Does anyone still port their tracks?

[notsoprosledder]

Wanting to free up a little bit of power in my sled, so i have been looking at reducing the hp lost in the track. I know people run tracks a little loose to help, and i know some cut holes in the teack to make it lighter.

anti stab kit is in the works for the loose track bit, but all the threads i found on track porting were old, and divided about if it should be done at all or not.

Does anyone still do this? My sled is an 2008 m8 162.

 

[drew562]

Put a 2.6 powerclaw on it. Light and it works wicked

 

[notsoprosledder]

I would, but i can’t afford it right now. Looking for cheap homebrew stuff

 

[fredw]

Rotating mass is huge, porting and nub removal in the past was a easy 7 lb loss and if placement of holes correctly gave a advantage I had thought for sure.. Something to the effect of adding a belt drive..

 

[Lund]

Wanting to free up a little bit of power in my sled, so i have been looking at reducing the hp lost in the track. I know people run tracks a little loose to help, and i know some cut holes in the teack to make it lighter.

anti stab kit is in the works for the loose track bit, but all the threads i found on track porting were old, and divided about if it should be done at all or not.

Does anyone still do this? My sled is an 2008 m8 162.

Porting out a track doesn't save any significant weight as many would think and that would not be the reason to do it. Track's in the last 10 or so years are much lighter then they were before, as they were multi ply but today single ply and even two ply is the norm.
I know this because back in the day i ported many tracks, in fact i still have the tooling to do it. The main purpose in porting your track is to help evacuate the snow collected in the skid, this in turn also helps tremendously in cooling on hard pack condition.
There is a trick to doing it properly so that it also doesn't impair floatation, the location of the hole is key in relation to the lug. It is not just cut holes in it and be done.
As for running a loose track vs a tight track, one is as detrimental as the other. An overly tight track will rob power and a overly loose track will also rob power.
A 2" clearance with 20lb pull in the center(at the scissor)is what you need.

BTW the last track i ported was a 162 and it saved around a pound and a little bit in rubber cut out's.

 

[Dazzler]

Rotating mass is huge, porting and nub removal in the past was a easy 7 lb loss and if placement of holes correctly gave a advantage I had thought for sure.. Something to the effect of adding a belt drive..

Back in the day when that porting was the thing to do, I tried it on my 159 vertical mistake and when I was done all I accomplished was a track full of holes. I put all the drilled out pieces of track on a scale and didn't make three lbs.
It may have helped a little in the champagne power but marginal at that. To me it's not worth it.
My buddy rode that very sled (08, 800 cat 162), my 08 dragon would kick his cats a$$, (both new sleds) he tried different mods to no avail until he went through his clutches. I don't remember what all he did as that was in 9-10 years ago but it sure woke that sled up!!! I would start there if haven't already!!!

 

[notsoprosledder]

Back in the day when that porting was the thing to do, I tried it on my 159 vertical mistake and when I was done all I accomplished was a track full of holes. I put all the drilled out pieces of track on a scale and didn't make three lbs.
It may have helped a little in the champagne power but marginal at that. To me it's not worth it.
My buddy rode that very sled (08, 800 cat 162), my 08 dragon would kick his cats a$$, (both new sleds) he tried different mods to no avail until he went through his clutches. I don't remember what all he did as that was in 9-10 years ago but it sure woke that sled up!!! I would start there if haven't already!!!

Haven’t started with the clutching, because i have no idea where to start. Got the stock clutching, and have just adjusted to ride with the power i have. What do people usually start with when improving the stock clutching?

 

[Toyboy]

Clean and inspect them. New rollers and springs. Check your rpm at elevation to make sure your where you want to be. 8150ish I think. Look for a slp pipe and can. No fuel box required. Stm power valves and a torsional secondary kit helped too.

 

[Dazzler]

Haven’t started with the clutching, because i have no idea where to start. Got the stock clutching, and have just adjusted to ride with the power i have. What do people usually start with when improving the stock clutching?

What rpm are you getting when pinned and pulling hard? What elevation do you primarily ride at? Im not sure what peak rpm is for that engine (I believe it's 7900-8000). Maybe a cat guy can chime in with some advice on spring/weight set ups, or you can find a fair amount of info on google.

To start with you can remove the drive belt (check which way the writing/numbers are so to read-install same direction) clean the faces of the clutches with a steel wool or emery cloth, to rid of glaze or black rubber marks, check that the rollers move easily and no flat spots. Wash the belt (edges) with hot dish soapy water and fingernail brush, rinse and let dry. When you reinstall belt, check for proper belt deflection and adjust accordingly. Clutch spring most likely will need replaced, so once you've determined primary riding elevation, you may need to do some clutching and that usually includes springs and weights.

I will try to get some clutching info from my buddy but the bastage spends most of the winter in Arizona.

 

[notsoprosledder]

What rpm are you getting when pinned and pulling hard? What elevation do you primarily ride at? Im not sure what peak rpm is for that engine (I believe it's 7900-8000). Maybe a cat guy can chime in with some advice on spring/weight set ups, or you can find a fair amount of info on google.

To start with you can remove the drive belt (check which way the writing/numbers are so to read-install same direction) clean the faces of the clutches with a steel wool or emery cloth, to rid of glaze or black rubber marks, check that the rollers move easily and no flat spots. Wash the belt (edges) with hot dish soapy water and fingernail brush, rinse and let dry. When you reinstall belt, check for proper belt deflection and adjust accordingly. Clutch spring most likely will need replaced, so once you've determined primary riding elevation, you may need to do some clutching and that usually includes springs and weights.

I will try to get some clutching info from my buddy but the bastage spends most of the winter in Arizona.

My gauge is garbage from moisture getting into it. (Was an issue on the older m8s until 2009) so i’m not sure what the exact number is. Got a jaws can on there, and it always sounds like a good high rpm with no bogging or powering out, but that probably doesn’t help much. Gonna have to find a new gauge for rpm reading now i guess.