E3 Snowmobile Spark Plugs - News
E3 Spark Plugs Congratulates Colten Moore, Heath Frisby on Winter X Games Wins
Feb 02, 2012
Heath Frisby wins gold and makes history with the first ever front snowmobile flip at the 2012 Winter X Games. Photo by Mark Kohlman/ESPN.
E3 Spark Plugs sends big props to Colten Moore and Heath Frisby for their winning rides at the Winter X Games, which wrapped this weekend in Aspen, Colorado. Moore took the gold in the Snowmobile Freestyle event. And Frisby added a second Snowmobile Best Trick gold medal to his collection of seven Winter X Games medals.
Both wins were surprises. Many fans were shocked to see Moore make it into the finals, after a spectacular crash during the first heat of the elimination round. He let go of a double crab in midair and hit the ground, ducking his head and flipping onto his back in the nick of time. Chalk it up to the impressive aerial awareness he’s developed via exhaustive training over a foam pit and a decade of riding ATV quads.
Moore shored up his win with some serious FMX-styled tricks including a cordova backflip and a superflip Indian air. His skill and showmanship racked up a top score of 93.66, which he immediately celebrated by Tebowing in the snow.
“I knew I had to come out here and stomp the best run of my life, and that’s just what I did,” said a breathless Moore just after his winning run. “I’ve never rode so good in my life. I’m so pumped right now I can’t even breathe.”
Joe Parsons won the event’s silver medal and Moore’s brother, Caleb Moore, took home the bronze. Both Moore brothers are relatively new to snowmobiling, first taking up the sport only three years ago.
Heath Frisby delivered another big surprise, handily winning the gold and making sport history by pulling off the first ever frontflip on a snowmobile. He and his team tried to keep hush about his best trick competition plans, but word got out early in the afternoon. So, Frisby confirmed his plans – and worked up some serious fan hype – by posting a YouTube video of himself completing the trick over a foam pit in a practice run.
Frisby perfectly nailed the trick in his first of two runs. The feat proved impressive enough to beat Moore’s tsunami Indian flip and Parsons’ no-footed can-can backflip. Even more impressive than his history-making trick and top score is the fact that Frisby had the nerve to go for it just moments after seeing competitor and friend Justin Hoyer wipe out in a failed double backflip attempt and get carted off on a stretcher.
“Guys, it’s alright. I’ve been waiting a year to do this,” Frisby told concerned onlookers after seeing a video replay of Hoyer’s wicked crash. “I am my own deal. This is a totally different trick and I’m ready.”
Within minutes, he proved those words to an instantly whipped-up crowd and got an on-field onslaught of high-fives from fellow competitors.
E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Moore, Frisby and all the winners at this year’s Winter X Games. If you plan to hit the slopes soon yourself, make sure you stock your sled with a set of E3 snowmobile spark plugs for a competition-worthy ride.
Check out Frisby’s history-making flip…
And Moore’s gold-winning, FMX-styled run…
Snowmobiling Survival Kit – From Snacks to Spark Plugs
Jan 16, 2012
Have fun tearing it up on the slope. Just make sure you're packing a snowmobiling survial kit in case you break down, E3 Spark Plugs says.
Snowmobiling season is in full force. Every day, hundreds of avid snowmobilers are riding the powdered slopes, tearing it up and, unfortunately, breaking down. Each year, rescuers head out to help dig dozens of stranded snowmobilers out of snow banks and ditches. E3 Spark Plugs offers a few tips for stocking your snowmobiling survival kit to help keep you from being stranded, or at least making your time spent waiting for rescue a little more bearable.
Here’s what we recommend you take with you on all snowmobiling excursions:
- First aid items, including bandages, adhesive tape, iodine swabs, antibacterial, analgesic ointment, sun screen, lip balm, aspirin or other OTC pain reliever, antihistamine and diarrhea medications, etc
- A knife for cutting your way out of a tangle.
