Car Vinyl Wrap for tunnel

[die hard poo]

Well I decided I wanted to wrap the top part of the tunnel on my pro. While I already had the Artic Fx Wrap on the tunnel sides/body I wanted more protection. Unfortunately Artic Fx doesn't make a "wrap kit" for the top of the tunnel I decided to venture out with a different vinyl. I decided to use vehicle wrap vinyl made by 3M. I bought it here for the best price I could find:
topvinylfilms.com

I ordered the matte black 60" wide film x 6ft long, reason being is it had the best temperature range that I could find, -65* to 225* which is great for going over the coolers.

So the dimensions of the 155" tunnel is:
approx:
67" long
16" wide
10" deep at the deepest spot X2

Here is a few pics
Before:

After:

So we will see how well it will hold up to the sleddin' abuse, but I think it will be fine.
I plan on doing this to my 2012 Assault when it shows up, except for the sides too.

 

[Aussie Niko]

great job

 

[skibreeze]

Looks sharp. I might do that to the new Pro.

 

[Dmill]

looks awesome am in the process of doing the exact same thing

 

[IQRIDR]

Funny you mention this Tom, I tried to get Jordan at ArticFX to make this piece but he said he did not have time. He did say if I made a template he would print it for me but it was also easier for me to buy the vinyl from a local guy. We experimented with it a little last year because I hated the big snow/iceball that accumulated on the thin inner strip of aluminum between the coolers...it would freeze when we stop then dent the tunnel top as it bounced off when the riding started again. The vinyl really helped, and as seen in your pictures it also looks really good when combined with a tunnel side wrap and tank wrap.

I'm sure over the summer next year he'll be willing to make the template a printed and cut piece for guys wanting to do the same.

 

[pura vida]

i was talking with scs and they said they could do a tunnel wrap for me. thinking about trying it as i also hate the snow build up you get on the back of the sled.

pv

 

[icerider600]

That looks sweet Just wanted to know if you mount anything back there if its going to tear it???

 

[die hard poo]

That looks sweet Just wanted to know if you mount anything back there if its going to tear it???

I will be adding a Polaris Gas rack to this Pro utilizing the cooler rail system. The gas rack has plastic washers that isolate the tunnel from getting damaged and the gas can won't touch the tunnel. On my 12 Assault I will use my Rotopax mount which also only touches the tunnel on the nylon washers isolating it from the tunnel.

The 3M vinyl is quite a bit thinner(3.5 mils) than Arctic Fx vinyl (6 mils I think) I have on the rest of the sled. At first I was a little worried about the strength of this, but after installing, I wouldn't want to use the thicker stuff here due to the contours around rivets, and the sharp bends on the edge of the tunnel that the vinyl needs to conform to to make a clean install.

This stuff is truly amazing how it works out the air bubbles, it lays flat and bubbles are easy to work out. Even going around rivets turned out nice, just had to make a small slit around the rivet head to let the air escape and walla perfect!
Here is a close up of how the rivet heads turned out.

 

[polarisIQmn]

looks great! I am currently doing the same thing to my '11. Red on top of the tunnel and black on the sides. I purchased the vinyl off of eBay and am cutting it all myself, just waiting for my AirFrames to get in so I can put the tunnel side wrap on. Yours is turning out better than mine though, my rivets don't look that nice and I have a few more air bubbles, but from 3 feet away you can't notice a thing!

Chad

 

[icerider600]

Also has anybody used that clear 3m stuff that they put on the front ends of cars to prevent rock chips?? They claim its tough as nails and it would be clear so you wouldnt really see it either Just a thought, I had been thinking about putting it on the side of the tunnel also to keep the snow from sticking.

 

[mountainhorse]

Very nice work... Your attention to detail and how smooth you laid it out look awesome!!

My only concern is that with the film covering the top of the heat exchangers, you have formed an insulation barrier that will diminish the cooling capacity of an already small system. You'd be amazed at the amount of heat that is liberated from the top side of the cooler, at the rear, behind the fuel tank.

 

[OnlyPolaris]

that looks great. I would also like to know if anybody has had luck with using the clear 3m stuff on the sides of the tunnel.

 

[gmustangt]

Very nice work... Your attention to detail and how smooth you laid it out look awesome!!

My only concern is that with the film covering the top of the heat exchangers, you have formed an insulation barrier that will diminish the cooling capacity of an already small system. You'd be amazed at the amount of heat that is liberated from the top side of the cooler, at the rear, behind the fuel tank.

ya my concern also, thast why im holdin off from doing it, when the sleds running warm (trail), i pack snow on top off the tunnel and it def helps cool it down.

PS take a heat gun and put it over those rivets for two/three seconds then push down with your thumb, youd be amazed how this stuff works when you heat it.

 

[pura vida]

that could be a concern but the vast majority of the cooling comes from underneath the tunnel as the track moves air and snow past the coolers. and how much insulating properties the vinyl will have is unknown. it wouldn't completely block cooling and i really think the loss would be marginal. the real question is if the vinyl will hold up tot he constant hot and cold cycles it would be subject too. i'm planning on trying it so we will see how it goes.

pv