horsepower is
33,000 lb.ft./minute.
Put another way, if you were to lift 33,000 pounds one foot over a
period of one minute, you would have been working at the rate of one
horsepower. In this case, you'd have expended one horsepower-minute
of energy.
So, HP is directly related to time. This is
important when talking about a track dyno.
So, the track dyno
is measuring how fast you accelerated the track to X MPH. and since
HP is directly related to time, one can calculate a HP number to
associate with that acceleration.
GOOD STUFF.. But..
what is really being measured is how fast the track was
accelerated or how fast your clutches SHIFTED!
The engine's HP was always there for the taking and did not change.
Think about this. If you have a sled that does
100MPH MAX in 10 seconds and you make a clutching change and now you
do 100MPH MAX in 9 seconds.. You did NOT change the HP transfer nor
did you change the final shift ratio. 100MPH , no matter how fast
you got there, will still have the SAME final shift ratio
every-time! WHY..
Because the belt length/width, gearing, and rpm stayed the same!!
so, no matter how you get there, ultimately these components will
determine at what ratio 100MPH is achieved
and it will remain the same unless something is changed to alter the
gearing. It is fixed and will dictate at what shift point you will
be travelling "X" MPH! ..Always..
OK, so are clutch kits bad?? Not at all!! SOME
can be VERY effective at overcoming a mis-matched
factory installed component that is making it difficult to SHIFT
past a certain shift ratio and into a higher shift ratio.
DO, they add HP... IMO.. no... the HP is supplied
by the engine and is always there.
Do they transfer more power to the track? IMO..
NO...The clutching medium has not changed. it is still 2 clutches, a
belt, and some gears,, so, changing internal components does NOT
change the "SYSTEM" as a whole.
Can they make you go faster in a given amount of
time? Absolutely!
Can they make your sled travel at a higher rate
of speed? SOME.. You bet..
Since you are going faster is your sled
delivering more HP to the track?? Hmmm.. that is a loaded question..
IMO.. NO.. the HP to the track will be near the same, but what has
changed is how efficiently your sled is using the HP that is
available for the taking. Meaning...is
it allowing for maximum shift or is it fighting a component that
could cause it to not obtain the shift point it is capable of???
AGAIN.. this post
was NOT to "DUMP" on anybody or anything.. it was simply one
person's perspective/opinion on an issue that can be debated
probably...indefinitely..
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