1st-time Ski Doo owner - darting issue

[Chopper]

recently purchased a used, 2005 MXZ 550f, it is equipped with the Camoplast blow molded ski. Tried new carbides (someone recommended), but still experiencing serious darting problems

front shocks are not adjustable, so any other thoughts/ideas/recommendations? Greatly appreciate informed responses from anyone out there with experience on this sled or similar.

Thanks in advance.
Chopper

[revrider19]

just wondering do those ski's have dual carbides ? have you checked the alignment on your ski's ? toe in . if single carbides how long are they ? 4" 6" etc etc . front end pretty tight ? one loose tie rod or ball joint would make a serious dart issue . i have a dual carbide ski's on my skidoo and it still darts now and again . on my arctic i put "dually's" on it and it seemed to help . hopfully this helped a little . i would say seriouly check the front end for wear !

[AlumaDoo]

Try adjusting (softening) the front shock, (underneath). Make sure your overall suspension is set up right. When you plant your butt on the seat the sled should squat about 2-3 inches. Make adjustments to correct that first by adjusting the shocks and spring underneath. See if you're missing an adjustment in the ski shocks, if so, soften them up too. This will give you more "steerability." (check your belt guard or owners manual for guidelines on suspension set up) Don't forget, snow conditions obviously play a part in it all too
Good luck:D

[Chopper]

thanks for the replies...
the front shocks are not the adjustable type
as for setup, unfortunately I did not receive an owners' manual with the sled

I do see that the front rear shock (front track shock) IS adjustable, so wondering how to set this up? I do appreciate the input, I'll try the dealer also, but his first reply was "try new carbides"...which I put new 4" on. Will check the ski alignment next (how much off from parallel should they be?)

Thanks again!

[revrider19]

that the shock and other other adjustments are on the belt cover ? mine is. as for the toe in and out i am looking for my manual as we speek . anyone correct me if i am wrong but mine is set at 1/8 to 1/4 toe in just went to the shop and checked. the front end was tight then ?

[AlumaDoo]

It's awful odd that you can't adjust your ski suspension, especialy on an '05 sled! It should have a collar at the bottom of the spring, that you rotate with a spanner wrench that adds or reduces the down force of the spring to the ski. Your tool kit would have the spanner wrench in it. The same thing should be on the front shock underneath. ??? My '02 MXZ 500 has this style set up, maybe the '05's changed. ??? The other suspension adjustments are made at your main spring with a square cam that can get rotated to add or reduce spring pressure.

[Joe Pellar]

All single runner/carbide ski's wobble all over the place. A double runner/carbide ski will completely stop that from occurring. There is a company that makes them, but I can't remember the name. The runners are on both outsides of the ski, which leaves a double carbide track on each side.
Ask your local dealer the company name.

[spike]

I wouldn't doubt anyones owners manuel, but i've worked on sleds for years for a living and never heard of one being toed in. Just my opinion though. That should be a great sled, don't bum out yet, i'm sure it's something simple.

[spike]

I don't know if you have figured this out or if you frequent this site anymore, but i've been doing some research on 550 Rev fans and sounds like everyone with the 05 and the ski you stated is having the same issues. Looks like some newer skis may be the way to go.

[Howler]

Darting usually comes from too much ski pressure. The key is SMALL steps to correct it. I would start by checking your rear suspension blocks. How much spring pressure are they set to. Second, check to see how tight your limiter straps are. The more that they are pulled down, the more ski pressure you will have. Thirdly, try adjusting that front spring in the rear skid. Do it carefully, as it can really screw with the center of gravity on the sled & really throw it out of wack.

If you have scales, you can measure the amount of ski pressure you have on the front vs the rear skid. This will also help you to dial in and ballance the sled. I try to run about 2 deg of toe out on the skis. May cut a hair off of top end, but helps to eliminate potential darting as well.

[1fastmxz]

there's a set of precision skies on Craig'slist right now. check Madison rvs

[BIG JAY]

you beat me to it, we have that same sled, put the stock ski's back on and you'll be fine.

[polaris 04]

Howler is 100% correct.

Also, I think I read that you have it set toe-in.....you want to have it toe-out about a 1/4".

I try to run a straight edge down the track, and then run about 1/8" toe-out on both sides. I have a 12' straight-edge for carpeting that I got at Menards for around $20. It works perfectly. I just line it up with the track and out the front, then measure from that to the skis.

Those ski shocks are not adjustable in the fact that they don't have rebound-compression settings on the shock. They do have an adjustable collar on the bottom of the shock, just under the spring. You can adjust the spring pressure on those shocks. The collar will have steps in it. My guess is that it is set on the stiffest setting.

You want to make sure that your sled is set up neutral before making any adjustments.

Start by setting the front ski springs on the softest setting. Cycle it up and down a couple of times by pressing down on the front bumper and releasing.

Then, lift up the back of the sled and set it down. When setting it down, watch the skid. The skid should hit the floor flat. The front should not hit first, of the back should not hit first. It should sit flat. Adjust the front limiter strap up or down until it does so.

To make adjustments to the limiter strap, just get a 4X4 about 6-8" long. Lift up the sled and put the block sidways under the front part of the skid. Set it back down on it and press down. This will release all the pressure on the limiter straps and allow you change them safely.

Then loosen all the skid shock springs to their softest settings. The center skid shock will have a collar on it just like the front ski shocks. The rear torsion springs have blocks, have the springs set to the thinnest setting.

Next. You need to adjust the sit-in. If you are an aggressive rider, you should strive for a 1" sit-in. If not an aggressive rider, you should adjust to a 2" sit-in. With those oiler shocks, you are probably looking at between 2-3".

Measure the distance of the rear bumper to the floor while NOT sitting on the sled. Then sit on the sled and take the same measurement. Subtract that amount from the free height and you have your sit-in height.

To make the skid stiffer, adjust both the center shock and the rear torsion springs in unison. Firming up the center shock will not only help sit-in, but also ski pressure. The firmer the center shock is, the less ski pressure you will have.

With the oiler shocks that sled comes with, you won't be able to make a real aggressive riding sled. I think someone has probably cranked up the ski pressure to help make it corner better. Those shocks are designed to ride really nice, not handle like a Porshe.

The best thing to do would be find some cheap rebuilable shocks on ebay after the season. I can revalved them to your sled for like $41 each. You can then adjust the ride to your liking. The springs you have are perfect. You just need some good shocks under them.

I have shocks available for that sled, too. But I don't push them. You need to get a feel for how to set it up before getting new shocks.

I have a detailed set up sheet that I send with all my new shocks. If you can PM me a fax number, or your address, I can send it out to you so you know a little better what is going on and how to adjust. It is pretty much what I posted here, but a little more detailed.

Hope this helps....
MY WIFE HAS A 2006 GSX 500 SS SHE IS NOT HAPPY WITH THE RIDE SHE HAD A POLARIS 600 with the m-10 and loved it could we get it set up similar to that she weighs about 170( she wont tell me )thanks

[POLARIS CHRIS]

maize for president,,,wow !
i have a friend that needs his rear shock rebuilt on his 02or 03 polaris xc800 edge, gonna send him your way!

[slideways]

Great info. Thanks Maize. When my shocks go south, I'll remember where I learned all that. Thanks again.