ripsaw vs cobra track

[3ddirt]

has anybody got real world knowledge or opinion on the functionality pros/cons
between the 1.3" cobra and the 1.25" ripsaw track.i ride mostly groomed trails with the
occasional jump off trail.any real affect on top end do to slight weight increase or drag
due to lug ht of the cobra? any thoughts on long range durability of either?

 

[Dave_B]

You'll probably get a 50/50 on these. I don't think you could go wrong either way.

I have a 136 1.25" Ripsaw on my sled and I love it. There are times riding off trail that I wish I had some more rubber but, on the trails, they can't be beat. JMO

Dave

 

[indy_500]

The cobra and ripsaw are different worlds off trail. The ripsaw trenches while the cobra does a much better job floating. As far as on trail they're pretty close. The long range durability of these newer fancier tracks is typically about 5000 miles if you like to keep good rubber under your seat. The fancy lug designs don't last QUITE as long as your standard <1" track from 10 years ago but you'd be surprised how well they last after you look at the odd lug pattern.. My ripsaw after 2000 miles you could tell it had some wear, but nothing too phenominal. If you plan on purchasing new, I'd suggest Kens Sports, or Tracks USA

 

[swampcat]

Only now you have to pay attention as to - is it a 1ply or 2ply - this opens up a whole nuther can O worms ?

 

[Hoosier]

I haven't ridden a sled with the cobra, but I put a ripsaw on my last sled (2002 Polaris 500) and I was shocked at how much better traction it had than the stock track. For my tastes, it was almost too much, as I like a little more slide in the turns. I never really had that sled off-trail with the ripsaw, so I'm not sure how well it did in powder.

Good question though, as my Fusion's track has seen better days and if I replace it, I'm also considering the Cobra and Ripsaw. As such I'd be interested to hear the opinions of those who have ridden both. Also, I'm considering another 121 vs extending to 136/144.

 

[mezz]

Though I do not have first hand experience with the cobra, I have had a 136" rip saw. I will say this, once you ride a 136", you will not want another 121". As far as the rip saw, it is a good track for the trail, not my cup of tea for boondocking, though it does work, just not as well as the taller lugged track. I have since upgraded from the 136x1.25 rip saw to a 144x2 challenger which is more to my liking for the kind of riding I like to do. Look at the lug patterns & base that on what kind of riding you like to do, I don't think you could go wrong with either one, it's a matter of what your preference & riding style is. Again IMO, once you ride a 136, 141, 144, you will not want another 121.-Mezz

 

[teamblue]

After 3500 miles on my original Ripsaw with studs I put a Cobra in with studs, the track was awesome in all ways, but I couldn't keep hyfaxs on, 2 sets in 800 miles so I went back to a Ripsaw and no wear on hyfaxs in 2500 miles the only differences was the Cobra was open ever window and both Ripsaws are open ever 3rd. Both tracks were used on groomed trails in Northern Wi.

 

[Hoosier]

Though I do not have first hand experience with the cobra, I have had a 136" rip saw. I will say this, once you ride a 136", you will not want another 121". As far as the rip saw, it is a good track for the trail, not my cup of tea for boondocking, though it does work, just not as well as the taller lugged track. I have since upgraded from the 136x1.25 rip saw to a 144x2 challenger which is more to my liking for the kind of riding I like to do. Look at the lug patterns & base that on what kind of riding you like to do, I don't think you could go wrong with either one, it's a matter of what your preference & riding style is. Again IMO, once you ride a 136, 141, 144, you will not want another 121.-Mezz

I hear so many times that once you go to a 136, you won't want another 121, from articles in snowtech and from reading posts on this and other sites. What about on the tighter twisty trails? We often ride out of a cabin located 1/2 way between Phelps and Eagle River, and ride quite a bit on the trails in that area in Wisconsin, which are tighter than those in the UP. Riding those twisties hard at night (so you can see the headlights coming from the other way) is one of my favorite things to do...will the 136 still be good on those trails. It's so much fun to dance the sled around all the turns, the speed is down but it's a blast to go through them...

 

[3ddirt]

thanks for all the input. my sled is a 09 switchback and i was thinking about replacing
the original ripsaw at 3000 miles.i also ride in mn , northern wisc and the up and was
concerned about the tighter turns/136/1.3 lug height of the cobra.it seems this sled
has a slight concern of corner push when you get in the twistys.likley ill stay with the
ripsaw as i have been pretty happy so far.

 

[skiroule]

I have a 136 x 1.25 Ripsaw on my Renegade and I would echo the responses in some of the other posts. It's very stable on the trail, especially in the deeper, loose trail snow that you frequently find on the U.P. trails. The traction on the trail is way better than the short lugs but if I do replace mine, I'm going with a 1.5 PowderMax.

Off-trail performance (for me) has been disappointing to say the least - to the point where I'm reluctant to take it off trail in the Northern Minnesota sugar. It just doesn't seem to have bite that would make it a good off-trail track. Mind you, this is just my experience and I may be somewhat tainted by the fact that I do most of my riding on my Summit.

I've see little or no wear on my track in spite of it being used in some pretty marginal snow conditions around home. Until I added extra idlers, I experienced what I would consider abnormally high hyfax wear. Also, my rails always seemed to run hotter than most of my riding buddies but that may largely due to the Ski-Doo design which doesn't have any gap to let cooling snow pass between the hyfax sides and the sprocket holes. Scratchers solved this problem but it seems wrong to need scratchers on a cross-over sled.

