Cleaner and quieter snowmobiles

The University at Buffalo's entry into the Clean Snowmobile Challenge led to modifications of engine, exhaust, body, and electronics to achieve a snowmobile with both lower noise and emissions.

The snowmobile industry has been challenged to reduce the amount of exhaust emissions and noise output associated with two-stroke engines to allow for the continued use of snowmobiles in environmentally sensitive areas without sacrificing performance. Given these considerations, members of the University at Buffalo SAE Clean Snowmobile Team improved the noise, fuel economy, cost, and durability of a snowmobile suitable for an average consumer. The task was accomplished via the selection of a cleaner and more reliable four-stroke engine-a Polaris Sportsman 500-as the powerplant. The engine is liquid cooled and electronically fuel injected using an engine-management system that is currently in production. A catalytic converter was employed to help further reduce emissions.