I am thinking of putting billits on my MXZ. I was wondering if anybody has done this with larger diameter rear wheels. I have been told, and I agree that it creates less rolling resistance (= free hp). I would like to know how durable in the trails as well as having a studded track.

OK, this is what I have found out about the billit wheels. Yes, tou can use them with studs but, you want to keep the wheels from rolling over the studs due to the fact that rolling over the steel will tear up the wheel over time.
As far as agressive trail riding they are not recomended due to the fact that they are not as flexable as there plastic counterpart. They due offer some larger rear wheels that are plastic so, you can still get the added benifit of the larger wheel in the back and still ride as hard as you dare.

Brian

i have them on a 98 mach 1, rode hard trails in mass, rode in vt and maine sold it to a buddy and over 1000 hard miles and still OK.
i got the 5 spoke w/ flames
www.perfen.com

WFO,

I added a set of 8" to my M-10. I haven't noticed any seat of the pants difference in performance....They sure look trick...

You guys that are running the billets,

None of you mention whether or not you are running them in contact with the heads of the studs. ??? ???

Mich,

No studs here, just a 2" finger track.....Unbelievable hook-up on the packed snow.

Whe you installed the 8" billet did you just have to loosen the track to get it to fit? It does look great and I'm considering it once I get my track broke in. It's only got 75 miles on it so far, so I don't know if I would have enough play to get it on if that's how they're installed.

Originally posted by folgers@Jun 23 2003, 11:35 AM
i have them on a 98 mach 1, rode hard trails in mass, rode in vt and maine sold it to a buddy and over 1000 hard miles and still OK.
i got the 5 spoke w/ flames
www.perfen.com
How much were the wheels? I didn't see a price anywhere on their site. Did you go with the 2, 3, or 4 wheel kit?
Thanks

i put them on my mach, 6 of them. i also have studs on the out side and yes you can see "dings" other than that still look good

PH,
I could easily dial in 3 to 4" of slack before I installed the big wheels on the M10. The suspension is a 136" set back with a 144" track. The big wheels were suppose to be an easy install, but I had no choice but to pull the skid. Further I had to mod a set of skidoo track tensioners, because the stock M10 tensioners would not line up with the adjustment slots on the axle. After installing the axle and 4 wheels, I have approximately 1.25" of slack, even though the outside diameter of the new wheels looked close to the stock position. I also run extroverts, so less track tension would be preferred. The next fix I am looking at would be to trim the ends of the rails to allow for more track adjustment.
The Performance Engineering wheels are an excellent product, you just have to use a little TLC not to drop them on a hard surface when installing. They will show marks if you're not careful. As for price......I purchased the wheels from Specialty Sleds in Edmonton, complete with axle for around $750 Canadian.

Originally posted by Bogie@Aug 4 2003, 12:38 PM
WFO,

I added a set of 8" to my M-10. I haven't noticed any seat of the pants difference in performance....They sure look trick...
Yes they do!! Awesome sled! I am still thinking of adding them but I want to wait untill I get my sled running like it should. At that point I want to strech it to 136 and add the wheels..



Brian

Check out this place for such products. Everything is guarenteer 100% and is some top notch quality. They offer whole kits for going to 8" and 136". They even offer an inboard only kit like that on the F7

http://www.mountainmachines.com/performance/index.html

The difference in rolling resistance should be highly noticable. Perhaps why Bogie isn't noticing much is that it is on a M-10, which is known for high drag on the rails.

Last summer I was wrenching on Kim Frank's asphault sled, and from one weekend to the next all we changed was from 8 tooth to 10 tooth drivers and from stock (5.625) to 8" idlers. We touched nothing else. We picked up .18 seconds and 7 MPH on the big end. Mind you this is on a skid with no hyfax (all rollers) but we definately noticed it.

i am also thinking of adding 8in wheels to my 99 t-cat.what i'm understanding is that i can take my stock off and put 8in on with no problems except for my studs contacting the wheels.is this correct or am i overlooking something.i don't ride the trails hard.i mainly ride lakes and groomed trails at normal family speeds.thanks for any info.dan

Dan,

In my previous post, I stated that I gained some track tension when I added the 8" wheels. I'm using the the Performance Engineering one size fits all axle with a 144" track. Are you running a 121"? I may be wrong, but you may not be able to run the 8" wheels with the short track. Check with "Mountain Machines", they have a different set up that may work.

On my Tcat I have 8" rear wheels. They can't be run if you have the suspension in the stock holes. The tunnel mounts are ahead one inch. Or the A-arm hits the wheel when compressed.

here's a pic

and another..as you can see I lost some travel. who cares!

Do you get some sort of adapter that moves the wheel centerline up relative to the slide rail? If not, you would have a bunch of wheel hanging down below the rail. Please explain!!!!!