Engineers on the case
Totaltek was founded in 1987 to provide planning services for the industry, in addition to producing products for competition snowmobiles.

Soon the company founded and owned by Erik Ahmasalo and Seppo Tiittanen increasingly focused its activities on being a two-stroke tuning shop. During these golden times of motor tuning in every sport, we worked with the engines for carting cars, powerboats, RR-bikes, motocross bikes, speed bikes, hovercrafts, ultralite planes and snowmobiles. At that time we were constantly getting calls from both Finland and abroad with all types of projects, right down to making a tuning exhaust for a chainsaw. We gained a vast amount of experience in a number of fields, but money was tight.

In 1992, Erik sold his shares in the company Totaltek to Seppo and continued his career by heading the Arctic Power Project at the Rovaniemi Polytechnic, where information is obtained using a magnificent laboratory, on the impacts of cold conditions on engines and vehicle suspension.

Working for the snowmobile industry
In a few years, we had brought two-stroke engine tuning to such a level that the Lynx factory started to commission us for the designing of production snowmobile exhausts and engine tuning series for competition snowmobiles. The air-cooled flap valve engine Rotax 554 was born. It proceeded to win a whole host of snowmobile cross championships around the world. Our top product, however, was in 1996 with the launch of the liquid cooled Rotax 747 that gained a legendary reputation among snowcross enthusiasts. It was used to win six consecutive European Championships by three different drivers.

Snowmobile competitions gradually changed to become mainly intended for standard snowmobiles, and year after year the tuning of the more powerful snowmobiles became unnecessary. In the end, there came a time when engine tuning was no longer enjoyable and making a living in this field in the future appeared hopeless. So, our series of snowcross wins came to an end and we left the tuning business at the turn of the millennium. At the same time, we stopped exhaust system development for the snowmobile industry and took a courageous leap into the world of suspension.

Learning about suspension
We were approved as the importer for WP Suspension in the beginning of 1998. We had operated as a retailer for the product for quite some time, but our knowledge of suspension was in its infancy. In the beginning, merely the planning of shock absorbers was difficult, not to mention the making of modifications. Now it has already become routine, and using our self developed computer software, the part list for a new shock absorber can be done in half an hour. The most challenging task we have faced is the shock absorber adjustments and testing procedures. The dynamometer is an irreplaceable device and the competent field testers assist in finishing the product ready for sale.

Runner manufacture is constantly developing
We made our first runners “over our knees” soldering with liquid gas burners on the floor of the shop. They were painted with spray paint outside in the freezing temperatures and packaged and dispatched to the customer. We’ve come a long way from there. Nowadays manufacture operates as serial production evenly throughout the year, using many specialised devices for this purpose. Compared to when we started, work is now a great deal more productive and the quality of products significantly better.

Totaltek becomes a brand name
Over the years the runners have become a brand known throughout the North. It is with these runners that Totaltek has gradually risen to become an appraised supplier in Finland and abroad. The suspension products and especially the engine tuning parts of our earlier activities are only intended for a small group of people, but Totaltek runners are well known by everyone who has snowmobiling as their hobby.