| TEAM
Rapid Reaction
TSS-04 Roller Secondary
TEAM Industries has developed the next generation of their extremely popular Rapid Reaction roller secondary clutch. Called the “TSS-04”, this evolutionary clutch improves upon the already proven performance and durability.
While basically very similar to the current Rapid Reaction, TEAM wanted to make the new one even lighter. The clutch was examined closely for weight reductions, and the result is a secondary that is just over one pound lighter. Compared to a current Rapid Reaction fitted with windage plates, this new design is almost 1.5 pounds lighter! Performance buffs know that a one-pound reduction in rotating mass is like taking seven to ten pounds off of the chassis.
This new clutch also provides a significant reduction in belt and sheave temperatures. The cooler operation is achieved through a new ribbing design in the sheaves that dissipates heat better. Drive belt temperatures are reduced by 10-15 degrees across the board.
Specifically, more ribs have been added to increase the total heat-sink surface area on both sheaves. Just like the cooling fins on the heads and cylinders of an air-cooled engine, more surface area provides more heat dissipation and better cooling efficiency. Heat generated by the belt is sucked away by the sheaves and dissipated by the ribs into the surrounding air.
Each individual rib is actually shorter, and through these shape changes the wind drag has been reduced, eliminating the need for windage plates. Previous secondary designs have always been a compromise between effective cooling and maximum top speed. Clutches with exposed ribs do a good job at cooling, but could be made faster at top speed with the addition of windage plates – smooth covers placed over the ribs that improved the aerodynamics of the rotating sheaves (and top speed), but decreased heat dissipation.
The new Rapid Reaction clutch design does a better job at both ends of the spectrum. It is slightly faster on top end as the previous one was with windage plates installed, yet runs cooler than the previous one without windage plates.
These benefits will be most noticeable on sleds that work their clutches hard; ones with longer tracks and bigger motors in heavy snow conditions. Most mountain riders are savvy to what happens when their drive belt gets hot and the power transfer gets “mushy”. The harder you work it, the higher the temperatures get. The shifting and the performance gets sluggish and eventually the drive belt fails. In these conditions, a 10-15 degree reduction in belt and sheave temps is huge.
Since TEAM was re-tooling, they took advantage of the opportunity and made several other detail improvements to their design. Lessons learned in clutch balancing and surface finishing have been integrated. Bushing durability (and overall performance) has been improved with a “super-smooth” finish process to the hardened shaft. You’ll also notice only four screws hold the helix in place (compared to eight fasteners in the previous unit) reducing weight and making it easier to swap helixes. This is allowed by a design change down in the bottom of the moveable sheave, where the sheave is machined to capture (and support) the bottom circumference of the helix. Previously, the bottom of the helix was unsupported, thus requiring eight screws up top to provide the needed support.
This new clutch is going to be offered for Arctic Cat, Polaris and spline shaft Ski-Doo models this season, with Yamaha models to follow later. While both versions will be offered this year, this design is expected to become so popular that it will eventually replace the current (TSS-98) Rapid Reaction clutch.
On versions for Ski-Doo models, the overall shift ratio has been increased to help accommodate those who run lower gearing that used to cause over-shifting and subsequent belt contact with the inner hub. TEAM testing has shown that on a Ski-Doo Summit this can amount to as much as a 3-4 mph increase in track speed. This makes the clutch super attractive to all of the Summit REV owners who like to gear down for boondocking and hill climbing and do not have an OEM roller clutch in their machine.
One thing that’ll slow down the instant conversion from existing Rapid Reaction clutches to this new design will be this clutch shares no common parts except the springs and some of the fasteners. None of the other parts are interchangeable, including the helixes and sheaves. However, the helix angles and spring rates are a direct conversion. If you have a known working set-up with a current TEAM clutch, the same helix angles and spring rates in the new one will act the same. Engine speed should remain within 50 RPMs, and you should also see a slight (2-3 mph) increase in track speed.
All TEAM clutches have established themselves for better than stock durability and performance through the use of tighter tolerance machining and properly selected materials and processes. Most secondary clutch designs support and align the moveable sheave with two bushings that are rather close to each other, using three cam buttons or rollers. These same three buttons or rollers also activate the moveable sheave.
TEAM clutches separate the alignment and activation functions, eliminating the binding found in other designs. Support bushings are widely spaced, providing better support and alignment to the moveable sheave. This engineering, combined with the exacting tolerances and machining, provides a clutch that shifts smoothly for a far longer period of time.
Dual rollers are mounted to a floating spider, allowing them to self align with the helix. And of course, each helix utilizes the slotted design that encapsulates the rollers for smooth shifting, whether it is on the upshift, backshift, or during quickly changing load conditions.
TEAM offers pre-calibrated secondary clutches for most every late model performance sled, and many performance shops offer their own calibrations to work with their performance packages. TEAM also can provide expert assistance for custom applications. The TEAM Rapid Reaction TSS-04 will run you about $50 more than the current set-up; $299 for the clutch itself (vs. $245 for the TSS-98), $99 for each helix (vs. $89) and $25 for each spring (same springs work in both). Complete packages pre-calibrated for most machines will cost just over $400. Expected availability should be in October. Contact TEAM Performance Solutions at 866-766-9288 or 218-847-9582 or visit www.TPSPRO.com |
