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TEAM Tied review in November issue of SnowGoer magazine!
A few seasons after its initial unveiling, the TEAM Tied secondary clutch is still making the news. Those who cracked open the November 2011 issue of SnowGoer magazine were treated to a two-page spread featuring writer Andy Swanson‘s review of the TEAM Tied clutch.
Read the article text below, and be sure to hit up http://www.SnowGoer.com to nab your very own subscription!
Since you’re probably going to be wondering where to get your own Tied secondary after you’ve read the article, keep the links below handy to go straight to the order page! (I’m so thoughtful, I know! ha!)
- TEAM Tied Secondary Clutches
- TEAM Tied Ski-Doo XP Conversion Kits
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Innovation is what makes lives better. Without people trying to find a
better way to build a snowmobile, we wouldn’t have plastic skis to
glide on or independent front suspensions to ride on.
The TEAM Tied secondary clutch looks similar to other rear clutches,
but it’s fundamentally different. Instead of having the two
sheaves twist against each other while they spread apart — as do
TEAM’s TSS-04 and stock clutches from the Big Four — the sheaves
separate perpendicularly from each other on the Tied. This new
design eliminates the rubbing motion on the belt for less friction
and heat, and, therein, making it a more efficient system that’s
more responsive, TEAM says.
With 500 miles on our Ski-Doo Renegade demo sled in early January,
we were ready to find out if TEAM’s new pulley was a better way to
transmit power to the track.
We hauled the sled to TEAM’s shop in west-central Minnesota to install
the clutch and jackshaft kit and find the best setup. This would be TEAM’s
first crack at tuning the Tied clutch on a sled like ours. Its staff had calibrated
short track MX Z models and Summits, but not a crossover.
2,500 Miles, Millions Of RPM
We made a few baseline runs on a lake near TEAM’s facility to verify
engagement RPM, peak RPM, top-end speed and shift characteristics.
With that information noted, we installed the clutch and jackshaft kit, and
then tuned with a TEAM engineer until we had a calibration that gave the
best performance. The 2,500-mile test would take us to March 30th, the
bitter end of the snowmobiling season in Minnesota.
Impressions from Snow
Goer staffers and friends who
rode our modified Renegade
were unanimous that it ran
and performed wonderfully.
Riders were generally ecstatic
about its performance
when they pulled
off their helmet after running
through a trail where they
had to get on and off the
throttle and brake. “With that
clutch, it has power
everywhere, and it’s
there right when you
want it,” one rider’s
notes said.
While we partially
attribute the excellent
performance to the
Tied clutch and its good calibration, bear in
mind that stock Ski-Doo sleds are generally
efficient and well-tuned packages that are fun
to finesse through the woods. But with the Tied
clutch, our sled felt faster and it backshifted
quicker. One attribute in particular we felt was
that power returned more forcefully — but not
harshly — when we squeezed the throttle after
jamming on the brake or reaching the apex of
a corner.
We used Ski-Doo drive belts and drove
moderately for about 40 miles before using
full throttle, but after about 800 miles peak
engine speed fell off its 8100 RPM peak and
power delivery became lazy. Cords also
pushed out the sidewalls of a few belts, too.
There’s no way to prove why we had to replace
belts at an interval that we think is too soon,
but it’s worth noting that their lifespan was
fairly consistent. Maybe 800 miles on a belt
these days is acceptable …
Two screws are used to set belt deflection on a
Tied clutch, and it’s important to pay close attention
to the threads of those screws. If they aren’t
adjusted equally, the belt will sit lower between
the sheaves on one side of the clutch compared
to the opposite side when the clutch is closed.
The TSS-04 used one screw to set deflection, and
it was quicker and easier to adjust.
Is It For You?
Aggressive riders — whether trail riders or
backcountry powder junkies — are the target
market for the TEAM Tied clutch. They’re
aggressively in and out of the throttle and they
want quick backshifts for better acceleration
out of a turn or to shoot up a mountain pass.
Based on what we felt by the seat of our snow
pants, it delivers what those riders need.
TEAM Tied clutches are available for Polaris
sleds with keyed or splined jackshafts and Arctic
Cat, Ski-Doo and Yamaha sleds with splines.
The company has more than 40 helixes available
($109, each with two angles for more tuning
options); springs ($24.95) are interchangeable
among all TEAM clutches. REV-X machines
require installation of TEAM’s jackshaft kit, too.
The package price for the clutch and shaft
starts at $700 (plus helix and spring).
— Andy Swanson
