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General Thoughts on Snowmobile Clutching, Clutching
Performance and Testing
Clutching a
snowmobile is really not all that hard. Generally, stock clutching
(OEM supplied) suffices just fine for a large percentage of the
riders.
For those that
want to realize/experience different shift characteristics from
their sled, altering the clutching is a very good way to accomplish
this.
BUT… What is the
desired shift characteristic?? Hmmm…. that is the question…
What is the
answer?
The Answer is:
IT VARIES FROM RIDER TO RIDER!
Different riding styles warrant different clutching set-ups.. It's
really that simple!
Let’s break it
down a bit:
1)
If you are a rider that
does very little hill shooting and prefers to spend most of the time
playing in the trees or in the meadows… then you would want a
clutching set up that has great acceleration at part throttle but
is also very smooth. This way you do not trench in the trees but you
can accelerate very quickly. This style of clutching would not
necessarily be the fastest in a drag race nor would it put the high
mark on a long hill in 3ft of powder. BUT.. it would make tight tree
riding and meadow turns very nice.
2)
If you are a rider that
prefers to sit at the hill or at a straight-away and race other
sleds most of the day.. then you would require a MUCH different
clutching set-up than #1 above or # 3 below. You would need a HARD
accelerating set-up that launches like a rocket out of the hole and
pulls like a train for the 1st 100-200 ft. You would not
really be concerned too much with what happens at 500-1000ft because
you would already be out in front and the race would, most likely,
be over. THIS type of set up would be
horrible if pulling a deep powder 1000ft long hill or
blippin’ the throttle in the tight trees.. But would surely shine
for the race application!
3)
If you are a rider that
prefers to find the biggest, longest, and steepest hill and try to
get over it…Then you would not
want a clutching set-up that has a hard accelerating “hole shot”
like #2, nor would you care about part throttle responsiveness like
#1. You WOULD want a clutching set-up that will allow you to have
MAXIMUM possible track speed under HEAVY LOADING and one that would
MAINTAIN this track speed during LONG runs. This set up would also
only down-shift the MINIMUM needed to maintain the proper rpms. This
reduced down-shift would allow the speed to be higher and the rpm
variation to be minimized. These type of set-ups sometimes FEEL a
tad lazy when tooling around the flats and certainly do not win any
races against LIKE sleds that are more set-up for racing. BUT.. on
the long hill pulls, in deep powder, they shine like nothing else!
CLUTCH TESTING:
With the popularity of public forums, especially snowmobile related
forums, there is ALWAYS the “comparison” thread present!
These threads
are always VERY interesting because you have conflicting opinions
and results WITH THE SAME PRODUCTS!
HOW CAN THIS BE??? After-all, they all have the same product
YET, the results are conflicting!! Why is this??
WELL… because the testing scenarios
VARY!!
If you have a
rider who is racing and has a racing set-up and he compares, via
racing, to a non-racing set-up. GUESS WHAT???
The non-racing set-up gets the thumbs down! If you have a hill
puller set up and the other has a boon-docking set-up and you
compare on a 1200ft hill in 3ft of fresh powder…. Who shines?? Not
the boon-docking set up!
Then there is
the “all telling” “FEEL” results… This
is where you install a new set up and it simply FEELS better! Well,
this is all great stuff, but FEEL does
not win you the race nor get you to the top of the hill in the steep
and deep! It SIMPLY makes you feel better on your sled and
sometimes this is all one is looking for. So, mission accomplished.
OK… so, now you
can, hopefully, see that there is not a “one
size fits all” clutching set-up! It
REALLY does vary with riding styles and preference!
You can also see
that when you find a comparison thread on a public forum, that you
have to really consider how the item in question is being tested.
AND ALSO who is testing the product?
For example, If
you have boon-docker or trail rider testing a hill pulling set-up,
despite what you may think, that rider does NOT have the credentials
to PROPERLY test a true hill pulling set-up.
If you have a
person in a certain state, that loves to pull hills but only has
300-400ft long hills in their riding area, then, even though, they
are hill pullers, the difference in terrain makes it so that they
really do require a different clutching set-up then the rider in a
state that has very long hills.
So, when you
hear of some "Super Set-Up" that blows everything else away, ask
yourself if the person boasting about it has the same "needs" you
have in a clutching-set-up and how it is being evaluated.
How does one
determine if the clutching they have is the best suited to their
riding style?
My thoughts are
that you ask the various clutch kit vendors if they have a set up
that fits your particular riding preference. If they do, then talk
with them about it, if they do not, then they probably have an idea
who does and can steer you in the right direction.
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