Full Season Review of Camso Storm 150 Track on SideWinder's

[VX1R]

I wanted to share my thoughts on how the new Camso Storm 150 track has worked out so far. I've got a '17 SideWinder LT-X LE and my wife rides a '18 SideWinder LT-X LE. I was able to get about 1600 miles on this winter with her able to log slightly over 600 miles. Both sleds are stock, no tunes.

All of the miles were put on in the Keweenaw area of the UP of MI. Snow conditions were outstanding this winter in that region. Typical trail conditions varied from fresh lake effect powder, loose sugar snow, to firmed up hard pack trails.

Since icy conditions are the exception in this area we don't run studs and just throttle back when encountering any iced out corners or icy areas on the trail.

Here's my thoughts on the track:

In hard pack trail conditions it works out great. Last year I had a 1.5" lug Ripsaw 2 track on my sled. With the new 1.5" cupped lugs in the center of the Storm 150 track it seems to accelerate better than the Ripsaw 2 track when taking off from a dead start due to less track spin. The cupped lugs perform just as Camso says and do their job of propelling the sled forwards with minimal track spin. I should mention that I've got both sleds set up with lower than stock engagement speeds which I feel really helps the overall performance of the sled in the conditions that we ride in.

Once up to cruising speed on the trail the track does a fantastic job of keeping the sled tracking straight and true in any snow conditions that I encountered. With some tracks, especially lower lugged tracks in the loose sugary snow the rear of the sled will start to tail wag at speed but with the Storm 150 I never had any issue keeping the sled in control at any speed. When cruising down a hard pack straight trail at 50-60mph and pinning the throttle the sled would just rocket forwards without breaking the track loose.

One area that I thought the track excelled at was the improved cornering performance of the sled. I'm a point and shoot style rider in the corners and really like to have a lot of jam coming out of a corner. With the lower lugs on the outer bands of the track I found that I could give the throttle a squeeze mid corner to slightly break the back end loose but in complete control and then shoot out of the corner. All of this with the sled never lifting a ski. I was very impressed at how the lower lugs on the outside track bands allowed for easier cornering effort while keeping the sled nice and flat. It still will slide out in a icy corner just like any other un-studded track will in icy conditions.

There's a few off trail play areas that I've found in the UP and we never buried either sled in the deep off trail snow. These are not the lightest sleds out there but with the Storm 150 we never hesitated when in the deep stuff. The track would never dig a trench in the deep snow. It just would spin a bit until in was able to find traction and get the sled on top of the snow and moving forwards. I'm not saying that this track will outperform a deeper lug track in the deep snow. I've got SLP Mohawk skis on both sleds and the combination of these skis and tracks I felt made these 137" track length sleds capable of holding their own in the deep snow. For a 1.5" lug track I feel the cupped lugs do a great job of scooping up the deep snow for traction.

The lugs have proved to be very durable. With close to 1600 miles on the track this year on my sled the track looks virtually new. I like that the track is fully clipped and has all the track windows open for cooling the hyfax. I haven't noticed any of the lugs folding over. The lugs are molded on to the track with some very beefy crossbars that looks like it should last for quite a few miles.

For the snow conditions that we ride in it has excelled in every condition. If I ran mostly in areas where I would need studs I wouldn't hesitate to run this track. I feel that with the power level on a stock SideWinder that this is the perfect track for anyone looking for the most versatile track for their sled. For anyone who's going to be running a new SRX SideWinder next year I would seriously consider this track unless you're looking just for ultimate top end speed.

I'm sure that there's a few other TY members who've run this track on their own SideWinder's this winter and will share their own thoughts on what they thought about the track.

 

[putz21]

Thanks VX1R for the great write up and detailed review! I've ordered one last week so super excited to hear such great results. I really love this site for all the helpful information riders share with one another.

 

[kinger]

Nice write up. Care to share perspectives from past tracks you have had before the Ripsaw2? Also are your winders stock power levels?

 

[VX1R]

Nice write up. Care to share perspectives from past tracks you have had before the Ripsaw2? Also are your winders stock power levels?

Kinger....on my '17 SW I had a 1.5" lug Ripsaw 2 installed last year right from the get go and only managed to put on about 200 miles last season with that track. I had the track swapped out on my wife's '18 SW this year right from the get go with a Storm 150.

I've previously run a Camso 1.5" lug Crossover track on my old 144" Apex and a 1.3" lug Camso Cobra track on another 136" Apex that my wife drove so I've had years of experience riding in the same area with different tracks.

We've run our SideWinder's in the same areas of the UP that we covered over the years with our Apex's. I feel without a doubt that the Storm 150 performs better in every single condition that we ride in than either of our previous tracks on our former sleds.

Everyone is different regarding the conditions that they typically ride in and what is going to best suit their needs. That's why I clearly stated in my review the conditions that we ride in.

Both of our sleds are running the stock tunes. That's all we need to keep us happy. I've tweaked the clutching to better get the power down to the snow over the stock clutching and that makes a big difference in how the sleds perform in the conditions we ride in.

