What would be the pros/cons of a long track. I know they are good for mountains and deep snow but what else. How are they on Michigan trails? Particulary an '00 Thudercat with 136" track?

In my opinion a 136 is a great idea on larger cc sleds. You don't notice the length of a 136 much and it doesn't add much weight either. You should get alot more traction though. It will also ride better on bumps being it can bridge some of the smaller stutter bumps.

Bigdude, thought you bought that MachZ? Are you still reconsidering?

Yeah he reconsidering :D

Either way, they're both fast, they're both nice sleds. If you do go with the Doo just resist the temptation to constantly post on the boards how everything else sucks.

Well the canadians are proud of their sled which is expected. i noticed most ppl in the posts with skidoos are from canada. But thats alright. :D

:withstupid: Very good Point!! :blahblah:

Dude.......If you're looking at a T-Cat with a 136", the first thing you'll want to do is get rid of that stock paddle track. The 136 in the T-C is definitely not for the mountains (too short). Throw on a finger track with a 1.25" lug, and you wouldn't believe it was the same sled. Oh yeah, you'll have to spend some money under the hood to get it to run like it was suppose to. ps. I'm a cat owner..... ;)

Originally posted by atyszka@Nov 5 2002, 09:19 PM
Bigdude, thought you bought that MachZ? Are you still reconsidering?


Kind of a funny thing happened. Yeah I bought the mach. Turns out a guy at work wants to buy it from me at a higher price. Its not finalized yet but I am just keeping my eyes open for other sleds. Just in case.

If I do sell the mach to the guy I have to find something that will still beat him so I thougt what better than a Tcat. I have always been a Cat guy anyway. That may change or may not, we will see. In the meantime, at least I have a sled to look at now!

bigdude, I do believe you made the right decision!!

SWRules Unless you are planning to race all the time a long track is allway better.The first time you cant go and explore new snow or you are stuck for uun hour.You will understand that. The little extar money is will worth it. longer the track and deeper the lug, the better. :doh: :doh:

Bigdude, I do know that more track on the ground means more traction, duh. But you might get a better response to this question in the Mountain section. I would think most of the riders there have long track sleds.

Long track = better hook 90% of the time. I dont think they should make a sled shorter than 136.

ditto :withstupid: :D

Michigan trails, huh? 1-2 ft whoops, right? Longer track will help you skim from peak to peak a lot better and provide a much smoother ride.

136" track should be the standard for all trail sleds

is 136" that much better???? I like going fast as hell on trails and hitting big jumps, i suppose they are still good for that right?

once you try a well set up 136..1.25,you will not want a 121 anymore :D

Exactly.

;) A long track on a Thundercat! now that would be a little different. We here in the Mountains normally want the lightest sled we can find with the longest track that can be put on it. I have settled on the 600cc sleds for my mountain riding since they are normally lighter but some guys want that power. I would rather get the good fuel mileage and ride all day and not have all the power; but everyone has a different idea about what is a good time..

i run short track but i have run a lot of long tracks. my dad has a 02 Pantera 600 and yes with the long track u will get a sweet ride expecially on those wash bordy trails. as far as handling and cornering, in all reality there is little difference. Of course there is some but even if your an agressive trail rider which my dad can be even with mom on the back ( she loves it ) he still can stay with the best of them. Well not with mom on but he tries. Just think, when AC designed the new fire cat, they were not to worried about the extra legth in the track. i ride a 02 800zr with the x-country pacage and its only because of the extra power that i can get away from him. Now he had to play with his suspension setup but with some adjusting it can be done. My self, i love driving a long track, cause there are more pros than cons, they are better ride, better in snow, you get more traction which we find may compensate for any extra weight. We have a few guys that ride with us that have bought touring sleds becuase of these things. With a T-Cat, it should be wicked, i would love to try something like that out.