x-ring vs. o-ring
- Thread starter cr125boy
- Start date
With a 125 as your base I would buy a quality non-oring chain. 125's are down on HP to begin w/and although they say O-rings have greatly improved in loss of weight, they say that o-ring chains cause loss of power on 125's. My friend had a kx125 w/ an oring and it felt kinda doggy. I always went w/sidewinder chain and sprokets w/good results.
An o-ring, or x-ring chain are virtually the same animal. The o-ring has a perfectly round profile, where the x-ring looks like an X and has a slight bit less friction than the O. Both of them were designed for riding in sloppy or adverse conditions.
If you ride moto, you should look at using a standard chain, keeping in mind that you need to pull proper maintenance on it. Adjustment, cleaning, and lubrication are critical to the longevity of both chain and sprockets.
Many will tell you to use a ring chain. Also, many will tell you they are low maintenance items...wrong. They take the same maintenance as a standard chain if you want them to last.
The optimum situation would be to use a standard chain for most all of your moto's and when you ride in mud, change out to your O-ring. When the conditions are back to groomed and good, change back to standard.
If you ride moto, you should look at using a standard chain, keeping in mind that you need to pull proper maintenance on it. Adjustment, cleaning, and lubrication are critical to the longevity of both chain and sprockets.
Many will tell you to use a ring chain. Also, many will tell you they are low maintenance items...wrong. They take the same maintenance as a standard chain if you want them to last.
The optimum situation would be to use a standard chain for most all of your moto's and when you ride in mud, change out to your O-ring. When the conditions are back to groomed and good, change back to standard.
I have never actually done a scientific comparison myself, but I do know of at least one man who dyno checked it and the difference was as much as 2HP.
I do know that you can feel the difference on the stand.
I do know that you can feel the difference on the stand.
Really? Thanks for the info Jaybird....next chain I buy will not be an O-Ring. I always wondered if you could even tell the difference, but I guess that you can! I have been misled by many a people saying that "O-Rings are no maintenance and last much longer!" No more, I will get a competition type chain (like I always had) and clean it every ride. :)
Good man!
Jay, I am curious, why do superbikes (RR) use o-ring chains? I would have thought, where HP is at a premium, that a standard chain would be their choice but I was "told" that it was because of the extreme speeds throwing any lube from a standard chain rollers...do you know anything about this type application?
Many petroleum or wax based chain lubes will actually "fling" off at higher RPM's. Centrifigul force tends to force lubricant out of the friction areas, or it will thin it out to a unacceptable film thickness. Petroleum lube must have a thickness of at least .001" to be effective and once the film is less than that in thickness, it cannot effectively carry the friction load. Some lubes have tried to overcome this effect by using thickners to help the lube stay put, but IMO these thickners hinder the lubricating ability of the base lube as they take up space and the thickners have very little lubricity. (not to mention the big mess they leave)
We use a different technology for carrying the friction load. Moly contains polar solids that actually adhere themselves to the microscopic craters in the metal surfaces like little magnets. These polar solids repel each other on a molecular level, and resist the slinging that centrifigul force places on the chain. There is not the concern of film thickness, using lubricating solids, that conventional petroleum lubes must maintain to be efffective.
We also incorporate additives that actually treat the surface of the metal to resist friction, which is something that no petroleum lube does. So even in the event that the solids would be cleaned away, there is still the treat helping to resist friction wear.
We use a different technology for carrying the friction load. Moly contains polar solids that actually adhere themselves to the microscopic craters in the metal surfaces like little magnets. These polar solids repel each other on a molecular level, and resist the slinging that centrifigul force places on the chain. There is not the concern of film thickness, using lubricating solids, that conventional petroleum lubes must maintain to be efffective.
We also incorporate additives that actually treat the surface of the metal to resist friction, which is something that no petroleum lube does. So even in the event that the solids would be cleaned away, there is still the treat helping to resist friction wear.