- A snow shovel to dig your way out of a snow bank or dig yourself a snow cave if it looks like you’ll be hanging out for a while.
- A whistle, mirror, dye marker or other signaling tool to help alert other snowmobilers to your plight or to help you find your snowmobile later should you have to leave it.
- Pull and tow straps should a rescue team or a Good Samaritan arrive to help pull your snowmobile out.
- A map, compass or GPS to help find your way back.
- A set of snowmobile spark plugs to help get your ride started again.
- A pair of snow shoes in case your ride is too far gone for those new spark plugs to fix.
- A flashlight if you’re snowmobiling at night or in case night falls while you’re trekking your way back home.
- Snacks and water should you find yourself stranded overnight.
What NOT to take with you: Alcohol. None. Period. Alcohol is a top factor in snowmobiling accidents as it messes you’re your motor skills and slows your reaction time, even if you’re not yet certifiably blitzed. So, fugghetaboutit until you’re back home or at the bar and done snowmobiling for the day. Seriously.
Companies and websites like www.snowstuf.com offer complete snowmobile survival and emergency kits, including some with provisions needed to survive for three days or more stranded in the snowy wilderness. Whether you buy one of theirs or build one of your own, just make sure you’re covered. Have fun, stay safe, come home.
E3 Spark Plugs Digs the Way LaVallee, Maddison Powered Into 2012
Jan 02, 2012
Levi LaVallee and Robbie "Maddo" Maddison power in 2012 with record-breaking jumps across a San Diego harbor. Photo by Garth Milan for Red Bull.
So how did you ring in the New Year? Major props if you powered into 2012 anywhere near the way pro snowmobiler Levi LaVallee and FMX rider Robbie “Maddo” Maddison did – with record-breaking jumps across an icy San Diego harbor on a snowmobile and a motorbike at Red Bull’s New Year-No Limits event.
The two rode side-by-side with a shared goal of breaking their respective sports’ longest-jump records. Both succeeded fantastically. Maddison beat his 351-feet, 3-inches certified world record with an impressive jump of 378 feet, nine inches. He came a bit short of his 400-foot goal, likely because wet conditions nixed his 100-mph launch speed goal. But the massive leap proved a record breaker and a crowd pleaser nonetheless. That Maddo can pull off any feat of this sort is nothing short of a miracle if you know his history. Shortly after graduating high school, Maddison came down with viral meningitis and viral encephalitis. The sicknesses caused temporary paralysis and blinded Maddison in one eye. But he recovered and never looked back as he pushed his motocross passion and went pro.
Meanwhile, LaVallee had his own point to prove that night. He was out to break his record of 361-feet, hit last year in a practice jump that nearly killed him. LaVallee suffered collapsed lungs, a broken pelvis, cracked ribs and a concussion a year ago and has since rebounded in ways that many – including LaVallee’s doctors – thought impossible. To say he “broke” the record doesn’t do the guy justice. He SLAMMED last year’s record by a full 51 feet, crossing the harbor with a 412-foot jump. If you’re doing the numbers, that’s 52 feet longer than an NFL football field.
So what, pray tell, drives a man to repeat the feat that nearly put him six feet under?
“It was something I had to overcome,” LaVallee told ESPN. Otherwise it was going to haunt me the rest of my life… After last year and being out I was like, ‘Man, you just missed out on the coolest opportunity.’ And to be here today and to be able to land an over 400-foot jump… you can’t make it any better.”
From all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, congrats to both LaVallee and Maddison. Got your eye on breaking your own personal best record? Stock your ride with E3 motorcycle spark plugs or snowmobile spark plugs. Be bold, but be careful. And have an awesome 2012.
E3 Spark Plugs’ 10 Top Tips for Buying a Used Snowmobile
Dec 16, 2011
Looking to buy a used snowmobile? E3 Spark Plugs offers some buyers-beware tips.
