Picking a Wife Sled

[zx7rr]

1 hour ago, stoney said:

I have only rode one a couple of times, but every time I did, I could believe the handling and comfort.....but could never bring myself to actually owning one....

comfy to ride but look like a down syndrome barney the purple dinosaur.

[stoney]

19 minutes ago, Turbo Doo said:

I would still leave the limiter strap to the last thing adjusted.  IMO, it's not something that just anyone wants to do right of the hop. Ride it first, make minor adjustments until you have it perfected.  And remember what you did, so if it does not work, you can go back a setting and so forth until you find that sweet spot.

Agree 100%....last thing you change.

My last sled needed it done, but it was the last thing to adjust before she was dialed in.

[Turbo Doo]

36 minutes ago, stoney said:

Agree 100%....last thing you change.

My last sled needed it done, but it was the last thing to adjust before she was dialed in.

Exactly 

[Turbo Doo]

42 minutes ago, stoney said:

I have always managed to get my sleds to where I needed them to be and within my comfort level, all using your standard type of carbide, so not on my radar for now.....maybe something to consider though if I get to that point on a new ride.

Did you order the Pilot TX Skis(adjustment package), or just the TX Skis. Pilot TX skis, I am fairly certain you can only run the stock single carbide, obviously in various lengths of actual carbide. You cannot also move a carbide to the outside also. Only on the non adjustable carbide skis.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Turbo Doo

[stoney]

15 minutes ago, Turbo Doo said:

Did you order the Pilot TX Skis, or just the TX Skis. Pilot TX skis, I am fairly certain you can only run the stock single carbide, obviously in various lengths of actual carbide. You cannot also move a carbide to the outside also. Only on the non adjustable carbide skis.

I did not go with the quick adjust on my sled.

From what I understand, the Pilot X is non carbide adjust and the Pilot TX is the carbide adjust option.

 

I will likely rebuild by shocks and I understand the quick adjust for the skid causes skid removal to be more of a PITA.

Plus I have never had it before on either the ski or skid and honestly never had issues.

Once I set up my sleds, I do not change much, I just adjust my riding style based on trails conditions from morning to afternoon when the trail conditions change.

Also sounds like most with the Pilot X move stock carbide to the outside and add their carbide of choice to the center.....which if that is true, will be something I will do no doubt.

 

I assume I will need to make adjustment on the torsion spring when I have one of my kids in tow with me, but I will do that in garage when sled is all thawed out before I go riding again with them and skid is full of snow. 

Edited March 4, 2021 by stoney

[Turbo Doo]

2 minutes ago, stoney said:

I did not go with the quick adjust on my sled.

From what I understand, the Pilot X is non carbide adjust and the Pilot TX is the carbide adjust option.

 

I will likely rebuild by shocks and I understand the quick adjust for the skid causes skid removal to be more of a PITA.

Plus I have never had it before on either the ski or skid and honestly never had issues.

Once I set up my sleds, I do not change much, I just adjust my riding style based on trails conditions from morning to afternoon when the trail conditions change.

Also sounds like most with the Pilot X move stock carbide to the outside and add their carbide of choice to the center.....which if that is true, will be something I will do no doubt.

 

I assume I will need to make adjustment on the torsion spring when I have one of my kids in tow with me, but I will do that in garage with sled is all thawed out before I go riding again with them and skid is full of snow. 

Pilot X, correct, move stock carbide to outside,  and run your choice on the center. I ordered the adjustment package again for '22. 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Turbo Doo

[stoney]

Just now, Turbo Doo said:

Pilot X, cor, move stock carbide to outside,  and run your choice on the center. I ordered the adjustment package again for '22. 

Perfect....that is how I read things.

[Turbo Doo]

24 minutes ago, stoney said:

Perfect....that is how I read things.

[volunteer2]

4 hours ago, Blackstar said:

 

I don't think I want to go that small with the motor. If she was the only one riding it then maybe but I want this to also be a backup sled for me and something one of my buddies can ride when I want to do a guy ride. The 900 is good for 90mph.

 

I also don't want a light sled. In the past, she rode an '01 Z440, '03 Firecat F5, an '07 500SS and an '09 600 Etec. She didn't like any of them. She felt they tracked all over the trail. She couldn't keep in a straight line. She likes the feel of something solid and planted or she gets anxious and slows down.

 

Her '07 F6 was not a light sled put the steering effort was very light.

 

I like the snowtracker idea mentioned here. I did own a set breifly on my '14 ZR7000. I didn't notice any great change in that sled but I never had much time in to set up before I traded it.

