14' xtx rear suspension

[Ximer10]

Hey guys i read up alot on the suspension settings for the float 2 i have in the rear skid. I have set at 150 psi ( maximum pressure according to shock) and she's still sagging. My front shock on the rear skid is showing about 20 threads and i read you want about 11 showing on the bottom. I tried adjusting it but i think the hulk did the last adjustment, i cant seem to back off the jam nut. My question is how do i set the sag on the rear skid since there is no tension spring like on my previous sled (summit). i just find my rear skid is way too low. Went for a ride with the wife yesterday and we bottomed out constantly. Does the float 2 set the ride height? Should i keep adding air even if the shock says 150 psi Max? im stumped

 

[Ximer10]

Hey guys i read up alot on the suspension settings for the float 2 i have in the rear skid. I have set at 150 psi ( maximum pressure according to shock) and she's still sagging. My front shock on the rear skid is showing about 20 threads and i read you want about 11 showing on the bottom. I tried adjusting it but i think the hulk did the last adjustment, i cant seem to back off the jam nut. My question is how do i set the sag on the rear skid since there is no tension spring like on my previous sled (summit). i just find my rear skid is way too low. Went for a ride with the wife yesterday and we bottomed out constantly. Does the float 2 set the ride height? Should i keep adding air even if the shock says 150 psi Max? im stumped

and im about 180 lbs with riding gear.

 

[tapex_07]

150 psi in the float 2 for a 180lb rider, seems high to me. But if you and your wife are on it, it's going to bottom... You have the track off the ground when you set the float 2 pressure correct?

 

[Ximer10]

ohh ya i take it off the ground, and it bottoms out with just me on it? does the float set ride height too? maybe its time for a rebuild?

 

[Joseph Levandoski]

I replaced the original shock on my XTX twice. The first time (about 2,500 miles), I sent the FLOAT 2 back to Yamaha and they returned a replacement. At about 4,100 miles, I was seeing the sagging again and was always bottoming. I worked with my dealer to install a coil shock off a Viper MTX skid and this works perfectly. I only bottom on the biggest hits, there is no more sag in the suspension, and the ride is much better. I highly recommend going this route instead of trying to mess around with the FLOAT 2s.

 

[Ximer10]

I replaced the original shock on my XTX twice. The first time (about 2,500 miles), I sent the FLOAT 2 back to Yamaha and they returned a replacement. At about 4,100 miles, I was seeing the sagging again and was always bottoming. I worked with my dealer to install a coil shock off a Viper MTX skid and this works perfectly. I only bottom on the biggest hits, there is no more sag in the suspension, and the ride is much better. I highly recommend going this route instead of trying to mess around with the FLOAT 2s.

do you have a part number for that shock? i looked it up on the parts list from yamaha and the viper mtx comes with the same shock as i have

 

[Joseph Levandoski]

Mountain Coil Shock

As seen here, there are a few parts that go into the shock (absorber body and spring). This is a 2015 SR Viper MTX rear suspension for reference.

 

[Wannaviper]

Mountain Coil Shock

As seen here, there are a few parts that go into the shock (absorber body and spring). This is a 2015 SR Viper MTX rear suspension for reference.

I understand the that 141" MTX has the same skid as the XTX, but I assume that the 153" skid must be different. Was the rear shock from the 153" a bolt in replacement, or did it require modification? If it is a direct bolt in, that might be the answer to a lot of XTX riders' prayers.

 

[Joseph Levandoski]

Unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure which model this shock came off of. The dealer I shop at (Gary's Yamaha in Caribou, ME) had this lying around after another customer changed it out for a FLOAT series shock. When we were pulling FLOAT 2 out of my skid, the mechanic was skeptical (they hadn't changed out a FLOAT to a coil shock on an XTX yet). But it bolted right in and fit perfectly. Now my rear end sits right were it should and always returns back to normal ride height. I'm still working on how stiff I want the rear spring, but so far it rides great and seems smoother than the original air shock.

While on my trip in Canada this past weekend and during normal riding in Maine, I have seen my fair share of Viper XTXs and Arctic Cat XF 141s with the air shock and all have been "sagging".

 

[Wannaviper]

Unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure which model this shock came off of. The dealer I shop at (Gary's Yamaha in Caribou, ME) had this lying around after another customer changed it out for a FLOAT series shock. When we were pulling FLOAT 2 out of my skid, the mechanic was skeptical (they hadn't changed out a FLOAT to a coil shock on an XTX yet). But it bolted right in and fit perfectly. Now my rear end sits right were it should and always returns back to normal ride height. I'm still working on how stiff I want the rear spring, but so far it rides great and seems smoother than the original air shock.

While on my trip in Canada this past weekend and during normal riding in Maine, I have seen my fair share of Viper XTXs and Arctic Cat XF 141s with the air shock and all have been "sagging".

