Tunnel

[NDFARMER95]

Well needless to say I F'd up my tunnel this weekend in West. Tweaked it by the rear board mounts and bent the bogie bracked. Buddy did the same thing on his 13 pro only his was way worse seeing I had aftermarket supports. I really dont want to go back to a factory tunnel and the Van Amburg boondock caught my eye. Any you guys running em and what's the feedback? Thanks

 

[Xcelerated performance]

There is a pretty good thread on tunnels just down a bit. There are some good aftermarket options out there

 

[mtnpull]

http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337330

 

[NDFARMER95]

Thanks. Exactly what I was looking for.

 

[mountainhorse]

If you are not aware of the process... Here's a bit of info... For you seasoned pros... probably not of interest.

Installing a new tunnel will require you to dissassemble 80% of the sled to install... and also involve carefull de-bonding and re-bonding of components to perform the replacement.

Installation of a tunnel, while not extremely difficult... is a time consuming and precise operation.

For most of the DIY'rs out there that are not experienced in this type of operation... it is best to have a shop do the install

You will need to have a hydraulic/pneumatic rivet gun, proper adhesive and applicator, proper rivets, locktite, torches and other general tools.... and a warm shop in which to work.

IMO... buy a new, complete, Factory Polaris chassis assembly with bulkhead and install a Vanamburg, AkSnowrider, PAR, CR or other tunnel kit on the new factory tunnel... sometimes it is even possible to bang out the factory tunnel and rivet/glue on a reinforcement kit to help with durability of the chassis without the need to replace the tunnel.

The cost of a new tunnel, when you also factor in the coolers and other misc items can exceed $2000 plus the labor and parts/adhesive involved in the install.

 

[powderules]

I just put the Van Amburg on one of our '12 pros. We went with their upgraded tube style boards. I love it! It's all 3/16" thick and super strong. It replaces the suspension brackets and took care of the bends in the tunnel. As long as your coolers aren't bent, it should work great.

 

[mountainhorse]

Powderules,

Can you clarify... Did you do the full tunnel

OR... tunnel sides/running board configuration using the stock tunnel coolers without removing the stock tunnel?
(like the one from super dave3's Dragon below)

Any pics?

.

 

[NDFARMER95]

If you are not aware of the process... Here's a bit of info... For you seasoned pros... probably not of interest.

Installing a new tunnel will require you to dissassemble 80% of the sled to install... and also involve carefull de-bonding and re-bonding of components to perform the replacement.

Installation of a tunnel, while not extremely difficult... is a time consuming and precise operation.

For most of the DIY'rs out there that are not experienced in this type of operation... it is best to have a shop do the install

You will need to have a hydraulic/pneumatic rivet gun, proper adhesive and applicator, proper rivets, locktite, torches and other general tools.... and a warm shop in which to work.

IMO... buy a new, complete, Factory Polaris chassis assembly with bulkhead and install a Vanamburg, AkSnowrider, PAR, CR or other tunnel kit on the new factory tunnel... sometimes it is even possible to bang out the factory tunnel and rivet/glue on a reinforcement kit to help with durability of the chassis without the need to replace the tunnel.

The cost of a new tunnel, when you also factor in the coolers and other misc items can exceed $2000 plus the labor and parts/adhesive involved in the install.

I completely understand this but im no idiot or stranger to mechanics. Work on all my stuff myself from lift kits in my pickup to rebuilding combines and have the shop and tools to do it. My main question was who's running the VE and how you like it?

 

[mountainhorse]

I have only seen a couple of full aftermarket tunnels on the PRO RMK's...

So I'm interested in the same thing too.

I'm also interested in seeing what the weight difference is and if it is + or - from the stock tunnel.

Lets see em people... or links to ones that you have seen.



The only one that I've seen on this forum is from snodawg

 

[Snodawg]

Thanks MH
I'm not sure on the weight difference between stock and VEI, but I would guess that it weighs a little more due to the thickness of the tunnel supports (3/16"). It is for sure a bunch stronger though. I also did an AKSNOWRIDER style fix for the sides of the front tunnel (inside of secondary clutch and chaincase). This is something that I recommend for every Pro sled. They have made the bulkhead so strong on these sleds that when you take strong hit to the ski/spindle area the enrgy is tranferred through the bulkhead to the front of the tunnel where it tweaks. This season I took the hardest hit yet into a hole that toasted the left lower Ti a-arm. The new tunnel was unscathed. I know for a fact that my tunnel would have been toasted again without the reinforcement. So like I said, a must for Pro's is the reinforce the front tunnel area as well as the sides on the rear. The weakest part on these sleds is the tunnel and the most expensive to replace. The only reason I replaced my tunnel vs. repair is that the insurance company was paying for most of it. Here is the thread for my rebuild project if anyone is interested.
http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314453
As far as cooling with the VEI setup, it isn't a whole lot better than stock. Although the coolers on the VEI have better cooling capability due to the larger capacity and finned coolers, I think they loose some of their efficiency due to the kickup tunnel. IE; it's farther away from the track.
One of the my favorite things about this setup is the running boards. They shed snow very well, have awesome grip and don't do a thing to my new Klim boots.

 

[powderules]

Mine is the boondock bumper kit which includes the side bracing down the length of the tunnel, rear bumper, new drop brackets, and running boards. I'll see if I can drum up some pictures.

 

[mrkimbell]

a buddy of mine did the vei on his 2012 155 was very careful about weighing evrything sled gained 11 pounds

 

[Snodawg]

a buddy of mine did the vei on his 2012 155 was very careful about weighing evrything sled gained 11 pounds

Yeah, kinda what I figured about that but I made up for it with Ti a-arms, belt drive and lightweight battery as well as some other things. Sometimes extra weight is worth it for added strength though. No regrets!!!