If the pristine, powdered landscape has you aching to throw some snow into the air, it just might be time to pony up some change for a sled. If you’re eyeing a used snowmobile, E3 Spark Plugs has 10 top tips for choosing a sled that’ll keep you riding the slopes for years.
- Resist the temptation to buy the first shiny sled you see. Study up on the models and features you want before you venture out on your shopping spree and be sure to bring a flashlight and a friend so you can see all the dark crannies and get a second, and likely more objective opinion.
- Start ‘er up. If you’re considering a sled being sold by a private owner, ask that it not be “warmed up” prior to your visit. You’ll want to know how well the engine does with a cold start.
- Check for clues that the snowmobile has been crashed. A few tell-tale signs are deep scratches on the running boards and plastic; a non-standard paint job; cracks in the body work (remove or run your fingers over any stickers, as they’re often used to hide cracks; twisted, bent, toed-in or toed-out skis; handlebars that are cracked, bent or appear to have been replaced.
- Check for clues it’s been raced. Racing or aggressive riding put some real stress on machinery, but then again, racing sleds often are the best maintained you’ll find. Look for holes drilled through the bolt heads; cracks or welds in the frame, around the engine mounts and in the front cowling brackets. If the sled has been raced, ask for maintenance records and make sure it’s priced accordingly.
- Look for tears or cracks in the vinyl seat cover. Cracked or torn seat covers retain water and the resulting cold, wet spot on your butt will make for quite the uncomfortable ride. If you love the rest of the sled, know that new upholstery will cost you upwards of $150.
- Inspect the track. Look for cracking, dry-rot and excessive rust – all of which can leave you and your snowmobile stranded. Not fun. Especially if you also have a wet butt.
- Check the brakes, brake pads and brake fluid.
- Peek inside the gas tank. If it’s discolored or has rust, sediment or a milky white paint-like coating, expect to pay for a thorough fuel system cleaning.
- Make sure all the electric features work. These include the headlights, signaling and instrument-cluster lights and kill switches.
- Ask how often the suspension was serviced. The answer should be at least once a year.
When you get your new sled home, be sure to outfit it with a new set of E3 snowmobile spark plugs for a cleaner, stronger burn. Be safe and keep the shiny side up.
Pro Circuit Sweeps the Lites Class at Washougal MX
Jul 29, 2011
DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha rider Kyle Cunningham has finished fourth overall in last three Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX 250cc championship races behind Pro Circuit's dynamic trio. Photo courtesy of www.yamaha-motor.com.
The Monster Energy 250cc Kawasaki team dominated the podium once again at Round 8 of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro MX Championship last weekend in Washougal, WA. Geico Honda’s Justin Barcia led the Lites class through turn one of the first moto ahead of Pro Circuit’s Blake Baggett and DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes. El Chupacabra wasted little time and quickly passed Barcia for the lead but Sipes, who was fastest of day in qualifying, would take the lead away before the close of lap one. Series points leader, Dean Wilson, had a bad start, clipped the fence and was struggling to work his way forward.
Although Sipes has shown the speed to unseat the Pro Circuit trio of Baggett, Wilson and Rattray, the Yamaha rider has lacked consistency. After Baggett re-passed the Star Racing Yamaha, Sipes would make several mistakes dropping him to an eventual 15th place finish. In the mean time, his Yamaha teammate, Kyle Cunningham and the green bike of Tyla Rattray were working their way by Barcia. Rattray would try to close the gap on Baggett but finished 11 seconds to the rears. Cunningham held on for third place with Barcia in fourth followed by a hard-charging Dean Wilson in fifth. Local favorite Tommy Weeck finished sixth on his Motosport Hillsboro Honda.
Wilson’s hard charge continued in Moto 2 as the Scotsman rounded the first turn of the difficult Washougal track in the lead. Barcia, Baggett and Cunningham were stuck in the pack and working hard to get by slower riders. Mr. Consistency, Tyla Rattray, had put his Pro Circuit Kawasaki in second and would challenge Wilson late in the Moto 2. But, Wilson would hold on to a slim half-second lead at the finish line over Rattray followed by El Chupacabra in third giving the Monster Energy Kawasaki team its fifth sweep of the overall podium in just eight races. The DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha of Gareth Swanepoel crossed the line in fourth giving the South African a fifth place overall for the event.