 

 

 

 

 

again all good points to make your decision   900 adrenaline will be real good   Coldfinger had his daughter ride mine and she thought it was a bit heavy        and I should have mentioned earlier  we still have snow on the trail here   if you want to see how the steering is you can take it for a spin  

[volunteer2]

as to the snow trackers   I cant believe when I googled them    I have a set  Duh     I put them on the 06 Confusion   Ya I had a Polaris     Was unbelievable straight and handled great    If I remember I do think it steered heavy but it was the chassis  I am sure     One issue was backing up on asphalt or concrete     not so good    back of carbide bites and ski tips in the air      things may have changed though  

[tricky]

On 3/4/2021 at 10:03 AM, stoney said:

What is it about the snowtrackers that make them work? I have seen them online, never really paid much attention as I never felt the need for something like that, but seeing that many touch points in a carbide, never really sat well with me.....but maybe I am missing something?

I believe the three 'runners' is central to why Trackers work. There is the central runner with carbide (different carbide on Aggressive Vs Semi Agg) which is similar to any single carbide. But the upside down 'U' channel (deeper on Aggressive) provides two more runners or touch surfaces, one on each side of the main runner. Those three runners completely eliminate hunting, darting and tracking in others' ski ruts. That is the number one feature of using Trackers. There are several other products on the market to accomplish the same goal. Easy steering is the second feature of Trackers. This is where debate really starts when set-up varies widely, just as it does when using stock runners. Any sled can steer easily at low speed - just take pressure(weight) off the skis. You can do that by reducing preload on the front 'ski' springs, increasing the preload on the front skid shock spring, or reducing the rear scissor spring preload. Lengthening the limiter strap will also lighten the front end, but as others mentioned that is a gross adjustment that should be a last resort. So its easy to lighten the steering effort at low speeds, but if that is all you do, your sled will push or under steer through the corners as soon as you go a little faster. The faster you want to corner, the more weight you want on your skis and you have to make adjustments opposite to the above. 

For the past decade plus, I have had nothing but Ski Doo Pilot 5.7 skis. I have really liked them for cornering control. Having said that, when I get the sled set up to really corner, I have put a lot of weight on the skis, resulting is a sled that really darts and hunts with stock type carbides on some groomed trail conditions. The looser and deeper the snow on the trail, the better my set-up was, but on a firm trail hold on and get ready for the shoulder/arm workout. I have tried Trackers on friends' 4-stroke sleds since they came out, and had to admit that darting was eliminated and steering was light. I wouldn't concede that steering was more precise, partly because I was cheap, traditional and didn't want to drill holes in my skis. That changed this year when I got my second 900 ACE. I spent the money, did the Tracker installation and love the set-up. I am not alone. Other sledders have ridden my sled this year, and even if they aren't 900 fans they like the steering of my sled a lot. They have been Polaris, SkiDoo and Yamaha late model owners.

The instructions that come with Trackers are crafted for legal reasons. It is well known that Trackers have caused (quick search will show) high and low speed high side rollovers. I personally know of three - A 2011 Vector, a 2010 Apex and a 2015 GSX 900 ACE.  All of those occurred using the aggressive Snow Trackers. Too much traction product on the skis relative to the track can cause such rollovers when the back end swings around out of control, the throttle is closed and the track grabs traction abruptly. So all of the set up instructions that come with Trackers, telling you to get every once of weight off your skis is to reduce or eliminate their liability.

I loosely followed the set up instructions and my sled turned really lightly, but not well at speed. One by one, I made the small adjustments to introduce weight back onto the skis, but there was still too much push for me. Might have been fine for others, but I knew that with both my previous XS chassis sleds I had to shorten the limiter strap one hole to get to my sweet spot. So last week I shortened the limiter and got my precise steering back. This weekend I took back a little of the front ski preload that I had added to get 'bite'. Its just about perfect for me now. Not everyone wants the same sled set up, and many don't even try to improve their ride, but that is what all of those adjustments are there for.  

[Christy]

On 3/3/2021 at 2:46 PM, Blackstar said:

 

Ok, I've been back and forth on this decision so I'm looking for opinions from you guys, and gals.

 

A new sled to replace the wife's Vector that I just sold.

 

Things it needs to have. Low steering effort, heated seat, added traction, good wind protection, 4 stroke, ability to run 60 mph.

 

With this list and what's available out there, I'm basically looking at Ski-doo and likely the 900NA. The 130 turbo is interesting but I don't think she needs it. I would be buying more for when my buddy borrows it.

