Sled Pushes Into the Corners.

[brew0626crew]

Wondering if anyone could lend me a hand on tuning my 2010 Arctic Cat F5 LXR. I am having problems with the steering. It seems like the steering is awful hard (too much much weight distribution to the front shocks?), and also seems to push hard in the corners. After 150 Miles ride Saturday I was dead.

Can I set more of the weight distrbution to the back of the sled making the steering and turning in the corner's more effortless? Is this in the shocks or suspension? I know this is simple enough to do on my own, but just need a little direction. A few tips and instruction would be much appreciated!

[TommyBoy68]

While I'm not very familiar with the particular suspension you have under your sled, it does sound a lot like the situation I have been dealing with on my wife's '99 Polaris.

I have been adjusting the rear suspension limiter strap, which has reduced the front ski pressure. I still have some work to do, but have noticed that it is getting better.

I'm not sure how yours adjusts, but you might be on the right track starting there. Good Luck!

[AlumaDoo]

I'm not familiar with your sled either, but typically, there is a center shock (front shock in the skid). You need to increase the preload of that shock. By doing so, it will "pick up" the front of the sled which will take some of the weight off your skis. Another adjustment would be to loosen your limiter strap by one hole (make it longer). Being a 2010 sled, there should be a guide either in your manual, or under your hood somewhere that'll give you pointers as to what to adjust for various situations. You could also try to decrease the preload of your ski shocks, but this may cause some "rolling" into corners. Make small adjustments and be patient. It takes time to get a sled "dialed in" with all of the various conditions of snow. Good Luck

[Maize]

Wondering if anyone could lend me a hand on tuning my 2010 Arctic Cat F5 LXR. I am having problems with the steering. It seems like the steering is awful hard (too much much weight distribution to the front shocks?), and also seems to push hard in the corners. After 150 Miles ride Saturday I was dead.

Can I set more of the weight distrbution to the back of the sled making the steering and turning in the corner's more effortless? Is this in the shocks or suspension? I know this is simple enough to do on my own, but just need a little direction. A few tips and instruction would be much appreciated!

What you are saying doesn't make sense. If the steering is heavy, it shouldn't push in the corners. It should be tight in the corners.

Pushing is meaning that you turn the bars and the sled wants to keep going straight. Tight means that it turns on a dime. Almost too twitchy. The ski pressure is set by the center shock and the front ski springs.

Arctic Cat is big on using progressive rate front ski springs. They are good for cushy riding, but not for aggressive trail riding.

If the suspension is set up properly, you will have a sit-in (when you sit on the sled and it drops while not moving) of about 2" for a soft ride, or 1" for a more aggressive ride. The sit-in is set by suspension springs.

The shocks control the ride quality, and how the suspension reacts to the conditions of the trail and your riding speed.

If you are happy with the way the sled rides overall, but not the steering effort, that can be changed by adjusting the suspension. If you don't like the way it rides or reacts to the trails, that is in the shocks.

[fintastic]

Do you have studs? How long of carbides are you running? Is it pushing entering the corner or exiting? Here are some things you can do if it is pushing entering the corner.
-sharpen carbide runners
-add more carbide
-shorten limiter strap on center arm
-increase negative camber of ski legs
-increase ski spring preload
-decrease center spring preload

exiting the corner
-shorten limiter strap on center arm
-decrease center spring preload
-check condition of carbides
-add more carbide
-increase negative camber of ski leg
-increase rear spring preload
-increase rear and front coupling

just try one of these at a time to find out the problem