Wilson retains the series points lead but once again failed to win an overall. Baggett’s 1-3 finishes gave the Kawasaki ace his fifth overall win for the season. Rattray, who is the only other Lites rider to win in 2011, finished second overall with Wilson in third. Cunningham’s 3-7 finishes added to the Yamaha rider’s streak of fourth-place overalls. Teams, riders and E3 spark plugs racing fans have the next two weekends off as everyone looks forward to Round 9 of the championship at the famed Unadilla MX track in New Berlin, NY. If you’re looking for a high performance car, truck, motorcycle or snowmobile spark plugs, stop by your favorite discount or auto parts store and pick up a box of E3 replacement plugs for your ride.
Leading Competitors Rev Up your Snowmobiles! E3 Spark Plugs Takes a Look at the Grantsburg Watercross
Jul 11, 2011
Andy Bussy, 2009 Pro-Open World Champion Grantsburg Watercross racer. Photo courtesy of Kerri Harter-Nelson.
Ready for something exhilaratingly different? If you haven’t experienced watercross yet, make plans to attend the 35th Annual World Champion Snowmobile Watercross, E3 Spark Plugs suggests. The “Granddaddy of Them All” takes place July 15-17 at Memory Lake in Grantsburg, WI. Informally known as the Grantsburg Watercross, the event started in 1977 and features the top racers from throughout the United States and Canada competing in drag and oval racing over water.
Also known as snowmobile skimming or pond skipping, watercross involves snowmobilers hydroplaning their sleds across the surface of lakes or rivers. A snowmobile’s wide tracks necessary for traction and flotation in the snow make for great water skimming surfaces so long as adequate speed is maintained. Watercross isn’t as easy as the champs make it look, mind you. In fact, several states including Minnesota and New Hampshire have banned the sport.
But that’s no matter to the dozens of competitors and thousands of fans who flock to Grantsburg every third weekend in July. Many camp out on the banks of Memory Lake each year, taking in all three days of racing plus event extras including live regional bands, nightly street dances, fireworks displays and shopping at the booths of hundreds of vendors.
Are you heading to Grantsburg this weekend? E3 Spark Plugs wants to see your pictures. Post them on our Facebook fan page. And if you plan to try watercross with your own snowmobile, spark plugs by E3 will give you a stronger, smoother, cleaner ride – guaranteed. Check our online cross reference catalog to find the right snowmobile spark plugs for your sled.
How to Calculate the Horsepower Loss at Altitude for Snowmobiles
Jul 05, 2011
Heading higher for your next snowmobiling trip? E3 Spark Plugs tells you how to calculate the horsepower loss at altitude for snowmobiles.
Can I calculate the horsepower loss at altitude for my snowmobile?
Yes you can. If you’re headed to a higher altitude to ride your snowmobile, there are several variables to consider that are directly related to how your sled’s engine will perform in the thinner air. Let’s say you typically ride at 1,000 feet elevation but are headed to 6,000 feet-plus for a snowmobiling trip. Using the formula below, you can make a quick determination as to the approximate loss in horsepower that you will experience at the higher elevation:
HP Loss = (elevation x 0.03 x horsepower @ sea level)/1000
Now, let’s also assume you have a 150-horsepower snowmobile engine in your sled. The Horsepower Loss is going to be equal to 6000 times .03 times 150 divided by 1000 or a loss of 27 horsepower. That’s roughly an 18 % loss of power which is noticeable in both the feel and sound of your snowmobile’s powerplant. So, always take the time to test your sled’s performance before tackling big jumps or slope-side moguls to prevent coming up short.
