Q. I'm considering another vendor's kit but am interested in yours. Joe, in your opinion, is yours as good as what this other vendor(s) is selling? I'm not asking you to bash this vendor, just if you had a chance to run against this vendor's kit?
A. I will answer with comments I have previously prepared for questions such as yours. I hope it covers all bases. This is a loaded question. It's as if one presumes I have tested against "said vendor's" clutch kit prior to you asking me, and that I have or had "said vendor's" kit to test against. I cannot answer whether it is better than your "said vendor's" kit, because I have never had "said vendor's" kit, nor ever seen one, nor have I ever had a clutch kit from any other aftermarket company in my hands. I refuse, and will reject anyone's request to even look at one.
People like to tell me the numbers of the parts of their kits and I stop them in midstride, telling them I do not want to know. I build my own kits and pit them against a stock clutched sled. I am only concerned about improving over stock, and not someone else's product(s). Further, people have purchased my kit and mentioned to me that they have another vendor's kit. I make sure to mention that I do not want to know how it compared. I just want to know if mine is working better than stock, operating properly and meets/exceeds your expectations. I feel better knowing I must put ethics first other than the temptation of knowing what my kit is like compared to another vendor's. I just want to know whether or not you like my product.
Q. Joe - have you started in on the Team 2ndary?
A. No. For some very good reasons I will not [if I can help it] work with team secondary products.
Q. Using my 1999~2003 mxzx 440 can I Sno-X with your S4X kit?
A. If you are going to race Sno-X this winter, I sell a separate helix w/flyweight setscrews specifically for sno-x. The helix is called the S4X4 and is to be used with your stock primary spring and secondary spring.
There is a setup sheet for this feature. This sno-x kit for those year of sleds flatout RAWKS!!!
Q. Last year on my MxZx 440 I was running low comp heads, with a #3 base gasket and it was showing really bad detonation on the piston each time. We switched it up to the #7 and things were fine after that. U said I'll be safe running my new REV with the low comp. heads with the #3 right?
A. Out of all the people in contact with me who own REV 440's there have been two owners who squeaked their engine using low-comp head w/#3 base gasket. One was 290-300 jets, the other 300-310 with 25 pilots, needle clip on #2...They blew in the midrange...With the low comp heads I have mostly seen only 125 to 135 lbs compression and that seems to be safe. My pals with their two REV's have 320-330 jets and can run 87 octane. I do know a few guys with compression of over 170 lbs. who run 330/340 and #40 pilots which seems to be safe with 87 octane.
Q. Besides low comp heads and a bigger gas tank, I wanted to know from anyone who also uses this sled on the trails what the added yearly expenses are.
A. The experiences for this 440 sled is no greater than a consumer sled other than oil consumption being higher per season due to having premix fuel requirements. I would only recommend to simply change wrist pin bearings every other season.....if you drive like me. Other than that, I recommend to grease every 250 miles and change the shock oil all around at the END of each season.
Q. Do I have to run 50/50 race gas in this sled?
A. There are literally hundreds of REV 440 sleds that are being driven on the trail with 91 and 87 octane. Using the low compression heads, #3 base gasket and jetted properly there should never be a problem due to fuel. I have 4 friends with them who have run 87 octane and not one burn down with proper jetting and iso propylene.
Q. Well my buddy occasionally rode his sled on the trail and that day on the second tank of 93 it burned down. Was this due to low octane?
A. I am willing to guess burn down was from ice covering the main jet momentarily. You can run, as much octane as you want but if you have water intrusion, all it takes is the required outside temperature & air velocity to produce ice in a float bowl. The best way to tell is to remove the fuel from the float bowl right there, right where the sled seizes on the trail. On the 03 REV sleds, you can use the tool caddy for a fuel catch basin to look at water impurities.
Q. What’s wrong with running half c-12 with pump to ensure a better performance and piece of mind.. Well hummm I think if the case was where I did not want to spend the money on the race gas I might consider the low comp heads.
A. I’m so used to doing between a 100 to 125 mile day out in the forest and for every 60 miles we have to fill up. So unless you have the capacity to be able to carry this Hi-test fuel as an additive then what do you do? I guess you then can only ride on one tank somewhere. Nothing wrong with race gas at all.... its just the availability for where and how much you ride.
Q. What about a Base Gasket thickness for trail riding with the Hi-Comp head inserts still installed? I know for racing now it’s got the 7 mm in it. I was wondering about putting in a 4mm gasket. What do you think?
A. If you have a 03 REV, I would not trail with high compression inserts. The cdi timing is strong and quite advanced so you will be in the gray area of burning. If you have a 2000 to 2002, I have seen guys run a #8 base gasket and seem to run around 130 to 140 lbs compression. ***You take your chances...I do have a few kit owners with 03's who are running a #8 gasket with high comp heads and 330-340 jets 40 pilots, air screw on 1/2, needle on #3. They tell me their sled runs great, but to me that is taking a chance.
