August 31, 2009
October 16-18: Milwaukee, WI. SNOWMOBILE USA Show & Sale at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. Safety class presented by the Waukesha County Snowmobile Safety Instructors. Call 262-252-3496 for class registration. Show times are Friday 5-10 PM, Saturday 10-8 PM, Sunday 10-4 PM. Admission $9.00, children 12 & under FREE. Visit www.snowmobileusa.com
November 6-8: Novi, MI. SNOWMOBILE USA Show & Sale at the Rock Financial Showplace (1 mile west of the Novi Expo Center). Safety class presented by the Snomads Snofari Snowmobile Club call 248-674-3986 for registration. Show times are Friday 5-10 PM, Saturday 10-8 PM, Sunday 10-4 PM. Admission $10.00, children 12 & under FREE. Visit www.snowmobileusa.com
November 13-14: Green Bay, WI SNOWMOBILE USA Show & Sale at Shopko Hall. Show times are Friday 4-10 PM, Saturday 9-5 PM. Admission $6.00, children 12 & under FREE. Visit www.snowmobileusa.com
August 28, 2009
Here at SnowTech we are bombarded each year with box after box of new products for our staff to preview, review and analyze. So when a new bottle of something shows up, we are very skeptical, to say the least. Especially when it comes to additives, oils, anything in a bottle. But every now and then we find one that impresses us, and here we have one of those.
This time we have a fuel additive called “Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment”. This stuff is fairly popular in the marine industry, and being labeled as an enzyme it got our attention.
This Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment basically is a fuel stabilizer. Pour it in and the fuel should remain viable for over a year. This makes it an excellent choice for storage or for engines that are not used every month (which is about the shelf life of most fuel these days).
It also is an excellent counteragent for ethanol fuels, helping to keep water from forming a layer or causing problems. Bacteria, fungi, mold, and yeast have just met their match.
An enzyme is a biochemical catalyst. To catalyze something, the enzyme increases the rate of a chemical reaction.
Finding an enzyme that reacts with fuel is really cool. With all of the various EPA requirements, one never really knows for sure what they’re pouring into their tank. How fresh is the gas, how much ethanol does it contain, how much water is in there, what is the octane. You just don’t know. Fuel these days is a mixture of hydrocarbons (and other stuff) that consists of molecules of various chain lengths. Long-chain hydrocarbons, short-chain hydrocarbons, and all lengths in between.
The short-chain hydrocarbons are what make up the “light ends” in the fuel, the stuff that vaporizes easily and goes BANG. The long-chain hydrocarbons are the heavy stuff that doesn’t like to burn very well. Ideally, we don’t want too many of either of these, instead it would be nice to have more medium length molecules going into our engines for a more complete burn.
What you will most likely notice is how smoothly an engine will run when using this stuff. The hydrocarbon chain bonding is altered by the enzymes, so we get a more homogonous fuel than we would otherwise. Homogonous means the fuel is going to be composed of a more uniform chain length. Fewer heavy chains means cleaner burning fuel, with less carbon and soot. This product will help to clean carbon (yes, even dirty power valves) and the entire fuel system. The engine will run smoother, start easier, and there should be a slight but true gain in power and efficiency. And what is really cool is it will, to a degree, rejuvenate stale fuel.
Add an ounce of Star Tron for every three gallons for the first dose to shock the system, then back off to an ounce per six gallons. That means an 8 ounce bottle is good for 48 gallons of fuel after the initial treatment.
Add a bottle to start with, and then see what your usage is. If you use the engine all the time the fuel should stay fresh, but as soon as you get to the point the sled or whatever is going to be idle for a while, get some more Star Tron in there. Or, if it is at the end of the season, for sure give it a shot. The ratio isn’t all that critical, we’re told that overdosing isn’t harmful, and adding it every time you add fuel is going to help, but again, if you’re going to burn the fuel up quickly there isn’t going to be as great of a benefit in that you don’t need the stabilizer. Of course, you will still realize the running quality benefit and cleaning action, which is a good thing for power valve applications. Or, if you’re being forced to use 10% ethanol fuel, then adding it every time is going to be a good thing.
Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment comes in several bottle shapes and sizes; the smaller 8 ounce bottles are handy and easy to carry. You will see the difference in your spark plugs and amount of carbon on the power valves, and where you will really see it is in low RPM situations like two-stroke trolling motors. Instead of the rough running chuga-chuga that you’ve been used to, you should notice smoother running and easier starting.
Where can you buy it? Most every marine dealer carries it, but it is also found in most Wal-Mart stores, Fleet Farm (Wisconsin based) and can also be ordered on-line (get a case #14308 of six of the 8 ounce bottles). It comes in 8 ounce, 16 ounce, 32 ounce, whatever you want. It is cheaper per ounce in the larger quantities, of course, but you will usually pay about $25 for a 32 ounce bottle (which treats 192 gallons) which comes to about 13 cents per gallon – cheap insurance against fuel related problems.
August 28, 2009
Here’s the latest on the 3/4 sized snowmobiles coming this fall from Premier Recreational Products of Holly, Michigan.
According to Chris Bell, President of RPC, they have been setting up dealers across the snow states who are listed on their website as they become authorized. These dealers are currently taking orders on the 2010 Premier Enforcer 200 and Enforcer 300 models, for fall delivery. Some of these dealers currently have pre-production units on display, spread out across North America. You can check the Premier dealer locator on their website for dealers that have units on display right now.
The Enforcer 200 is a low 30’s mph performer and is priced at $3670.00 and the Enforcer 300 is a low 40’s performer and is priced at $4289.00. Both machines are liquid cooled and both use radiator/fan combinations so that these machines can be ridden in low snow conditions without overheating issues.
For 2010 there will be two performance options, the Enforcer 200 and Enforcer 300. There are 3 color options: A Candy-Apple Red and Black combination, an All- Black and a very limited Pink option.
Bell tells SnowTech their sleds are fully EPA certified, which was a non-issue due to their four-stroke design. Owners should expect great reliability, quiet operation and smooth power delivery with good fuel economy as well.
One of the biggest issues Premier has been dealing with is the impression that these are “China” snowmobiles. Bell tells us his own team completes the final assembly and conducts quality control themselves at their Holly, Michigan location using “Globally Sourced Parts and Components, including U.S. domestic content”.
How heavy of a rider can they handle, and are there any optional springs? Bell tells SnowTech his staff are all 230+ pounds and they have been riding the prototypes for two seasons of testing. These machines are designed to be a modern day Enticer, Puma type machine and experience, basically a smaller and less expensive machine that is designed to be enjoyed by the whole family. They currently plan to be able to accommodate riders ranging from 75 to 230 pounds.
For more information visit the Premier website at www.PremierRPC.com or call them at (248) 417-0529. They’re located at 209 Elm Street in Holly, Michigan 48442.
August 25, 2009
The September 2009 issue mailed in early August and is currently showing up in mailboxes accross the snowbelt. Not a subscriber? You can subscribe online here, or look for it on the newsstand. Feature articles include an article covering the EPA emission regulations for 2010 – Who’s Ready? Who’s Not? Also a new Driven Clutch from TEAM. A Vintage special on Yvonn Duhammel and much more info on 2010 new models, plust numerous tests and tech tips.
August 4, 2009
RSI has aligned itself with great distributors in the snowmobile industry for the 2009-2010 seasons. For the USA RSI products will be distributed to dealers through Hi-Performance Engineering, Parts Unlimited, and Marshall Distributing. For Canada RSI products will be distributed through dealers by Kimpex and Trans Can Imports. “We are very excited and confident about our relationship with these distributors. They are the best distributors in the snowmobile industry and help to make RSI products the #1 choice of dealers.” Says Wade Durbin of RSI. Contact your local dealer to get RSI products from these leading distributors or check out the products at WWW.RSIRACING.COM.
