Momentum - February 2020 - 8

FEATURE

STUDENT
GENERATION

ENGINE SWITCH PROPELS
UW - PLATTEVILLE SNOWMOBILE
TEAM TO NEW HEIGHTS

Along with a new engine, the
team made other changes
that helped it win first
place in the Spark-Ignition
Class at the 2019 SAE Clean
Snowmobile Challenge.

Photo credit: Keweenaw Research Institute/
Michigan Technological University

The University of Wisconsin - Platteville sled picking up speed in the
Acceleration Event at the 2019 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - PLATTEVILLE SAE
Chapter has four SAE Collegiate Design Series teams:
Baja SAE, Formula SAE, SAE Aero Design, and the
Clean Snowmobile Challenge. With approximately 150
members, it is one of the largest clubs on campus.
The Clean Snowmobile Challenge team has been
competing in that competition since 2002 with a
gasoline-fueled snowmobile, and since 2017 with a dieselfueled one as well. Currently, the team is composed of
approximately 30 members.
In 2016, at the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, a
team member had what seemed like an outrageous idea.
His idea was to use a Ford 1.0 L EcoBoost engine-in a
snowmobile. Upon returning from competition and after
a lot of discussion, the team decided to contact Ford
Motor Co.
At the start of the 2017 season, the team visited Ford
Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich., to acquire that
type of engine. Filled with excitement, the team did not
realize the hurdles they were going to have to overcome.
With the Ford engine being 70 pounds heavier than the
OEM Arctic Cat ZR7000 engine that the team had been
using, as well as being quite larger dimensionally, the
team would have several packaging challenges to mount
the engine into the stock chassis. The other largest
hurdle would be tuning the engine.
The team decided to use a Motec M142 ECU to
communicate with the engine. Setting it up took a
8 February 2020

lot more time than anticipated. The former captain, Keegan Fager,
took various online courses to help learn tuning strategies and spent
countless hours in the shop. After a lot of design work, fabrication, and
validation, the snowmobile was ready for the 2018 competition.
The snowmobile made its first debut at the 2018 SAE Clean
Snowmobile Challenge with several aspects holding it back. Due to the
large size of the engine, not all of the components were able to fit under
the hood. Several tubes were visible from the outside and the panels
were extremely tight. The stock steering was not an option either, so
the team implemented a hydraulic helm steering system, like one on a
boat. This steering system was not ideal, as it did not provide proper
rider feedback or comfort. Although the Ford did not compete as well as
hoped, the diesel was awarded first place in 2018.
Fast-forward to the 2019 SAE CSC. The team, led by Camden
Stoppleworth, was better prepared to display their talent. They
had solved the big issues from the previous year and added a lot of
improvements. To eliminate the helm steering, the oil pan was modified
and the engine was rocked back to fit the stock steering column around
the engine. All the components were packaged into the snowmobile
more effectively for a better visual appearance as well. The tuning was
far more advanced this year too, as the team was able to take advantage
of variable valve timing.
The team's hard work was rewarded at the end of the competition
when the team was awarded 1st place in the Recreational Class. The
team also won Best Design, Best Acceleration, Best Performance, Most
Practical Solution, and Overall Balanced Performance. These awards
represented how well-rounded the snowmobile truly was.

MOMENTUM

Momentum - February 2020

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