Q. Gas line antifreeze or Iso Prop.?
A. ALWAYS run Iso Propylene.....Not gasoline antifreeze...Iso Prop keeps the water from freezing and not to be mistaken with making water evaporate. Iso let’s the water stay in liquid form to run thru your main jet instead of blocking the jet just long enough to burn the engine down. Alcohol promotes separation of the oil from gas so in your float bowls the two mediums will be separated. Not good for rings and in theory it promotes washing down the cylinders.
Q. Joe, what do you run for jetting?
A. My 2003 REV, I run a #3 base gasket w/LC inserts and use 87 octane. I have no choice in the fuel as where we go ride that is all there is. Never a problem with 310-320 or 320-330 and #45 pilot. My 2000 MxZx has 290/290 with #3 BG w/LC inserts and use 87-octane #45 pilot.
Q. What are you guys using for premix & the ratio?
A. I absolutely do not recommend using any ratio more than 40:1. Do not run your sled over 40:1 or connecting rod bearing damage may result from excessive time in hours at this mixture. Oil ratio is rpm dependant. Higher rpm, the lower the ratio should be. The lower the peak rpm, the more tolerant the engine is to the oil ratio.
Q. Where do you store the oil on the 440?
A. Regardless of MxZx or REV platform, you can store up to 4 liters/pints of oil on the 440. Here are the pics - http://www.picturetrail.com/dynamo_joe.
Q. How do you know the amount of fuel to put in at a fuel station?
A. The fuel tank can be marked with a Paint-Pen for every 2 gallons of fuel. When you pull up to the pump, you can just look at where the fuel is at the paint mark and get nearly exactly the amount of oil required to add. I have over 10000 miles doing this with two 440 sleds now, and never a problem. Pour oil in first, add fuel next.
Q. Why do I have 125 lbs and my buddy with the same engine and same internal details have 145 lbs compression?
A. Just for interest sake: There are engines with low compression inserts that vary from 115 lbs to 165-170 lbs. There are high compression insert engines that are from 140 to 190 lbs compression. It has to do with ring-end-gap tolerance, rave valve clicker setting, rave valve spring fitness & piston-wall clearance. A leak down test tells a lot. Sometimes at the top of a cylinder there is porous casting and the nicasil follows this depression. During the leak down, the piston ring goes by this depression and lets more air by so the leak down will be bad in one spot.
Q. I just bought a 440 MxZx or REV, what do I need....
A. You should look into getting the following:
2003 REV racing handbook 484 200 048
2003 REV parts manual 484 400 317
REV - 11 gallon fuel tank 513 033 069
REV - 11 gal fuel line 500mm 513 033 070
2002 MxZx racing handbook 484 200 038
2002 MxZx parts manual 484 400 281
Low comp dome inserts 420 923 870
#3 base gasket 420 931 580
Q. How do I disable the 100 octane switch?
A. Follow the wires from the octane switch under the dash into the wire harness leading to a weatherpack plug connector. The Bombardier tip sheet says they are GREY and GREY/VIOLET. Simply pop out the total of 3 wires from the weatherpack plug and plug the harness back together. This makes the igniton box revert back to 92 octane for trail curve. When you want to go and race again, just reinstall the 3 wires into the weatherpack plug and the 100 octane setting of the fuel switch works again.
Q. I want to remove the 2004 TEAM secondary and replace it with the 2003 secondary while using the TRAIII Primary. Do you think I will have sheave angle issues with the new belt and 2004 TRA III primary? Do you think I will have slippage and over heating issues?
A. The 2004 clutches have a progressive angle from 12 deg to 14 deg machined into the sheaves. The primary is variable from 12 deg to 14 deg. The secondary is straight 14 degrees. The belt for the 04 I believe is 1.5" wide. The belt will ride to the top of the primary and actually stick out .048" when at full shift. Do not run a mix-n-match of 2003 & 2004 clutches. The narrow 1-3/8" 2003 [12 degree belt] at higher shift ratios will run into the 13, 14 deg range of the sheave and then the compression section of this belt will be grabbed by the sheaves. There will be some vibration.
Q. I’m having an excessive rpm problem.
A. Wrong/worn-out belt. You must use the 8607 belt on '99 to '03 sleds. If magnesium arms are installed, remove them and install regular heavy aluminum arms.
Q. Which 800 is the S8X kit for?
A. Any 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007- 800 model that has the HPV27 Compression spring secondary - Regardless of button secondary or roller secondary.
Q. What all is included in your kit?
A. For tracks up to 1-3/8" 1 Primary spring, 1 Secondary helix, 1 set of flyweights, 1 setup sheet.
A. For tracks with 1.5" lug and deeper, 1 Primary spring, 1 Secondary spring, 1 Secondary helix, 1 set of flyweights, 1 setup sheet.
