Track, Storm or Rip 2 1.5?

[STAIN]

I am thinking of changing the track in my new 2022 Gt. I will probably stay will the stock muffler tunes on this one.
I am wondering about the Storm 1.5 or the Rip 2 1.5.
I really like the loose snow traction of the 1.5 track
I had a Storm on my 129 tuned to 270-300 and the track did not seem to hold up too well. The lugs started to fold and the track really stretched.
I did like the performance Storm track with the outside lugs being 1.25. I felt like it had great traction yet still turned well.
Not sure if the durability of the Storm would be that much better on the 137 with just 240 hp?
I know the rip 2 is a very durable track. My only fear is going to a full 1.5 might compromise my handling, creating more push than I might want.
I guess i could trim the outside lugs to 1.25 if I had to.
Anyone run a ripsaw2 1.5 on a 137? Strickly trail, no off trail.

People think snowmobile season is expensive, it is more expensive in the summer for me when you have all this time to think of mods you want for sled!!!!

 

[Fleecer]

My brother is in the same boat with his SRX. He doesn't run studs and found the traction of the factory track sub-par. After much research and pondering, we went with the Ripsaw 2 @ 1.5 inches. Our decision was based on the price and durability of the Ripsaw. As you mention, there may be a slight hindrance in handling, but imo this is the only disadvantage. I'll be mounting it this fall, so we don't have any run time as of yet.

He and his Buddy each run Ecotrail Stock muffler tune @ 250hp with stock gears. His Buddy has a thunder with a Ripsaw 1.5 and it pulls the SRX from start to finish everytime on groomed trails.

 

[STAIN]

The good about the immediate track change is that I can change my gears and address all chain case and/ or drive shaft concerns

 

[SidewinderConvert]

I ran a RipII1.5 last year with 192 picks in it. The hook on that track was absolutely nuts. On any decent trail I could launch at full power with minimal slippage and a 280HP tune then hop into powder and still have enough track to do something (not as good as even a crossover but that is the coupled 137" suspension hurting me).

Overall I have 3k miles on the track and so far absolutely love it.

 

[Turboflash]

My brother is in the same boat with his SRX. He doesn't run studs and found the traction of the factory track sub-par. After much research and pondering, we went with the Ripsaw 2 @ 1.5 inches. Our decision was based on the price and durability of the Ripsaw. As you mention, there may be a slight hindrance in handling, but imo this is the only disadvantage. I'll be mounting it this fall, so we don't have any run time as of yet.

He and his Buddy each run Ecotrail Stock muffler tune @ 250hp with stock gears. His Buddy has a thunder with a Ripsaw 1.5 and it pulls the SRX from start to finish everytime on groomed trails.

:Finish" is how far? TCat gearing lower (24/50) vs. SRX?

 

[STAIN]

TCat gearing lower (24/50) vs. SRX

These are the gears I will be installing in my 2022 GT.
All out top speed is not my concern. I want it to accelerate hard to 100. If tops out at 118-119 I don't care.
I don't ride anywhere that consistent speeds over 100mph is a reality. I don't lake race either.
The T-cats I have TRAIL ridden with the 24-50 gears on the trail feel so much more responsive than the Winders with 21-41 gear, same state of tune. I am sure when you run them all the way out the taller gear wins, but I am not concerned about being first after a 2000 ft run.

I think the combo of the 24-50 gear, 1.5 track and a good stock muffler tune will make this 2022 GT a really fun trail rocket.

 

[Erskin]

The only thing I could point out with the 24/50 gearing vs 21/41 is this: I ran the 24/50 in my tcat for 3 seasons with a 270 tune. It would pull to 115 and stop. So I was happy with the top speed as I didn't need to go any faster. Where I didn't like the stock gears was in that trail cruising speeds of 60-80 mph here in the county. It was too revved up at those cruising speeds IMO. The 21/41 which I have run for 2 seasons now is much better and smoother in that range and I think pulls harder. If you ride tight twisties in VT then yes that 24/50 is fun because it pulls awesome in the midrange. But if you get into the higher speed cruising trails I much prefer the 21/41. Those gears were about done at 123 mph on my sled.

 

[earthling]

I was curious what the impact to engine rpm is with the two gear ratios. It works out like this;

Sled MPH​	50​	60​	70​	80​	90​
Driver RPM​	1982​	2379​	2775​	3171​	3568​
SRX Engine RPM​	3483​	4180​	4876​	5573​	6269​
TCAT Engine RPM​	3717​	4460​	5203​	5946​	6690​

Cocktail napkin of course and purely linear calculation but its a significant enough difference to consider. Then of course there is mileage not the biggest consideration except for distance between tanks (~7.5 miles) if you are cutting it close.

