85R hp in Snow

[iowarotax]

Yesterday I took my 85R and Quadzilla out on the lake by my house. There is about 6 inches of soft snow on the lake. I didnt put studded tires on either yet. Heres my questions. The R would haul butt up untill 5 gear, then it would lug down and my speed would drop and would have to down shift to keep my speed up. Now the quadzilla would just keep going and gain speed in any gear. It was almost like a snowmobile plowing through the deepest areas. Do you guys notice this on your Rs in snow or is the quadracers horsepower overwhelming the snow? It was night and day riding the 2 machines.

[Tri-ZNate]

The Zilla has another 250cc which probably makes that difference

[Jason Hall]

That Is what you call torque. The R has a short stroke & Is a small engine that loves to scream (top end horsepower). The LT has a long stroke & Is a big engine, It can be lugged down & still pull (low end torque). Think of It like this, what would pull a loaded trailor easier. A 4 cylinder civic, or a big block truck.

[edog]

Change your front sprocket to something smaller.That will help some
Or try some snow 4 Maxxis tires on the rear.

[super90]

another thing that i always thought about too is theres more snow resistance on a 3 wheeler since the 3 wheels are all in different places. On a quad the front wheels are packing the snow down, and if you ever rode in packed tracks you know its alot easier to go.

[iowarotax]

Ive been riding 250Rs on the lake up here for years and really never had problems getting around. I think the snow is a little crusty and the R is using alot of hp just to keep breaking new ground. As long as I stay in the lower gears Im fine. Riding the 500 spoiled me. That thing never bogs down under load. The R Im running will keep up with the 450 thumpers on top end, but not out of the hole. Pisses me off, they get me out of the hole every time. Is that normal?

[edog]

I think it has something to do with the training wheel.

[CodyJay28]

I went riding yesterday withmy buddy and he has a trx 450r and i was on my 250r. he has some maxxis tires on his which i notice help a ton, i just have the stock tires on my r. he was diffently plowing and going up the hills better than me. my r was just staying on top of the snow peeling out. torque diffently helps in the snow. hella fun stuff tho

[cajunchilipeper]

Not too bad....I wish down here in New Orleans it snowed a little more...would love to ride in the snow

[iowarotax]

Yeah the snow on the lake right now is nice to do long sweeping power slides along the lake shore. Its tacky enough to hold you in a nice groove. On the zilla, wide open top gear throwing walls of snow on all the trees. Heres a pic of the 2.

[nate b]

The R Im running will keep up with the 450 thumpers on top end, but not out of the hole. Pisses me off, they get me out of the hole every time. Is that normal?[/QUOTE]


Most of the time they get me out of the hole too , but I reel em in. They can just launch harder than me without going over backwards, When I do pull the holeshot, its over cause they can never catch up.

[iowarotax]

I just took the R for a spin on the lake. Alot of new snowmobile trails. It really hauls the mail on hard packed. I dont know if Im going to put the studded tires on or not. Once the snow packs down it doesnt stop all the way through the gears.

[Darius1502]

Quadzillas are monsters and have at least 15 more HP on a stock 250R and have much much more torque.

Nothing beats displacement. The zilla engine rev's pretty far too. I love the engine on my '86 R, but my '90 Zilla is a whole different ball game.

[iowarotax]

Riding the 2 again today and really noticed how much smoother the R engine is than the Zilla. Even my KTM 500 is smoother than the Zilla. Is this normal? As you get into the bigger bore 250Rs, do the start to vibrate like the 500s? The R motor really is like a sewing machine, compared to the washing machine spin cycle of the zilla.

[ProCarbine2k1]

Quadzillas are monsters and have at least 15 more HP on a stock 250R and have much much more torque.

Lt500's and Trx/Atc 250r's actually produce near identical HP numbers according to Loren Duncan of Duncan Racing International, but the 500 does have much higher torque #'s.

[250rAL]

It all comes down to the trike making three tracks in the snow and the quad making two. It takes more power to make three. Add to that the fact that the quad's rear tires have compacted snow to drive on and you see the quad has a big advantage when the snow gets to be over 6 inches, especially on ice. Tires with cleats instead of knobs help significantly but it still takes HP to spin them.