If you’re headed up the mountain for a competitive snowcross or freestyle-snowmobile event, you will also need to consider the normal atmospheric conditions such as the relative humidity, ambient temperature and barometric pressure changes. Adjustments made to the carburetor or fuel injector can help offset some of the “Horsepower Loss at Altitude”. In addition, a local dealership may have a hot setup for adjusting your snowmobile’s intake and exhaust-port timing as well as a recommendation for the best octane rating for your racing fuel.
Don’t forget. If you’re looking for a hot tip, E3 snowmobile spark plugs are Born to Burn. Our snowmobile replacement plugs provide one of the strongest flame fronts of all high performance spark plugs on the market today. Check your local auto parts or discount store; or shop online at an authorized E3 dealer for your Arctic Cat, Polaris, Yamaha or Ski-Doo snowmobile plugs.
Hitting the Water with your Snowmobile? E3 Spark Plugs Weighs In.
Jun 24, 2011
Make sure you've got a new set of E3 snowmobile spark plugs before heading to the lake shore for some watercross action this summer. Andreas Gradin / Shutterstock.com
For those who suffer separation anxiety with the springtime’s first thaw, we’ve got good news. Just because the powdery snow gives way to the green grass, that doesn’t mean you have to part ways with your beloved snowmobile. E3 Spark Plugs does have a few safety tips for the snowmobile skimming set, however.
Snowmobile skimming (also see summer sports: pond skipping and watercross) involves snowmobilers hydroplaning their sleds across the surface of lakes or rivers. Remember those cartoons where the dog/cat/horse ran so fast that when he reached a body of water, he just ran across the surface until he looked down, panicked and sank? Well, that’s a bit like skimming.
Skimming is possible because sleds have wide tracks for traction and flotation in the snow. If a driver hits the water at a fast enough speed and keeps his snowmobile’s throttle open, the track will keep the snowmobile moving across the water’s surface. But, if a rider backs out of the throttle or if his snowmobile bogs, down goes the ship . . so to speak.
Safety precautions required at the annual World Champion Snowmobile Watercross competition held in Grantsburg, Wisconsin since 1977 include wearing a life jackets and tethering a buoy to the sled. If a sled sinks, the rider releases the buoy from the snowmobile so that it floats to the top and makes identifying the retrieval spot easier. If your snowmobile does hit the lake bottom before it hits the shore, it can be revived. You’ll need to drain the water from the carburetor and exhaust, replace the fuel and get yourself a new set of snowmobile spark plugs. Be sure to check our online cross reference catalog to find the right E3 snowmobile spark plugs for your sled.
“I’ve Never Licked a Spark Plug” and Other Great Lyrics
Apr 18, 2011
Blues legend Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" was one of few recordings released in his lifetime.
In one of his all-time greatest hits, Country crooner Randy Travis balked at the lyrical love language of city slickers, declaring salty ocean water and fall-prone stars unworthy testaments to a good ol’ boy’s romantic emotions. Yet much to our chagrin, Travis’ AMA winner failed to mention the love-inducing power of the spark plug among the snowflakes, Whippoorwills and Southland hollers. Thankfully, the appeal of a shiny new spark plug is not lost on the minds of a number of other songwriters and singers. E3 Spark Plugs offers this list of six great spark plug-loving tunes, from Country to Rap to Blues to comedic Folk to the creepiest Bluegrass you’ve ever heard.
“Terraplane Blues” by Blues legend Robert Johnson. Recorded in 1936 and later covered by Foghat, this song makes the famous Terraplane model a metaphor for love-making – quite the bold move in Johnson’s day. It was one of only a handful of Johnson’s recordings released during his lifetime.
I’m gon’ get down in this connection, oh well, keep on tanglin’ with these wires. And when I mash down on your little starter, then your spark plug will give me fire…
“There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with the Radio” by Aaaron Tippin. Ever try to sell a car with that line? Singer Aaron Tippin sold a few million albums with it. The song became his first No. 1 country hit.