 

[Fleecer]

:Finish" is how far? TCat gearing lower (24/50) vs. SRX?

How ever long the stretch is. Lol. This is never on ice, but rather loose to hard packed trail conditions as both are nonstudded.

Yes, cat gears are 24/50, SRX is 21/41. When installing new track, the SRX will get the Award Winning Gearset 22/41.

 

[STAIN]

I was curious what the impact to engine rpm is with the two gear ratios. It works out like this;

Sled MPH​	​ 50​	​ 60​	​ 70​	​ 80​	​ 90​
Driver RPM​	1982​	2379​	2775​	3171​	3568​
SRX Engine RPM​	3483​	4180​	4876​	5573​	6269​
TCAT Engine RPM​	3717​	4460​	5203​	5946​	6690​

Cocktail napkin of course and purely linear calculation but its a significant enough difference to consider. Then of course there is mileage not the biggest consideration except for distance between tanks (~7.5 miles) if you are cutting it close.

Clutching plays a role here also.
If you run a set up that upshifts quicker and allows RPM's to drop at speed you will get different results.

 

[earthling]

Clutching plays a role here also.
If you run a set up that upshifts quicker and allows RPM's to drop at speed you will get different results.

Yes, that's why it was a straight comparison, I don't know how I would begin to simulate different clutching without a ton more work. The closest I would quickly get to satisfy my curiosity was to start with track speed and work backwards.

 

[justinator]

These are the gears I will be installing in my 2022 GT.
All out top speed is not my concern. I want it to accelerate hard to 100. If tops out at 118-119 I don't care.
I don't ride anywhere that consistent speeds over 100mph is a reality. I don't lake race either.
The T-cats I have TRAIL ridden with the 24-50 gears on the trail feel so much more responsive than the Winders with 21-41 gear, same state of tune. I am sure when you run them all the way out the taller gear wins, but I am not concerned about being first after a 2000 ft run.

I think the combo of the 24-50 gear, 1.5 track and a good stock muffler tune will make this 2022 GT a really fun trail rocket.

Good choice on the gears for high traction trail sled. Even if you run high speed trails dont worry about high cruise rpms. I have run 24/50, 21/41,22/41 and 25/45 and cruise rpms on snow doesnt vary as much as one would think and being in the county its all "big"trails. Being that clutching is load sensitive.......lower gears reduce load and promote shift out so it typically helps keep rpm lower than anticapated at high cruise speeds. In some cases you can get away with a bit less secondary tension as well which helps on its own. Your clutching will be more consistant through all the different snow conditions and cool belt temps.
I dont have any first hand experience with the tracks you mentioned but Ive always preferred big lug tracks and feel that the rush of acceleration from actually having traction would outweigh a little more push but thats just my opinion.

 

[jonlafon1]

Award Winning Gearset 22/41.

This is the gear set I prefer.. Runs the chain with less bend in the case preventing the chain from hitting post. Thousands of miles with this gear set. Not many awards but sure like it!

 

[Upstater57]

I would run a fully clipped 1.5 Ripsaw. I think that offers the best balance of traction and speed tolerance. What I do not know is the durometer ratings for lugs on different tracks. A softer rating would probably give you better traction but not work as well at high speed as the lugs start to fold over. If there is a durometer rating chart to compare tracks, I for one would love to see it.

 

[Turboflash]

Yes, that's why it was a straight comparison, I don't know how I would begin to simulate different clutching without a ton more work. The closest I would quickly get to satisfy my curiosity was to start with track speed and work backwards.

I'm from the old school (really old). When deciding gearing, over the years I have gone down the mathematical road lots using charts/graphs; done lots of calculations; then flipped a coin and/or gotten lots of advice, etc. Now what I usually do is decide what my highest speed is desired to be (approx), then just marked both clutches and trail ride as I usually ride in the areas I usually ride. At the end of the day, I look to see if my marks are gone or not. If not, then obviously I have more than enough gear to ride how I ride where I ride. Assess whether or not I could be too high. If they are gone, I might consider going up a bit. Theoretically, most efficient ratio is 1:1 but that might be too high (for trail riding) to use any overdrive the clutching allows (like only using 1st thru 4th on a 5-speed manual transmission). So, in the end, for me I just try to find the happy median/best average for how I ride where I ride.