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Wow, finally have a bit of time to actually get back into my testing reports. Needed some time to think things through as well. I'll start with the easy stuff.
Had a couple of the 6.38" idlers kicking around off the ZR project, so I put them on the TSL's. When I took the pivot idlers off there was just ever so slight evidence of rubbing. I am convinced it is predominantly an issue with Sno Pros. None the less I was curious about the reduction in vibration. Well it did reduce the vibration somewhat, but not completely. It does seem to run more smooth. Overall I think it did make enough of a difference that I'm happy. What I find interesting is that the Cat bearings were pooched! Replaced them with a good quality bearing that should last a lot longer.
I did run a bunch of different clutch setups, but before I get into that I want to talk about the XS 801 belt. Bottom line is that the sled pulled much harder from bottom to top in comparison to the 036. I like the belt and will continue to run it. Probably still throw in the 036 on occasion, just to see if anything changes in different conditions. One thing to note is that it generated a **** load of heat while breaking in. Ironically, Carlisle states 30 miles for breakin....it took exactly that much before the heat started to go away. Keep in mind that if you run this belt you may need to reduce primary weight.
Speaking of primary weight (nice segway don't you think). As already stated in previous posts, I have been grinding my own weights. Did a couple different things this time around and am extremely happy with the performance!! NO MORE STUMBLE!!!!! Pulls great right from engagement through to shift out.
Oh yes, shift out (I'm on a roll). After testing multiple primary springs with the custom weights, I finally settled on one that had the best results in the old "seat of the pants" meter. Had one issue though that seemed consistant no matter the spring. I was getting some heat buildup in the primary, just a little, but enough to bug me of course. When watching the rpm's I had two different things going on. I am now engaging at about 4000 rpms, so when hammering the throttle from a rolling start (about 5000 rpm's), the sled would pull like mad and come right up to 7950 or so rpm. Did see 8040 and 8050 a couple times. BUT, from a standing start it would still shift fast and hard, however rpms' would not go above 7500. This was driving me crazy, and I started to focus on the primary and perhaps my weight profile. A couple sleepless nights and I came to the conclusion that the sled is shifting up waaay too fast from a standstill, and with the increased torque feedback coming from the track, the sled can't get the rpm's up. So shift rpm's at top are good as seen from the rolling start, but the shift is too fast from the standing start. I knew what had to be done, and the more I thought about it, the more the evidence is on the wall. Need a stiffer start rate on the secondary spring, but the same finish rate. I found one that should be perfect for me, and it will arrive tomorrow I hope. It is similar in ratings to the new Cat orange that they are using in all the 07's. It has close to the same finish rate as the old green spring, with a higher start rate! Interesting isn't it!!!! At least it feels good to know that my conclusions may indeed indicate a common issue with the DD. With a little further investigating, this issue of shifting up too fast may be quite common. I do run an aftermarket helix that seems to give better torque feedback and backshift a little better. Another interesting thing to note is that one comment I made during the whole RK Tek kit buying frenzy was that the DD is great, but we are limited by secondary spring choices. If you look around, lately a lot of the aftermarkets have added several new ones to their list (D&D, Fett, Goodwin....). This is getting good! One of my local D&D contacts here sent me a spring to try for FREE (yes free), but I am not sure the rates are good for what I'm trying to achieve.
So the new secondary spring is coming, and I picked up a Shift Assist to see how that will work out. Once I have that setup properly I might try a couple different primary springs again just for interst sake, to be sure of the finish rate. However, I do believe that I have found a good one. I like the current weight profile and will try to run that or a slightly modified version. Thinking I need to place a tiny bit more weight in one area. Belt is great, helix is great and hopefully the entire secondary will be good by this weekend. If it all works as well as I hope, I will share my final thoughts. Keep your fingers crossed.....snow drags are at the end of the month and I want this Crossfire to at least give everyone a good run for their money!
Time to go dream about clutching again............
Had a couple of the 6.38" idlers kicking around off the ZR project, so I put them on the TSL's. When I took the pivot idlers off there was just ever so slight evidence of rubbing. I am convinced it is predominantly an issue with Sno Pros. None the less I was curious about the reduction in vibration. Well it did reduce the vibration somewhat, but not completely. It does seem to run more smooth. Overall I think it did make enough of a difference that I'm happy. What I find interesting is that the Cat bearings were pooched! Replaced them with a good quality bearing that should last a lot longer.
I did run a bunch of different clutch setups, but before I get into that I want to talk about the XS 801 belt. Bottom line is that the sled pulled much harder from bottom to top in comparison to the 036. I like the belt and will continue to run it. Probably still throw in the 036 on occasion, just to see if anything changes in different conditions. One thing to note is that it generated a **** load of heat while breaking in. Ironically, Carlisle states 30 miles for breakin....it took exactly that much before the heat started to go away. Keep in mind that if you run this belt you may need to reduce primary weight.
Speaking of primary weight (nice segway don't you think). As already stated in previous posts, I have been grinding my own weights. Did a couple different things this time around and am extremely happy with the performance!! NO MORE STUMBLE!!!!! Pulls great right from engagement through to shift out.
Oh yes, shift out (I'm on a roll). After testing multiple primary springs with the custom weights, I finally settled on one that had the best results in the old "seat of the pants" meter. Had one issue though that seemed consistant no matter the spring. I was getting some heat buildup in the primary, just a little, but enough to bug me of course. When watching the rpm's I had two different things going on. I am now engaging at about 4000 rpms, so when hammering the throttle from a rolling start (about 5000 rpm's), the sled would pull like mad and come right up to 7950 or so rpm. Did see 8040 and 8050 a couple times. BUT, from a standing start it would still shift fast and hard, however rpms' would not go above 7500. This was driving me crazy, and I started to focus on the primary and perhaps my weight profile. A couple sleepless nights and I came to the conclusion that the sled is shifting up waaay too fast from a standstill, and with the increased torque feedback coming from the track, the sled can't get the rpm's up. So shift rpm's at top are good as seen from the rolling start, but the shift is too fast from the standing start. I knew what had to be done, and the more I thought about it, the more the evidence is on the wall. Need a stiffer start rate on the secondary spring, but the same finish rate. I found one that should be perfect for me, and it will arrive tomorrow I hope. It is similar in ratings to the new Cat orange that they are using in all the 07's. It has close to the same finish rate as the old green spring, with a higher start rate! Interesting isn't it!!!! At least it feels good to know that my conclusions may indeed indicate a common issue with the DD. With a little further investigating, this issue of shifting up too fast may be quite common. I do run an aftermarket helix that seems to give better torque feedback and backshift a little better. Another interesting thing to note is that one comment I made during the whole RK Tek kit buying frenzy was that the DD is great, but we are limited by secondary spring choices. If you look around, lately a lot of the aftermarkets have added several new ones to their list (D&D, Fett, Goodwin....). This is getting good! One of my local D&D contacts here sent me a spring to try for FREE (yes free), but I am not sure the rates are good for what I'm trying to achieve.
So the new secondary spring is coming, and I picked up a Shift Assist to see how that will work out. Once I have that setup properly I might try a couple different primary springs again just for interst sake, to be sure of the finish rate. However, I do believe that I have found a good one. I like the current weight profile and will try to run that or a slightly modified version. Thinking I need to place a tiny bit more weight in one area. Belt is great, helix is great and hopefully the entire secondary will be good by this weekend. If it all works as well as I hope, I will share my final thoughts. Keep your fingers crossed.....snow drags are at the end of the month and I want this Crossfire to at least give everyone a good run for their money!
Time to go dream about clutching again............
