the long amp short of 1992 mountain performance
Amsnow
Why do some snowmobilers prefer short-track snowmobiles and others prefer the long tracked version of the same brand and model?
Long-track snowmobiles are seen as a better way of blasting up powdery slopes and floating atop waist-high fluff, while many snowmobilers cherish short-tracks for their nimble nature on twisting trails.
But, is there really that big of a difference when it comes to short versus long tracks in deep powder and mountain riding? The conventional wisdom says there is. Can it be proven?
With the help of a few friends, American Snowmobiler sought to find out the actual long and short of mountain snowmobiling performance.
We started our experiment with Yamaha's new high tech, short tracked marvel, the Vmax-4. When it gets down to mountain riding, virtually all big-bore, high-horsepower snowmobiles like the Vmax-4 have a weight problem. Also, like a blushed-red girlfriend passing her new boyfriend to all her relatives, the Vmax-4 comes under scrutiny.
Since Yamaha's new child is on center stage, Bott Yamaha of Idaho Falls, Idaho and Thompson Sporting Goods of Rexburg, Idaho were invited to participate in a short-track versus long-track shoot-out. Bott Yamaha has been building long-track kits for Phazers and Exciters for many years, and as a result, has seen many Yamaha riders go over the top of some of the west's wildest hills. Thompson Sporting Goods is a dealership that knows no limit in setting up clutches and suspensions for maximum performance. Thompson's magic can make a standard track snowmobile believe it is a long-tracker.
The snowmobiles - Bott's Vmax-4 with a long-track set-up and Thompson's mountain-tuned standard-tracked Vmax-4 - were set up according to each dealer's standards relative to existing conditions. We could have chosen to have the snowmobiles set up identically, but to duplicate real world settings, the snowmobiles came from homes of different philosophy.
The evaluations consisted of a battery of three tests; oval skid pad, 500 foot and quarter mile speed runs, and hill climbs. To assure the tests were technically correct, performance veteran Jim Noble of Starting Line Products provided his assistance.