 

[skiroule]

Oh sure, NOW you tell us you already have a Ripsaw on your Polaris.

If you're happy with its performance on your current machine, you've probably got your answer.

 

[3ddirt]

no,just wanted un-biased answers on what other riders like/dislike.
while i have been happy you never know what might be a better way to skin
the cat.

 

[mezz]

I hear so many times that once you go to a 136, you won't want another 121, from articles in snowtech and from reading posts on this and other sites. What about on the tighter twisty trails? We often ride out of a cabin located 1/2 way between Phelps and Eagle River, and ride quite a bit on the trails in that area in Wisconsin, which are tighter than those in the UP. Riding those twisties hard at night (so you can see the headlights coming from the other way) is one of my favorite things to do...will the 136 still be good on those trails. It's so much fun to dance the sled around all the turns, the speed is down but it's a blast to go through them...

I will be truthfully honest with you, you will notice the difference in cornering with a 136 vs. a 121, however, it's not something you won't be able to adjust your approach to & your acceleration into & out of the turn. It is different & it will take a little getting use to, but you can compensate the additional track under you, keep in mind, it is a 15" gain in track on the ground. Moreover, the overall ride with a longer skid makes for a much nicer ride especially in chopped up conditions. The longer suspension bridges the lumps & bumps so much better. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not the cure all for crappy trail conditions, it just makes it a whole lot nicer. After being on a 121 for over 25 yrs, I will NEVER go back to one again, of course, that is just me.-Mezz

 

[whitedust]

thanks for all the input. my sled is a 09 switchback and i was thinking about replacing
the original ripsaw at 3000 miles.i also ride in mn , northern wisc and the up and was
concerned about the tighter turns/136/1.3 lug height of the cobra.it seems this sled
has a slight concern of corner push when you get in the twistys.likley ill stay with the
ripsaw as i have been pretty happy so far.

I have 7000+ miles on a 136" rip saw 108 studs center only looks brand new all northern WI & UP miles. I'm not comfortable with hyfax wear on trails going larger than 1.25 track but that is me. If I changed tracks I would go ice ripper better bang for the buck than studs. As someone else said 1 or 2 ply would be a question too with me I would go 2 ply don't care about the track weight.

 

[xcr440]

keep in mind, it is a 15" gain in track on the ground.

Actually, its more like only 7" of additional track on the ground, if that.

I ride those northern WI twisty trails with an 136" all the time, and the 15 seconds you are going to save with the 121" will be long forgotten by the much improved ride you get over the bumps with a 136".

 

[ezra]

IMHO the rip saw is a great trail track and it stops at that not good at any thing more.
the cobra is a ok on trail ok off trail not great at both great at fresh on top of a groomed trail ditch riding ect.
as far as a 121 to 136 the up's far out weigh the neg.I have never had any one loose me in the tight twistys when on a 136.thig is you can go in to the corner a bit more hot stab the brake deeper in to the corner because you have better traction and then hammer out and pull out faster because of that extra traction.
the cobra I think id the better of the 2 if you spend any time in loose snow they are a combo of the old cone lug made for penetrating the crust of pow on mountian sleds and the stagerd lug and shape of the chalanger.and the soft tips that alow to fold over so you wont trench.

 

[Hoosier]

Actually, its more like only 7" of additional track on the ground, if that.

I ride those northern WI twisty trails with an 136" all the time, and the 15 seconds you are going to save with the 121" will be long forgotten by the much improved ride you get over the bumps with a 136".

I don't care about the time, it's about the fun of pushing it through the corners. As an extreme example, we've rented M sleds in the Togwotee area a couple of times. While there are other factors at play, they obviously aren't meant for tearing around the corners on the trail. I can see why better traction and better ride would be nice, just concerned about cornering.

*DISCLAIMER: I'm not a professional trail racer and I stay on the right side of the trail*

 

[3ddirt]

I have 7000+ miles on a 136" rip saw 108 studs center only looks brand new all northern WI & UP miles. I'm not comfortable with hyfax wear on trails going larger than 1.25 track but that is me. If I changed tracks I would go ice ripper better bang for the buck than studs. As someone else said 1 or 2 ply would be a question too with me I would go 2 ply don't care about the track weight.

definitely a concern with hyfax wear.how does the dnr view the ice ripper? would you have to ride on the "for studs only" section of the trail?

 

[mezz]

Actually, its more like only 7" of additional track on the ground, if that.

Perhaps a poor choice of wording, my bad, but do the math, 136-121=? Nonetheless, a significant length change.-Mezz

 

[xcr440]

I don't care about the time, it's about the fun of pushing it through the corners. As an extreme example, we've rented M sleds in the Togwotee area a couple of times. While there are other factors at play, they obviously aren't meant for tearing around the corners on the trail. I can see why better traction and better ride would be nice, just concerned about cornering.

*DISCLAIMER: I'm not a professional trail racer and I stay on the right side of the trail*

Funny! Agreed!

Perhaps a poor choice of wording, my bad, but do the math, 136-121=? Nonetheless, a significant length change.-Mezz

Right, perhaps, but if you set two machines side by side 121-136, you're only going to see an additional 2 or 3 lugs on the ground with the 136, but still, it makes a very noticable difference.