Are 4-Strokes Really Closing the Gap?

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Are 4-Strokes Really Closing the Gap?


Ross Halvorson
Fri, May 23 2014 2:51 PM

http://cs.amsnow.com/sno/b/sno/archive/2014/05/23/are-4-strokes-really-closing-the-gap.aspx

Many of the snowmobile industry’s biggest accomplishments in the consumer market can be traced back to the race tracks. We once again look to the track to see if there’s evidence of what all the media outlets (including AmSnow) have been saying recently. Are 4-stroke sleds really closing in on 2-stroke machines? Many of the consumers’ favorite snowmobile innovations have migrated from the track to the showroom.

Much of our modern chassis, engines, suspensions and more started as some harebrained idea that was designed, tested and perfected on race day. Why would the 4-stroke engine be any different?

While the 4-stroke engine has been around for years, and three of the four big OEMs currently produce a 4-stroke sled, there’s always been an “us-versus-them” mentality. Traditionally, 4-strokes bring a more efficient, low-maintenance advantage to the table. 2-strokes have always claimed an edge in high-end performance and lightweight maneuverability.
All that might be changing, at least according to data from the race track. Take a look at the manufacturer with the most skin in the 4-stroke game, Yamaha. Their snowmobile line is entirely dependent on 4-stroke engines and their success.

Yamaha was represented in the Pro ranks of the three largest circuits in the U.S. – ISOC Snocross (first four rounds), USCX (entire season) and RMSHA (entire season). The first two weekends of ISOC Snocross were looked at as a dress rehearsal of sorts for Yamaha’s factory team for the upcoming USXC season. No Yamaha sleds made the finals of any Pro-Open event those first two weekends.

That was OK with Team Blue. They had a first-year sled in the 2014 SR Viper to dial in preparation for the USXC season. Crosscountry racing brought slightly more success as Yamaha racers were very competitive finishing in the top five of multiple events. However, they failed to crack the top five in the final season points standings.

It was in the mountains (probably the most unlikely of the three circuits) that Yamaha saw the largest step forward on the RMSHA circuit. Team Yamaha’s Gavin Balls, Chad Jorgensen and Nathan Titus were consistently among the top competitors in their respective classes, each stepping foot on the podium.

Balls put the exclamation point on the season piloting the new SR Viper M-TX by finishing first in the 700 Improved class at the Jackson Hole Hillclimb – considered by many to be one of the most challenging courses for RMSHA riders. It was a stunning end of the season to some, and perhaps the springboard Yamaha needs to catapult their assault on the 2-stroke market share in the coming year.

While the debate between 2- and 4-stroke engines is bound to rage on for some time in the snowmobile industry, you cannot deny the growing success 4-stroke machines have seen in the race circuits traditionally dominated by 2-stroke sleds. And if history is any indication, trends in racing often become trends in Average Joe’s garage.

I read this article over at American Snowmobiler and decided to post it here for our members to chew on. I think the article was really just a conversation starter, in the end the magazine chose not to draw any hard conclusions.

Its clear to me that Yamaha IS back in the game for the first time in a LOOOONG time.

Are the 4 stokes the equivalent of the 2 stokes in the mountain category?
No.
Not "YET".
I don't think anyone could seriously make that claim with today's sleds.

But they are finally on a course that could lead them to it a few years down the road if they really decide to go for it and apply all of their corporate institutional technology to the problem.

The huge question that looms out there for so many of us is, HOW COMMITTED IS YAMAHA?

From the conversations that I have with some of their key players, the answer "I" am hearing, is pretty dang committed.

The "Viper" is Yamaha's first opening shot to the snowmobiling community that they are getting back into the game in a serious way.

From what I hear, they have several more bullets that haven't been fired yet...:face-icon-small-hap

Deep Powder Guy said:

NO, Weight will never be close....A non turbo 4stroke Yammi vs non turbo 2stroke Poo, Cat or XM not even close.

Wishful Thinking
DPG

Click to expand...

Pretty much everyone around here agrees, there is no point to a normally aspirated 4-stroke for mountain use.

At some point, and I suspect we are only 1 season away, Yamaha is going to release a FACTORY BOOSTED sled.

Doning my SnoWest / Harris Publishing Hat..
And when that happens, THEN you will see the first ever 4 stroke sled in the SnoWest Deep Powder Challenge. And then the side-by-side factory comparisons will begin in earnest.

fc8464 said:

I dont understand. If a sled comes from the factory with a turbo and is warrantied, or if the factory gets a second party ( MPI ) to produce a turbo to put on the sleds by a dealer ( or me in my case ) and have the warranty not be affected, whats the difference? To me it makes more sense to contract out the turbo to a person/company that has more experiance in this field to get a better end result. :noidea::noidea:

Click to expand...

I asked Harris about this last winter.
Why is it that the Factory authorized Turbo Nytro and now the Turbo Viper NEVER make it into the Deep Powder Shootouts?

Answer was because the other manufacturers would call fowl since it is NOT a factory sled vs. another factory sled.

So they told me that if and when Yamaha INSTALLS the turbo and delivers them installed to the dealer, THEN they will add them to the yearly challenge.

Deep Powder Guy said:

Yammi has a lot of money invested in there 4 stroke technology. A dedicated 2stroke Yammi mountain sled that is light, nimble and reliable would be nice to see. Yammi already has a huge diverse product line from pianos to boats and everything in between so having a 2 stroke snowmobile doesn't seem unreasonable....I loved my 700MM

DPG

Click to expand...

Ain't gonna happen.
That boat sailed years ago.

Yamaha is totally committed to 4 stroke technology at this point.
And NEW 4 stroke engines will be surfacing in the near future.

I have to agree. The technology is there, but not the consumer demand. The sled consumer base is just so much smaller than dirt bikes.

I don't think you will get any argument on the fact that the Nytro/Viper engine is OLD technology.

Yamaha has moved forward since the Genesis was introduced years ago and that technology has NOT found it's way into the sleds YET..

BUT..
Yamaha has PROMISED US that we WILL be seeing new engines coming forth in the not to distant future.

And with a little bit of luck what we see being developed for their motorcycles may be a "hint" of the general direction they will go with the next generation of sled motors.