Align the friggen thing with the gnr kit. Ski doo doesn’t know what they are doing with these bandaid updates.
After aligning mine and shimming the secondary I’ve noticed a big difference in clutch temps. Sled seems to mph a bit better too.
The reduction in belt dust is the BIGGEST improvement. That tells you something without a even measuring temps.
Being an engineer you know you don't mean that when you make that last half of your first statement. As has been discussed many times before, one has to look at the history where sled clutch belt alignment has come from. When they basically took it out of the hands of dealers and mechanics with the Rev followed by the XP and subsequently XS and XM.... they use one 4 way and two way locators such that the belts are essentially non adjusable. I am sure they had much more favorable belt life and fewer issues with this system over the years. As they went to the bigger longer stroked 850 they floated it a bit more and came up with the clever offset balance clutch. And they are learning.. and reacting as quick as a large corporation can.
But I agree, one should be proactive.. if he enjoys sleds and has a modicum of knowledge. I suspect that the tools and parts that Grip and Rip have come up with are the best way to handle the tolerance stack up of the current Gen 4 drive system for a person with some skills. By the same token I doubt Ski-Doo as a corporation wants to go back to a mechanic adjusted belt alignment for the long term. Although in this case the tolerance stackups may force them that way.
By the same token Tim and Carey are sharp people.. and work with some more sharp people. When and where there is a need, they have stepped in and filled that need.
Alignment, belt strength/durabilty and ventilation/cooling ... have always been needed since the first CVT sled was sold and it still is today - amazing huh? I floated, shimmed and vented my 2017 when I got it 3 years ago and have yet to have a belt issue.
I take my hat off to Ski-Doo for the most enjoyable sled I have ever had and I doff it to the Grip and Rip team too. They make a super product for those that are at the extremes of the doo tolerances. 
Edited by djm, 11 January 2019 - 08:57 PM.