Carlisle belts

[apex yooper]

I bought a Carlisle drive belt at Nelson's this week-end. $37.00. They say it is a replacement for the 8DN, and has a one year warranty. I know Dayco has a replacement. Has anybody used either? Since Yami raised the belt price, I think many of us are going to buy aftermarket.

 

[AIRWOLF]

Its hard to beat the 8DN belt

 

[pat the rat]

airwolf is right,dont even think that carlisle belts is gonna last like the 8dn

 

[BlueByYou2000]

Its hard to beat the 8DN belt

What he said...BBY

 

[Mongo 1]

The 8DN is awesome, I have seven thousand miles on my 700, still good. However many shops are saying the 8DN is too hard and responsible for wear on the clutches, and excessive slippage. They go onto say that they recommend the Ultimax 3, which I have not really cared for.

 

[stone88]

I have been using the ultimax xs 805 belt on the asphalt this summer and it works awesome as my sled has turned some great #'s with them but as far as longevity goes who knows, at least until the winter rolls around.

 

[LazyBastard]

I never made it through a season without burning 2 8DN's. They're so hard that when you get them bogged down, they just slip and burn. I've tried Dayco belts a few times on past sleds, and Carlisle once, but they always pulled apart at the cogs. Last year I tried a Gates belt and its the first year EVER that I made it through the year without blowing a belt.

 

[HAMMER]

Click on that little button that says "Search" at the top of your screen then type in "Dayco". Lots of posts and 99.99% will say 8DN. I run a Carlisle (formerly Dayco) 138-4432 on a supercharged/nitrous Apex Mountain in the most torturous belt conditions imaginable, on-off-on throttle uphill through the trees, sustained wide-open-throttle climbs with the track, suspension, and hood completely loaded with snow. I use one belt per season and I have no problem with buying a fresh belt once a year. Some may not be willing to do that. I would not recommend the Carlisle as a direct replacement for the 8DN (even though they advertise it is) because the 8DN requires extreme clutch forces to make the clutch faces grip it. That same clutching, in most cases, will eat the Carlisle belt. Initial cleaning before install and proper break-in are critical. It has a much lower tolerance for abuse/improper setup than the factory Yamaha belt. It’s not that the Carlisle belts are junky low quality belts, because they will work fine with the proper setup, and I’ve been proving it on-the-snow every year since 1997. My advice to anyone who asks me is: If you enjoy clutching, gearing, tuning, and you are a VERY skilled in those areas, there are gains to be had. If that's not the case you’d better stick to a mostly stock setup that includes the 8DN.

 

[RacerDave]

The latest SnowTech has small blurb in it about the Carlisle/Dayco Max3 belt and Hartman. It is said to be softer and giving better grip on the clutchs. Based on Hammers post, I'd gues you would want lighter weights {along with maybe other clutching changes} to keep fron destroying the Max belt? Hammers, comment on setup please?

 

[yamadoo]

My only problems with 8DN's is when to throw away.



Alot of miles per dollar on the 8dn. :ORC

I can not destroy them. Now I had some ater market, dayco max, worked good seemed to wear fast, eventually came apart, put an 8dn on and it lasted for like 5 -6 k on the old 700 tripple, Heck that sled has over 10,5 k on it and no changes to clutches same 8dn, probably would shift better with new, but hey the wife rides it now and she is not critical about back shift and acceleration.


Yamadoo

 

[HAMMER]

I post my personal clutch setups/results all the time but I quit talking each individual that asked through all the ins-n-outs of clutch tuning and how to set up their sled many years ago on both totallyamaha and snowest. It is way too time consuming and there are way too many variables. My advice now is: Read Aaen and Cutlers clutch tuning books, experiment, and learn first hand what it takes to make the clutches perform better.

I use a magic marker to show me what ratio the clutches are in before and after changes. I use an inferred temperature gun to tell me if my changes are making more or less heat. I use my eyes to observe the condition of the belt and clutch faces. I watch the tachometer and the speedometer to see what affect the changes have made. I ride and feel using many years of past experiences as a reference. Having a data logging system $$$ with software that plots rpm vs jackshaft vs mph vs et for a visual representation of what’s going on would nice to have, but my on-the-snow, side-by-side comparisons, against my competition, shows that with my years of tuning experience I can do alright without one. Granted my methods are primitive in comparison but they are close enough for recreational use. If I were involved in restricted competitive racing events I would spend the money for a data logging system.

It’s not just as simple as someone telling you "run this and do that". To get your clutching perfect on a modified sled you have to know what your sled is doing and make the correct changes to improve performance.

Example:

My clutching parts list for turning my box stock Apex into the SCApex it is today:

Two upper chain case gears
8 primary springs
5 sets of flyweights (4 were non-adjustable and I finally bought a set of Supertips)
6 secondary springs
3 helixes (each TEAM helix has two different cuts)
4 belts (3 popped cord improperly setup 4th one lasted all of last year)
There are a ton of possible combinations here.

Here’s a link to one of my really old TY posts (1999-2000). Still applies today.
http://www.totallyamaha.com/snowmobiles ... 0Magic.htm