 

[VX1R]

Here's how I would rate the performance of the tracks that I've run so far on our SideWinder's and former Apex's riding in the same trails and snow conditions that we ride in:

Durability:
1. Storm 150
2. Crossover 1.5"
3. Ripsaw 2 1.5"
4. Cobra 1.35"

Cornering performance (flat cornering and pushing):
1. Storm 150
2. Ripsaw 2 1.5"
3. Cobra 1.35"
4. Crossover 1.5"

Straight line performance in hard pack:
1. Storm 150
2. Ripsaw 2 1.5"
3. Cobra 1.35"
4. Crossover 1.5"

Straight line performance in powder/loose snow:
1. Storm 150
2. Cobra 1.35"
3. Crossover 1.5"
4. Ripsaw 2 1.5"

Deep snow performance:
1. Storm 150
2. Cobra 1.35"
3. Crossover 1.5"
4. Ripsaw 2 1.5"

Most versatile:
1. Storm 150
2. Ripsaw 2 1.5"
3. Crossover 1.5"
4. Cobra 1.35"

 

[kinger]

That’s a really good perspective!! I would have thought the crossover would have been higher. Looks like Camso is continuing to innovate cool!!!

 

[AnythingButLast]

Great honest review. My storm 150 should be here this or next week week. Get a little icy around my riding area so I'll by doing a basic 96 gold diggers down the middle just to have the little bit of icy hill and corner peace of mind. Can't wait to install it. With the loose snow and breaking trail a lot it should be the perfect track for my average trail conditions!

 

[snowfever27]

V1XR,
Do the lugs have enough ‘meat’ to run the screw in style ‘ice ripper’ automotive type studs? Mr. Sled seems to have good luck with them and if I got this track I would have to do something for ice traction and I don’t want to stud it. I feel like studs would take away some of the ability to swing your back end in the corners like you were taking about. Running a track without some sort of ice traction is not an portion where I ride.

 

[1nc 2000]

Would be nice to see how a Backcountry X 1.75 would compair to the storm 150 in the conditions described in the test above.
My sled has the Backcountry X 1.75 setup with the SLP mohawks.

 

[VX1R]

V1XR,
Do the lugs have enough ‘meat’ to run the screw in style ‘ice ripper’ automotive type studs? Mr. Sled seems to have good luck with them and if I got this track I would have to do something for ice traction and I don’t want to stud it. I feel like studs would take away some of the ability to swing your back end in the corners like you were taking about. Running a track without some sort of ice traction is not an portion where I ride.

That's a great question and I'm sure that there's a few guys that might be considering this track and need some extra traction for icy conditions.

That being said with the hp levels that these sleds put out I'm going to say that I can not answer your question regarding adding the screw in type studs on the Storm 150. I don't ever want to give out any bogus info.

I would suggest contacting Camso directly. From my experience they are straight shooters and give out great info. Or you could contact CB Performance who is a Camso dealer and TY supporter: http://www.cbperformanceparts.com/

 

[slowride06er]

V1XR,
Do the lugs have enough ‘meat’ to run the screw in style ‘ice ripper’ automotive type studs? Mr. Sled seems to have good luck with them and if I got this track I would have to do something for ice traction and I don’t want to stud it. I feel like studs would take away some of the ability to swing your back end in the corners like you were taking about. Running a track without some sort of ice traction is not an portion where I ride.

I can't answer this question either but if they ever offer a pre studded track similar to the ice ripper xt I currently have on my apex in the 1.5 even though I like the track it's getting replaced. I'm also going to find this booth at haydays this year just to look at track in person. Very happy to read positive review.

 

[snowfever27]

I can't answer this question either but if they ever offer a pre studded track similar to the ice ripper xt I currently have on my apex in the 1.5 even though I like the track it's getting replaced. I'm also going to find this booth at haydays this year just to look at track in person. Very happy to read positive review.

I had the 1.22” lug ice ripper xt on my mxz800 and I loved it. Awesome track, but it would be even better if they tweaked it into a storm 150 profile. That’s what I’d like to do with the igrip studs.

 

[snowfever27]

That's a great question and I'm sure that there's a few guys that might be considering this track and need some extra traction for icy conditions.

That being said with the hp levels that these sleds put out I'm going to say that I can not answer your question regarding adding the screw in type studs on the Storm 150. I don't ever want to give out any bogus info.

I would suggest contacting Camso directly. From my experience they are straight shooters and give out great info. Or you could contact CB Performance who is a Camso dealer and TY supporter: http://www.cbperformanceparts.com/

I’ll give camso a call, thank you very much for the info. I’d be putting the track on a 137” 7000 Cat so I’m not too worried about ripping out the igrip studs. I don’t have as much power under the hood as you do. Maybe someday. I’m holding out hope that Yamaha will stuff an apex motor or something with the same hp (naturally aspirated) in a good handling chassis. Procross or something like it. I love the apex but it’s just not a big bump, ditch banging chassis.

 

[slowride06er]

I had the 1.22” lug ice ripper xt on my mxz800 and I loved it. Awesome track, but it would be even better if they tweaked it into a storm 150 profile. That’s what I’d like to do with the igrip studs.

I'm holding out until they offer a pre studded (igrip) studs installed.

 

[Roost 'Er]

I also ran a Storm 150 on a Sidewinder 50th this season.

The track itself works good as mentioned for traction and handling however the deal breaker for me was the added noise and vibration. This was also noted on a friends 18 800 ctec2 cat with a storm 150. The track howls on both sleds at higher speeds and adds a small amount of vibration to the chassis at trail speeds. Jumping back and forth to a ripsaw 2, the ripsaw was much smoother feeling. I'm not sure if this is due to the uneven lug height across the tracks profile, with contributing factor being no quiet lugs but this should be considered before ordering one of these in my opinion.

For traction performance I prefer the Cobra 1.60"