Question:
I live in Alaska and with gas prices so high and expensive out here we need snowmobiles that are reliable, durable and most of all fuel efficient out here in the bush.
Many snowmobilers are concerned about the machine’s weight and the engine’s reliability when considering which snowmobile to buy.
Which snowmobile would make a great choice and fit this description in your expert opinion?
Thanks,
Melvin
Response:
Glad you asked.
In my personal opinion I still think the best balance of weight and easy starting in extremely cold temperatures comes from 2-stroke snowmobiles.
Although I’m a great proponent of 4-strokes, just this year when we’ve been riding in abnormally cold temperatures, our staff has found that the current ones in the market are very effective at starting down to about 30 below.
Once you get them beyond this, we’ve had trouble with start-up. Not that 2-strokes are perfect in these conditions either, but at least you can get to the spark plugs, warm them up and pull the motor over with the recoil. This is tough, nearly impossible work with a 4-stroke and not always effective.
I know you’re experiencing these kinds of temperatures over a much longer time frame than we are down here in the warm south. Also, your cool down interval after riding is much shorter and so, without a plug-in block heater, you’re going to be dealing with cold starting issues much more than us. We’ve had much better results from EFI, CFI and SDI 2-strokes in the hyper-extreme cold.
Kent Lester