 

This motor is in the Grand Touring and Renegade line. A 129 would have been fine too but not available. The Grand Touring Sport comes with the Silent Drive track which I'm told cannot be studded due to the drivers. I'm not interested in the Limited version so both these are out.

 

This leaves the Enduro and Adrenaline Trim packages in the Renegade. If I add the heated seat and taller windshield to the Adrenaline I'm still $2000 cheaper than the Enduro. With the Enduro I'd get an Ice Ripper, fancy gauge and Air Ride suspension in the rear. I prefer to stud this sled for her rather than the Ice Ripper as she has always had studs on the sleds she's ridden. I think she counts on them more than she realizes so best not to screw with what she is used to.

 

The fancy gauge is of no interest. As long as she has a fuel gauge and a clock, she will be happy.

 

This leaves the Air Ride. I see her setting it full soft and never touching it.

 

So my question is, Is it worth paying the extra for the Air Ride?

 

I know the Adrenaline was always considered a soft ride. Is that still the case? Are the front shocks rebuild-able? The rears?

 

Any sled you think I'm missing out on? Viper is the only one I see and she doesn't care for my Cat so I think its out.

 

Thanks for all opinions.

I haven’t read through this whole thread so maybe this has been said. 
 

1. I thought at first you were looking for a sled wife lol 

2. Does it have to be 4 stroke? I’d vote 600etec. I went from an RX-1 to a 2011 GSX (different sled again now though) and I was suddenly able to zip through forest trails and if I did needed to I could lift the back end.

Edited March 7, 2021 by Christy

[stoney]

3 hours ago, tricky said:

I believe the three 'runners' is central to why Trackers work. There is the central runner with carbide (different carbide on Aggressive Vs Semi Agg) which is similar to any single carbide. But the upside down 'U' channel (deeper on Aggressive) provides two more runners or touch surfaces, one on each side of the main runner. Those three runners completely eliminate hunting, darting and tracking in others' ski ruts. That is the number one feature of using Trackers. There are several other products on the market to accomplish the same goal. Easy steering is the second feature of Trackers. This is where debate really starts when set-up varies widely, just as it does when using stock runners. Any sled can steer easily at low speed - just take pressure(weight) off the skis. You can do that by reducing preload on the front 'ski' springs, increasing the preload on the front skid shock spring, or reducing the rear scissor spring preload. Lengthening the limiter strap will also lighten the front end, but as others mentioned that is a gross adjustment that should be a last resort. So its easy to lighten the steering effort at low speeds, but if that is all you do, your sled will push or under steer through the corners as soon as you go a little faster. The faster you want to corner, the more weight you want on your skis and you have to make adjustments opposite to the above. 

For the past decade plus, I have had nothing but Ski Doo Pilot 5.7 skis. I have really liked them for cornering control. Having said that, when I get the sled set up to really corner, I have put a lot of weight on the skis, resulting is a sled that really darts and hunts with stock type carbides on some groomed trail conditions. The looser and deeper the snow on the trail, the better my set-up was, but on a firm trail hold on and get ready for the shoulder/arm workout. I have tried Trackers on friends' 4-stroke sleds since they came out, and had to admit that darting was eliminated and steering was light. I wouldn't concede that steering was more precise, partly because I was cheap, traditional and didn't want to drill holes in my skis. That changed this year when I got my second 900 ACE. I spent the money, did the Tracker installation and love the set-up. I am not alone. Other sledders have ridden my sled this year, and even if they aren't 900 fans they like the steering of my sled a lot. They have been Polaris, SkiDoo and Yamaha late model owners.

The instructions that come with Trackers are crafted for legal reasons. It is well known that Trackers have caused (quick search will show) high and low speed high side rollovers. I personally know of three - A 2011 Vector, a 2010 Apex and a 2015 GSX 900 ACE.  All of those occurred using the aggressive Snow Trackers. Too much traction product on the skis relative to the track can cause such rollovers when the back end swings around out of control, the throttle is closed and the track grabs traction abruptly. So all of the set up instructions that come with Trackers, telling you to get every once of weight off your skis is to reduce or eliminate their liability.

I loosely followed the set up instructions and my sled turned really lightly, but not well at speed. One by one, I made the small adjustments to introduce weight back onto the skis, but there was still too much push for me. Might have been fine for others, but I knew that with both my previous XS chassis sleds I had to shorten the limiter strap one hole to get to my sweet spot. So last week I shortened the limiter and got my precise steering back. This weekend I took back a little of the front ski preload that I had added to get 'bite'. Its just about perfect for me now. Not everyone wants the same sled set up, and many don't even try to improve their ride, but that is what all of those adjustments are there for.  

Great feed back and so very true on the adjustment department.