[Cyclone Joe]

I just wondered if anybody had any knowledge on snowmobile transmissions. I read that Yamaha and Artic Cat use a CTV (constant velocity transmission) and I'm really interested in them. Are they difficult to work on? are they a simple design? I don't know much about them, so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[racerguy]

The snowmobile clutch system is fairly simple in how it works but can be lots of fun to tune. There are a lot of variables to play with and it makes a big difference in how the sled performs. A good site that has info on how it all works and some basic tuning is http://www.snowridermag.com/archive/mar1999_art2.html
I hope this helps.

 

[racerguy]

if you do a search on yahoo or whatever for "snowmobile clutch" you'll find lots of info.

 

[fordracerguy]

My friend told me about honda experimenting with the CVT transmission. So I looked it up, and here is what I gathered from it. You have two cone shapped wheels, if you will. They have a belt around the two of them. The belt can move up or down on either cone. This essentially gives you an infinate amount of ratio combinations. The info about the Honda I looked up kept the car running at 2500 or so rpms the entire time you were driving -- which kept your car in its powerband the whole time. Not only that, they said it helped with gas mileage. The only problem with these transmissions is that they can't handle much power...

Chris

 

[racerguy]

That's how a snowmobile trans works too. The modified sleds have up to about 250 hp now and the clutches can be built to handle that without too much problem but of course that's in a way lighter vehicle than a car.