Gearing on Attaks...anyone geared down?

[Yamzilla]

how much top end will you lose if you gear down on the Attak, right now i'm getting awesome numbers on the ice with stock gearing

What's your goal? If you want the best performance for ice runs then why would you gear down? I'd leave it alone. By the same token if you are a trail rider at heart and occasionally do an ice run then a gear-down might be in the works for you. When selecting a gear ratio think about how you ride...the performance envelope that you run in. Your weight, elevation, track size, paddle size, riding preference i.e. trail, lake-runs, mountain...all should be factored in to what gearing you go with. Know where you are at and know where you want to go to. Example: My sled is geared slightly tall from the factory. I've seen taller. I calculated the theoretical top-end to be about 110mph with a 1:1 full shift. Problem is I'm a trail rider, spending most of my time at 5 to 65mph. With gearing that goes to 110 to 115 can you see that when I'm trail riding that my belt will be working the lower third of the primary? That's not running very efficiently. In fact I'll end up grooving my sheaves and going through belts very quickly and generating excess heat which is energy that will never make it to the track. Bottom line: Don't change for the sake of changing. Think about where you're at and the mission you want to accomplish. FYI: Most people are not geared efficiently based on how they ride. Prematurely worn clutches and belts are dead giveaways. Good Luck!

 

[SharkAttak]

how much top end will you lose if you gear down on the Attak, right now i'm getting awesome numbers on the ice with stock gearing

What's your goal? If you want the best performance for ice runs then why would you gear down? I'd leave it alone. By the same token if you are a trail rider at heart and occasionally do an ice run then a gear-down might be in the works for you. When selecting a gear ratio think about how you ride...the performance envelope that you run in. Your weight, elevation, track size, paddle size, riding preference i.e. trail, lake-runs, mountain...all should be factored in to what gearing you go with. Know where you are at and know where you want to go to. Example: My sled is geared slightly tall from the factory. I've seen taller. I calculated the theoretical top-end to be about 110mph with a 1:1 full shift. Problem is I'm a trail rider, spending most of my time at 5 to 65mph. With gearing that goes to 110 to 115 can you see that when I'm trail riding that my belt will be working the lower third of the primary? That's not running very efficiently. In fact I'll end up grooving my sheaves and going through belts very quickly and generating excess heat which is energy that will never make it to the track. Bottom line: Don't change for the sake of changing. Think about where you're at and the mission you want to accomplish. FYI: Most people are not geared efficiently based on how they ride. Prematurely worn clutches and belts are dead giveaways. Good Luck!

thanks for the advice

 

[4bangpower]

Update....

I installed the 23/40 gear combo in my '08 LTX GT and had a chance to run the sled the past few days and all I can say is WOW!!!

I have the stock 1.25" Ripsaw track w/ 162 studs and the sled just pulled....very hard! Basically, woke this sled up.

On a plowed hard pack road I saw 135 on dream-meter which is in the same ball park as what I saw wth the stock gearing. But the 23/40 got me there so much quicker, I could not stop frickin' smiling!!!

Best $$$ I've spent.

did you really notice a huge defference going to the 40 tooth gear, so you didn't lose any top end? was it hard to install?

YES....More so out of the hole and mid-range. Top-end felt the same. I was surprised to see that the sled did not drop off on top end performance as I originally thought.

I was told if I ran on glare bare ice I would probably lose 1-2 mph on the big end with 23/40 gearing, but by the seat of the pants feel the sled pulls harder than stock gearing.

I had a mechanically inclined bud of mine install the gear for me and he said straight forward to make the swap. He said he had to order a needle bearing for the 40T. Took him about 45 minutes.

 

[4bangpower]

Update....

I installed the 23/40 gear combo in my '08 LTX GT and had a chance to run the sled the past few days and all I can say is WOW!!!

I have the stock 1.25" Ripsaw track w/ 162 studs and the sled just pulled....very hard! Basically, woke this sled up.

On a plowed hard pack road I saw 135 on dream-meter which is in the same ball park as what I saw wth the stock gearing. But the 23/40 got me there so much quicker, I could not stop frickin' smiling!!!

Best $$$ I've spent.

did you really notice a huge defference going to the 40 tooth gear, so you didn't lose any top end? was it hard to install?

YES....More so out of the hole and mid-range. Top-end felt the same. I was surprised to see that the sled did not drop off on top end performance as I originally thought.

I was told if I ran on glare bare ice I would probably lose 1-2 mph on the big end with 23/40 gearing, but by the seat of the pants feel the sled pulls harder than stock gearing.

I had a mechanically inclined bud of mine install the gear for me and he said straight forward to make the swap. He said he had to order a needle bearing for the 40T. Took him about 45 minutes.

 

[Yamzilla]

Update....

I installed the 23/40 gear combo in my '08 LTX GT and had a chance to run the sled the past few days and all I can say is WOW!!!

I have the stock 1.25" Ripsaw track w/ 162 studs and the sled just pulled....very hard! Basically, woke this sled up.

On a plowed hard pack road I saw 135 on dream-meter which is in the same ball park as what I saw wth the stock gearing. But the 23/40 got me there so much quicker, I could not stop frickin' smiling!!!

Best $$$ I've spent.

did you really notice a huge defference going to the 40 tooth gear, so you didn't lose any top end? was it hard to install?

YES....More so out of the hole and mid-range. Top-end felt the same. I was surprised to see that the sled did not drop off on top end performance as I originally thought.

I was told if I ran on glare bare ice I would probably lose 1-2 mph on the big end with 23/40 gearing, but by the seat of the pants feel the sled pulls harder than stock gearing.

I had a mechanically inclined bud of mine install the gear for me and he said straight forward to make the swap. He said he had to order a needle bearing for the 40T. Took him about 45 minutes.

Nice job on the switch. By the way you can press out the needle bearing and reinstall in your new bottom gear. For an even more wild ride drop down 1 more on the top (22/40) and setup for overdrive...it's awesome!

 

[SharkAttak]

YES....More so out of the hole and mid-range. Top-end felt the same. I was surprised to see that the sled did not drop off on top end performance as I originally thought.

I was told if I ran on glare bare ice I would probably lose 1-2 mph on the big end with 23/40 gearing, but by the seat of the pants feel the sled pulls harder than stock gearing.

I had a mechanically inclined bud of mine install the gear for me and he said straight forward to make the swap. He said he had to order a needle bearing for the 40T. Took him about 45 minutes.

thanks for the response