A question of Weight

[Powderhound]

So I was wondering. we spend soooo much money every year trying to get our sleds lighter and lighter.. Is their any calculation on HP gained from weight loss?

The reason I am asking is that I have been working out hard for the past seven weeks. I am down 25 pounds and I am hoping for another 10 to 15 before riding starts around here. If I am down 35 to 40 pounds from last year .. that has to be a little gain in HP right???

 

[2Thetopp]

First off good job on losing the weight, and I believe the formula is 7lbs.=1hp.gain.

 

[Bagger]

I'm down 40 too PH, I'm with ya!

Bag

 

[Lushbomb]

i think while the HP stays the same the sled will go faster and float better with less weight.. thats probably the lame logistical answer u were not looking for though..

2thetopp had the right answer u were looking for i think

 

[backcountryislife]

There's the formula of approx 7 lbs-1 hp like mentioned above, but also keep in mind that rotating mass is even more important than static mass at a rate of 7-1 also, so only 1 lb of rotating mass is equal to 1hp. (unless I"m off on that number...)

It may seem like a minor issue, but as one who owns a 400ish lb 1000 & a 450ish lb HCR T, there are HUGE differences in how a 450-470 lb sled feels compared to mine.

5-10 lbs isn't much of a change (depending on where it comes from), but at 20+ you can tell there is a change.`The funny thing about weight, everyone asks things like why get rid of that 3 lbs or 2 lbs... but to lose 80+ lbs it's coming in small pieces from a hundred little places (and gets WAY more expensive as you go!!!)

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

I know we had basically identical sleds a year or so back.. riders were about 40 pounds different, the lighter rider was making noticably higher marks. I would wager to say they made it say 10% farther up the hill.

the way to do the calc accurately is HP vs rider/sled combo weight.. yeah you can have the lightest sled every with a 500# rider and its gonna get stuck just like an apex with a light rider.

either way, if your also loosing weight because your working out, the increase in muscle is gonna make the riding 10x easier as you dont have to work nearly as hard to get the same results out of the sled making it a lot easier to ride better/harder.

 

[milehighassassin]

This discussion is had several times a year. It is way cheaper and usually easier to lose some weight than it is to take it off the sled. I bet the average guy on here can stand to lost 10-20 lbs.

I know I could do 10 pretty easily.

 

[steveo10]

make a mark on a hill with you pack and extra fuel on.... then take off the pack and fuel and see how much higher you go

 

[AndrettiDog]

So I was wondering. we spend soooo much money every year trying to get our sleds lighter and lighter.. Is their any calculation on HP gained from weight loss?

The reason I am asking is that I have been working out hard for the past seven weeks. I am down 25 pounds and I am hoping for another 10 to 15 before riding starts around here. If I am down 35 to 40 pounds from last year .. that has to be a little gain in HP right???

Now imagine if you were riding a super light sled! Even if open-wheel car racing, lighter people make a difference. I remember when racers were complaining that Danica Patrick (who sucks anyway) had an advantage because women were so much smaller than men.

 

[ullose272]

I can see where you guys are going with this, but i hope you realize that losing weight does not equal HP, at all. increases power to weight ratio.

 

[AndrettiDog]

I can see where you guys are going with this, but i hope you realize that losing weight does not equal HP, at all. increases power to weight ratio.

You are right, but it does mean you will go further up the hill quicker. Imagine two identical sleds. One with a guy who is 250 lbs and another with a guy who is 130 lbs. Assume they can both ride and tell me who will get the furthest up the hill?

 

[2Thetopp]

I can see where you guys are going with this, but i hope you realize that losing weight does not equal HP, at all. increases power to weight ratio.

No really I lost 14 lbs. last year my sled sensed this and rewarded me by giving me an extra 2 hp (Dyno'd) I realize that you don't gain hp by losing weight, just like you don't lose hp when you gain weight, it's just easier to use as an example, since I don't know how explain the power to weight formula. Lighter is better no matter how you look at it,sled or body, but if you lose personal weight you may live longer to be able to ride longer.

 

[Bkinz]

I was actually doing calculations on this the other night. I was trying to figure out how I can make the same if not higher mark than my dad. Our sleds are basically identical in weight, but w/ gear on i weigh maybe 180lbs, and he weighs closer to 260lbs. But the thing that gets me is his power to weight ratio is still better than mine. He is on a 800 and im on a 700. (Personaly I think its because im a better rider, but he wont stand to hear that bull chit)

 

[Mafesto]

I doubt if even a math genius could come up with accurate consistent ratios or formulas for this.

Snow conditions are an uncontrolable variable which will constantly affect results.

The harder the snow is, the smaller the performance increase from the weight loss will be.

 

[MORSNO]

You mean my 20 pound weight gain doesn't help at all??? I think the added weight helps the track compress the snow and provide additional traction!

 

[hotshot]

So Powderhound....knowing what you are riding this year (congrats on the weight loss by the way) you will need roughly 50 extra horse power to keep up with me. If every 7 lbs equals 1 horse power you will have to lose a total of 350 lbs for us to be playing on an equal playing field. My estimations puts you at -125 lbs by December 1st. Is this correct?

 

[ullose272]

k good, i was hoping none of you were that dumb.

 

[akstormin]

I was actually doing calculations on this the other night. I was trying to figure out how I can make the same if not higher mark than my dad. Our sleds are basically identical in weight, but w/ gear on i weigh maybe 180lbs, and he weighs closer to 260lbs. But the thing that gets me is his power to weight ratio is still better than mine. He is on a 800 and im on a 700. (Personaly I think its because im a better rider, but he wont stand to hear that bull chit)

So what is the actual HP difference btwn a D7 and a D8? Because with an 80 lb wt difference I would think you should be pretty close performance wise. Unless he has more than a 15 or 16 HP advantage which would give him a slight edge in the power to weight dept. In some cases that 80lbs is going to work to his advantage, because when the actual sled is heavier its just deadweight to haul around, but when the rider is heavier sometimes they can use that to their advantage by moving their weight around for more traction etc.. All things being equal the lighter rider/sled will always get the himark, but its a rare day when all things except weight are equal.

 

[Powderhound]

So Powderhound....knowing what you are riding this year (congrats on the weight loss by the way) you will need roughly 50 extra horse power to keep up with me. If every 7 lbs equals 1 horse power you will have to lose a total of 350 lbs for us to be playing on an equal playing field. My estimations puts you at -125 lbs by December 1st. Is this correct?

Since I have sold my 07 rev (aka azzkicker) Yes you now at least have a fighting chance. I am sure it was hard fro you watching an older model stomp your XP ALL DAY LONG.... I hope for you that the 09 M8 I am now riding will give you a fighting chance

Atleast your cabin is really nice !!!!!

 

[rocks rev]

Now imagine if you were riding a super light sled! Even if open-wheel car racing, lighter people make a difference. I remember when racers were complaining that Danica Patrick (who sucks anyway) had an advantage because women were so much smaller than men.

Off subject but the race track in Hayden(HAYDEN SPEEDWAY) requires all cars to weigh a set mininum with driver at the end of the race,so driver weight don't matter. I don't know about asphalt tracks.