ExpertXViper
New member
Does running your track backwards make that much of a diff. in traction or does it at all? I'm gunna be running a 9818 track. And being told I should run it backwards.Lets hear some opinions.
Better traction but braking will suffer. Been doing that trick for years. Some tracks work better backwards then others. Check the lug design & see if the lug is harder bending backwards. The only time a sofeter lug pattern will help is on real hard snow.
ExpertXViper
New member
From looking at the track the lug design flip flops back and forth. Putting force on the way it should go on is a stiffer than putting it on backwards but not much. Im coming from a .92 144 studded track, goin to a non studded 1.25 inch so I'll go for braking.
ViperTom
New member
9818 hooks up pretty good anyways......I ran that on my first viper with an expert x....you can carry the ski's forever!!!!!
aSRX600guy
New member
Tried that trick with my SRX, it might have helped a little, but the big thing I noticed was it was noisier.
03viperguy
Moderator
I know that a lot of tracks are designed to run in one direction and you risk the track letting go at high speed by running it backwards. short term it may be nice, long term you could have a disaster happen. I think that track will hook up more than good so you wouldnt really see a benefit from swapping the direction. hope this helps 
ExpertXViper
New member
Yea I decided to run it the right way, cause the depth of the track alone its gunna hook up no matter what. Plus without running studs I'd rather have the braking power. But I also read theres a 12 month warranty on it so if anything happens they either fix it or replace it. But if they look at it and see that it was ran backwards, you get nothing from them. So I'm following the arrows. Thanks for all your opinions
On softer snow, running it backwards can dig the snow out easier causing it to trench more. Years ago we used to do that with the real short lug tracks to gain acceleration, just hang on whenever you try to stop. You actually have to slide it sideways, and dig it in if you want to stop very quick.
montynormand
Member
I run all my ice racers backwards......
ExpertXViper
New member
90% of time I'm either off trail or just trail riding.
03viperguy
Moderator
monty, what type of track? and what kind of speed?
FuzzButt
New member
OK I guess I have to ask it and I'll apologize about opening a old thread.
What do you mean by backwards? I have the 1602-502/9830 Camoplast in mine and the arrow points in the direction of normal forward spin. Or if you are looking at the top of the track it points forward. Since this is a pretty much symetrical track I doubt it would make much difference. I can however see how on the stock tracks that have kind of a triangle type traction pad that backwards would help at least on the "Go" part .
C
What do you mean by backwards? I have the 1602-502/9830 Camoplast in mine and the arrow points in the direction of normal forward spin. Or if you are looking at the top of the track it points forward. Since this is a pretty much symetrical track I doubt it would make much difference. I can however see how on the stock tracks that have kind of a triangle type traction pad that backwards would help at least on the "Go" part .
C
Look closely from the side view (side of machine looking horizontally) of the track at the slope leading up to the lugs. There should be a noticeable difference where one is rather sloped, and the other rather steep. The physics behind what this does to traction versus braking are somewhat different due to the fact that the sled is actually moving to a different spot on the snow (hopefully) as it progresses.
While the steep slope has much greater tendency to dig the snow out on that side of the lug, it has a different effect with running normal direction under braking versus running backwards under acceleration (the 2 conditions where this side of the lug comes into play). Oversimplified, under braking the steep lugs push more snow in the path that the sled is traveling, where as under acceleration the steep lugs can dig out more snow from under the track and put it where the sled has already been.
However, the conditions of the surface that is being ridden bring into play many other factors that complicate this a bit, such as mentioned above where the surface condition can actually be durable enough to cause the lugs to bend over. Tracks generally have one direction in which the lugs bend more easily which can affect acceleration (or braking) greatly, even in opposite ways as conditions change.
All that said, in many racing conditions the steep slope can bring slight to significant benefits to acceleration.
The sloped side has some other interesting habits, but for the purpose of this discussion - under braking it tends to slide the track up and over the snow surface which can greatly decrease braking ability.
While the steep slope has much greater tendency to dig the snow out on that side of the lug, it has a different effect with running normal direction under braking versus running backwards under acceleration (the 2 conditions where this side of the lug comes into play). Oversimplified, under braking the steep lugs push more snow in the path that the sled is traveling, where as under acceleration the steep lugs can dig out more snow from under the track and put it where the sled has already been.
However, the conditions of the surface that is being ridden bring into play many other factors that complicate this a bit, such as mentioned above where the surface condition can actually be durable enough to cause the lugs to bend over. Tracks generally have one direction in which the lugs bend more easily which can affect acceleration (or braking) greatly, even in opposite ways as conditions change.
All that said, in many racing conditions the steep slope can bring slight to significant benefits to acceleration.
The sloped side has some other interesting habits, but for the purpose of this discussion - under braking it tends to slide the track up and over the snow surface which can greatly decrease braking ability.