When I saw the quality of the work the students had done, I decided to see how their data stacked up. It is not surprising to organizers that the snowmobile from Kettering University is cleaner than the average car. The snowmobile features a Daihatsu 659cc turbocharged 4-stroke engine. This engine is used in the Dahaitsu Mira, a mini-van that meets strict Japanese 2006 emission standards. Designing a cleaner snowmobile is just one of the objectives of the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.
Noise abatement is also an important part of the competition.
Highly sensitive audio equipment measured sound levels from this year's collegiate entries. Measurements were taken 50 feet from the road as the snowmobiles drove by at full throttle. The ultra-clean Kettering University snowmobile hit a high measure of 72dBA on one of its passes. Dr. Fussell and Commissioner Paddleford teamed up to create the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge in the fall of 1998. The two Teton County residents saw a need for improvements in noise and exhaust emissions from snowmobiles, but also recognized the importance of maintaining performance and keeping costs down.