Q. Do we have to experiment with what weights work best or do you tell us what to use.
A. I supply a flyweight package that allows 1/2 gram increments. You would start with average of 25 grams and go for a run to check for proper rpm. I like to start heavy flyweight and come down from there. "Breaking it's back". It does not take long to tune the flyweight. It could literally take about an hour or so to get the flyweight right in the general area that you mostly ride in. I do not know what "Tach" rpm you run right now, but I'm sure you want to throw in the flyweight to match your original tach rpm again by adding flyweight. This setup can really take the flyweight for trail with a robust engine.
The 2004 in some models use a different ramp than previous year. Some models sold in Canada have different ramps installed than the U.S. model. The 04/newer models have slight different secondary sheave casting with an extra shim and an improved helix lock mechanism. The secondary spring in the 04/newer has a new green 180/300 secondary spring over the 2003. models. Generally used between 23 to 25 grams depending on engine fitness. The DALTONPRO Ultimate Stainless Pins provide up to 25 grams.
Depending on what model year you have, I will mention on the flyweight sheet of how much to start with for quick calibration.
Q. I have an '02 800 with the purple secondary spring. You mention about using the black spring. Can this kit be used with the purple?
A. Definetely! Out of the factory springs [Purple 2002/Black 2003/Green 2004-06] that have been installed in sleds from 2002 to 2006, the Purple spring is the stiffest at installation and will reveal the most "pep" in the bottom end of the midrange compared to the other springs.
Q. I'm looking to hang in there a bit longer, and slow the back shift down.
A. With a secondary spring force of larger than 200 lbs, If you are looking to slow the back shift down, then you will be disappointed. This 800 kit back shifts NOW!!! You must apply slight throttle touch to make the "Jacobs brake" effect go away. It’s easy to get used to. When you are going thru some rolling hills where you cannot get great speeds and driving very hard, this kit has super fun factor because the engine hits peak rpms "NOW" when cycle the throttle. The engine rpms will accelerate quickly at your throttle thumb tip.
Some high mile trail enthusiasts have changed to the 2003 black 160/300 secondary spring to lower cruising rpms and increase mileage on the long hauls. The engine braking feature is greatly reduced with the lower secondary spring start force.
Q. Do you have a kit for mountain riding?
A. Yes. It's simply the S8X trail kit without the Dalton Stainless pin kit. The mountain/Summit kit uses the 13g to 19g setscrew/weight pin package for a more economical investment.
Q. Currently ride in 600 feet to 1500 feet above sea level but once a year I go to the mountains in BC or Wyoming where the elevation is 3000 to 11000 feet, how can I use the kit there?
A. Calibration for the mountains will be: Reduce flyweight to 17g, maintain clicker 3, change the primary spring to 160/350 BRP Purple/Pink (3800 engagment) It takes merely minutes to change the amount of slugs to get the flyweight that is required for the riding you want to do.
For the particular application in elevations, you would find either 17grams on clicker 3 or 19 grams on clicker 5 to best suit your needs. Either setting works well.
I recommend if you go to the mountains with the kit, bring along a Purple skidoo secondary spring PT#414 978 300
For the trail track you have, you'll have a nice highmark with those clutching details.
Q. My stock tach shows over 8500 rpm's so something's not right.
A. Common complaint is high rpm because tuners do not have the stock belt on. I calibrate the kit with the stock belt. Every time the owner installs the stock belt, even a worn one, the rpms come down to near normal.
Q. Could my tach be way off calibration?
A. Hmm, I wonder how much your tach reads high or low. This is a 7800 engine so some guys like to run 8000 "Tach" rpm because they know their tach reads 150 high. I have seen tachs that are 250 rpm high right to reading 50 rpm low. Best to borrow a digital tach to check calibration. The 800 engine has gobs of torque at 7600 "Tach"/ 7400+ "actual" rpm for drag racing. It can take running that low but you lose top speed. For the most part running at fast speeds 7850 "Actual" rpm will be right on when the pipe is hot.
Q. Any bugs in the kit?
A. The only bug that the 800 kit really has is if the tach is out-to-lunch for calibration. Common complaint is "low speed". My remedy is to get the tuner to add more flyweight before changing a clicker. Staying on Clicker #3, this kit can take a lot of flyweight because helix angle gets very low going towards 1:1.
Q. I didn't mention in my request that my REV 800 has RER. I'm wondering if the info you sent was for RER equipped sleds.
A. I looked in my '03 shop manual and it stated that your "Sport" as well as the "E","R" & "X" model have the HPV27 "Big helix" and NOT the old style formula "small helix", so as long as the sled has the Big helix, then there will not be a problem...regardless of RER or not.
***If you really want to confirm, just remove your secondary and measure the diameter across the helix. The RER HPV 27 helix is 4.25" 108mm's diameter.
Q. Which primary clutch is smaller?
A. The TRA III "New primary" is smaller diameter overall and the governor cup is like 3 or 4 mm's smaller over all.
Q. Also geared down from 26 to 24, is this ok?
A. Yes, no problem, have many owners gearing down as low as 22:43 or 22:44 with 121" trail rev's. Just calibrate the gearing for your particular environment. There are owners out west that run as low as summit gears 19:45 and still pull off 90 mph.