revster
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2004
- Messages
- 1,752
- Reaction score
- 17
- Points
- 923
- Location
- La Salle MB
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2009 Yamaha Nytro RTX SE
Running big lugs
There have been a lot of guys on here switching to 1.75" tracks which of course is my personal preference It's a nice middle of the road for off trail and on trail performance. Of the guys that are doing it a lot are doing it "half assed."
I've been running 1.75 and 2" lug tracks for about 8 or 9 seasons now both in 121" and 136" lengths and I've helped several buddies set up their sleds with big lugs up to 144" lengths including a few Nytros.
Here is what I have learned through my experiences, reading and speaking with people in the know. (Warning this contains personal opinion and should be treated as such.)
Choosing lug height: I agree with anyone that wants to swap the stock track off the Nytro I don't feel they offer enough traction for the torque of the 1050. The exception to that is those that are going the picks route. That being said there are a lot of guys going to the 1.75 Backcountry that probably don't need to. For pure trail riders the 1.5 intense is probably a better option that doesn't require additional changes to the sled or subject to some of the problems big lugs bring. At 2" things seem to change. This seems to be the lug height that crosses the line to where the noise of the track and vibration seem to become noticeable on the trail. The 1.75 works much better on trails then a 2" which really seems to start to bend over.
Gearing: Guys don't seem to want to change their gearing for fear that they are going to give up their top speed. Well guess what, as soon as you put that 1.75" lug track on you gave up some of that top speed. You've increased the rotating mass in addition to the fact those bug lugs have to make their way thru the air. You need to match your gearing to the track on your sled. The Nytro does come with a fairly low gearing from the factory as 21/39 so if you are going to a 1.5 you are likely fine. However if you are going to a 1.75 and even more so if you are extending your track you need to consider adjusting your gearing to fit. The cheapest way is to drop a couple teeth on the top sprocket. The Nytro can be run with 20/39 or 19/39 without changing the stock chain. You can also add teeth to the bottom sprocket or run smaller drivers. There are plenty of gearing charts on line to assist you in figuring out what you want to do, but really for the Nytro it's as easy as choosing between 21/39, 20/39 or 19/39.
Extro drivers: If you are an off trail rider I would budget for extros if your sled does not already have them. The 121 Nytros NEEDS them. Some guys are getting around the extros by running their tracks very tight. So you've added rotating mass and air resistance then on top of that adding the tension to the track making it harder to turn. I call that wrenching in the wrong direction. After spending tons of money on mods to make our sleds faster then make simple set up errors is, well, silly.
On the XTX the extros are not AS important as a result of a more efficient approach angle. However, I would add them. I did have a buddy who ran the 1.75 BC without them and the sled would only ratchet on the rare occasion. However this sled was bone stock in terms of power, the track was tighter than it should be and he was lazy with his clutching. (Not hitting powerband). I believe if the power was getting to the drivers they would spin on that big track.
The downside to big lugs: As I already mentioned you are going to loose top speed, however if you are installing a 1.75 lug track top speed should not be a concern for you. Another problem is Hyfax/slider wear is increased with the mass of a big track. This wear is increased even more if you have to run your track very tight because you didn't get the extros. The other thing is the big lug track just don't last as long.
I hope that helps someone looking to add big lugs. If you have any questions on what I wrote please fire away. ....and if you can add something or have a different opinion please post it.
There have been a lot of guys on here switching to 1.75" tracks which of course is my personal preference It's a nice middle of the road for off trail and on trail performance. Of the guys that are doing it a lot are doing it "half assed."
I've been running 1.75 and 2" lug tracks for about 8 or 9 seasons now both in 121" and 136" lengths and I've helped several buddies set up their sleds with big lugs up to 144" lengths including a few Nytros.
Here is what I have learned through my experiences, reading and speaking with people in the know. (Warning this contains personal opinion and should be treated as such.)
Choosing lug height: I agree with anyone that wants to swap the stock track off the Nytro I don't feel they offer enough traction for the torque of the 1050. The exception to that is those that are going the picks route. That being said there are a lot of guys going to the 1.75 Backcountry that probably don't need to. For pure trail riders the 1.5 intense is probably a better option that doesn't require additional changes to the sled or subject to some of the problems big lugs bring. At 2" things seem to change. This seems to be the lug height that crosses the line to where the noise of the track and vibration seem to become noticeable on the trail. The 1.75 works much better on trails then a 2" which really seems to start to bend over.
Gearing: Guys don't seem to want to change their gearing for fear that they are going to give up their top speed. Well guess what, as soon as you put that 1.75" lug track on you gave up some of that top speed. You've increased the rotating mass in addition to the fact those bug lugs have to make their way thru the air. You need to match your gearing to the track on your sled. The Nytro does come with a fairly low gearing from the factory as 21/39 so if you are going to a 1.5 you are likely fine. However if you are going to a 1.75 and even more so if you are extending your track you need to consider adjusting your gearing to fit. The cheapest way is to drop a couple teeth on the top sprocket. The Nytro can be run with 20/39 or 19/39 without changing the stock chain. You can also add teeth to the bottom sprocket or run smaller drivers. There are plenty of gearing charts on line to assist you in figuring out what you want to do, but really for the Nytro it's as easy as choosing between 21/39, 20/39 or 19/39.
Extro drivers: If you are an off trail rider I would budget for extros if your sled does not already have them. The 121 Nytros NEEDS them. Some guys are getting around the extros by running their tracks very tight. So you've added rotating mass and air resistance then on top of that adding the tension to the track making it harder to turn. I call that wrenching in the wrong direction. After spending tons of money on mods to make our sleds faster then make simple set up errors is, well, silly.
On the XTX the extros are not AS important as a result of a more efficient approach angle. However, I would add them. I did have a buddy who ran the 1.75 BC without them and the sled would only ratchet on the rare occasion. However this sled was bone stock in terms of power, the track was tighter than it should be and he was lazy with his clutching. (Not hitting powerband). I believe if the power was getting to the drivers they would spin on that big track.
The downside to big lugs: As I already mentioned you are going to loose top speed, however if you are installing a 1.75 lug track top speed should not be a concern for you. Another problem is Hyfax/slider wear is increased with the mass of a big track. This wear is increased even more if you have to run your track very tight because you didn't get the extros. The other thing is the big lug track just don't last as long.
I hope that helps someone looking to add big lugs. If you have any questions on what I wrote please fire away. ....and if you can add something or have a different opinion please post it.