She needs a carbuerator, a set of plug wires. She’s riding me around on four bald tires. The wipers don’t work and the horn won’t blow, but there ain’t nothin’ wrong with the radio…
“Nobody Does it Better,” by late rap artist Nate Dogg and Warren G. Born Nathaniel Hale, Nate Dogg lived the fast life, contributing to more than 40 music chart singles but racking up a hailstorm of legal and health woes. He passed away earlier this year.
They call me DJ and the spark plug, keepin’ it licked. There is no accident for these platinum hits…
“Chainsaw Charlie” by Angry Johnny and the Killbilles. We guess you can’t blame a guy for a love-gone-wrong song that involves a pickle jar filled with formaldehyde when he comes from a place called Killville, Massachusetts.
She’s leaving on the 10:05, tomorrow morning it’ll be too late. Maybe it’s the spark plug, or the gas he siphoned from his daddy’s truck, but that Poulan won’t cooperate. It looks like Charlie might be out of luck…
“The 12 Elan” by Buddy Wassisname & the Other Fellers. This trio combines Canadian folk music and rubber-faced comedy ala Jim Carrey, and are in dire need of a set of E3 snowmobile spark plugs.
Her hood is stitched with wire, and her windshield is tied on. Her spark plug runs on the lighting coil, she’s wired up all wrong! I taped a flashlight on her hood because the headlight’s gone. And the muffler bolts are all stripped out, and the track is stretched too long!
“The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything,” by Relient K. It’s the title song of the first theatrically released computer animated film distributed by Universal Studios. A 18th century pirate crew of zany vegetable characters experience high seas adventures, dinner theatre and barbecue sauce.
“And I’ve never licked a spark-plug and I’ve never sniffed a stink bug and I’ve never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball. And I’ve never bathed in yogurt and I don’t look good in leggings and I’ve never been to Boston in the fall…
Know any other songs with spark plugs lyrics? Let us know. Post a comment on our blog or, better yet, post a video on our E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.
Stranded Snomobilers Know the Value of an Extra Set of Spark Plugs
Feb 25, 2011
Don't be this guy. Before you hit the slopes, pack a snowmobiling emergency kit (including extra spark plugs), buddy up with a fellow sledder and call your mom.
Snowmobiling is in full swing right now, and sheriff’s deputies and rescue workers are reminding riders to take along emergency supplies – including an extra set of snowmobile spark plugs.
Just this week, sheriff’s deputies and rescue workers in Oneida, NY were dispatched to help a stranded snowmobiler who ran his Ski Doo across a swamp area just off the main snowmobiling trail. Not a smart idea, for sure. When his sled started to break through ice covering the swamp, the driver accelerated, hoping it would help keep him on the surface. No such luck. The sled hit a patch of cattails and deep water and promptly sank.
Fortunately, the driver (whose name we won’t mention so as to spare the guy a little humiliation) was able to keep his head and his cell phone above water long enough to call 911. By the time a crew from the local fire department showed up in their ATR, the unlucky snowmobiler had climbed his way out of the chest-deep swamp water to higher ground. He ended up in the hospital – no word on whether his snowmobile made it out of the swamp.
What’s the moral of this story? Any avid snowmobiler will tell you that an emergency pack and a little common sense are critical on the slopes. Stay on marked trails, bring a buddy and let your friends and family know where you’ll be riding and what time they can expect you back home. Make sure your supply pack includes:
- A change of clothes
- A flashlight and batteries
- A Tow strap
- Matches
- A cell phone
- A GPS unit
- A compact reflective emergency blanket in case your GPS unit and cell phone fail
- An extra set of spark plugs
E3 snowmobile spark plugs are ideal for snowmobiles. They offer a stronger, cleaner burn that affords your engine more power and won’t muck up the environment. Cruise our online catalog to find the right spark plugs for your snowmobile, or find an authorized E3 power sports spark plugs dealer near you.