I have two XTX's, a 2014 (my grandson's) with @ 6,000 miles and a 2016 with @ 800 miles now. The 2014 has the Float 2 and my 2016 has the Float 3 rear suspensions. I really haven't paid much attention to how much they "sag", but they are "harsh" in the stutter bumps, and I suspect a good coilover would smooth out those bumps. I know the XTX's have gotten mixed reviews as trail sleds, but honestly, with the exception of the harshness in small bumps, I have never ridden a better trail sled. Have you noticed any difference in the handling of the sled now that you have gone from the Floats to a coilover? I want a softer ride, but I don't want to give up the handling, and I don't know how much of that might be attributable to the stiffer shocks.

 

[tapex_07]

I understand the that 141" MTX has the same skid as the XTX, but I assume that the 153" skid must be different. Was the rear shock from the 153" a bolt in replacement, or did it require modification? If it is a direct bolt in, that might be the answer to a lot of XTX riders' prayers.

The 141/153/162 skid is the same, just rail length.

 

[Joseph Levandoski]

I have two XTX's, a 2014 (my grandson's) with @ 6,000 miles and a 2016 with @ 800 miles now. The 2014 has the Float 2 and my 2016 has the Float 3 rear suspensions. I really haven't paid much attention to how much they "sag", but they are "harsh" in the stutter bumps, and I suspect a good coilover would smooth out those bumps. I know the XTX's have gotten mixed reviews as trail sleds, but honestly, with the exception of the harshness in small bumps, I have never ridden a better trail sled. Have you noticed any difference in the handling of the sled now that you have gone from the Floats to a coilover? I want a softer ride, but I don't want to give up the handling, and I don't know how much of that might be attributable to the stiffer shocks.

Looking back over the 2 1/2 years that I've owned my XTX, it did ride very harsh with the air shock. I believe this to be centered around how much "sag" the shock had, which resulted in use of half the regular amount of travel. Also, I found the front skid shock was ALWAYS bottoming, adding to the harsh ride.

When I switched over to the coil shock, I found it was much smoother in travel, bottomed less, and was overall a much better ride. The skid rarely bottoms (even on the biggest hits), but I have it set stiffer because I'll ride off obstacles in the trail. As far as a basic shock goes, this improved the handling of my XTX tenfold. I can lean the snowmobile on it's side much easier when playing in the powder and it handles 3 foot moguls without missing a beat (I rode 50 miles of moguled out logging road at 65 MPH - 75 MPH and it didn't miss a beat). I agree in saying this is an excellent handling snowmobile (I often disagree with what is said in reviews about the uncoupled skid and how it "negatively" impacts handling). If you're questioning the harshness of your air shocks, I would highly recommend taking a look at changing them out (it's literally just two bolts). Off the top of my head, I believe the shock cost about $300 brand new, which is much less expensive than any coil shock offered by Fox and still provides an excellent ride for the money. It doesn't have the adjustability of any knobs for compression, but I haven't needed to change anything and I haven't noticed any weight penalty going with coil versus air (not that I care because I would rather have the improved ride even if it adds a pound or two).

 

[Wannaviper]

Looking back over the 2 1/2 years that I've owned my XTX, it did ride very harsh with the air shock. I believe this to be centered around how much "sag" the shock had, which resulted in use of half the regular amount of travel. Also, I found the front skid shock was ALWAYS bottoming, adding to the harsh ride.

When I switched over to the coil shock, I found it was much smoother in travel, bottomed less, and was overall a much better ride. The skid rarely bottoms (even on the biggest hits), but I have it set stiffer because I'll ride off obstacles in the trail. As far as a basic shock goes, this improved the handling of my XTX tenfold. I can lean the snowmobile on it's side much easier when playing in the powder and it handles 3 foot moguls without missing a beat (I rode 50 miles of moguled out logging road at 65 MPH - 75 MPH and it didn't miss a beat). I agree in saying this is an excellent handling snowmobile (I often disagree with what is said in reviews about the uncoupled skid and how it "negatively" impacts handling). If you're questioning the harshness of your air shocks, I would highly recommend taking a look at changing them out (it's literally just two bolts). Off the top of my head, I believe the shock cost about $300 brand new, which is much less expensive than any coil shock offered by Fox and still provides an excellent ride for the money. It doesn't have the adjustability of any knobs for compression, but I haven't needed to change anything and I haven't noticed any weight penalty going with coil versus air (not that I care because I would rather have the improved ride even if it adds a pound or two).

There are a number of members on this site that have a huge amount of knowledge and experience about shocks, and I hope some of them will stumble onto this thread, and share their thoughts. I have been reading everything I could find about the XTX rear suspension, and I am surprised that there has not been some discussion about the coilover that you discovered. I appreciate you sharing your experience, and I promise that I will be asking my dealer what he knows about that 153" rear shock!

 

[Wannaviper]

The 141/153/162 skid is the same, just rail length.

Thanks!

 

[Joseph Levandoski]

There are a number of members on this site that have a huge amount of knowledge and experience about shocks, and I hope some of them will stumble onto this thread, and share their thoughts. I have been reading everything I could find about the XTX rear suspension, and I am surprised that there has not been some discussion about the coilover that you discovered. I appreciate you sharing your experience, and I promise that I will be asking my dealer what he knows about that 153" rear shock!

It's probably one of those things where people either work with what they have, fix the shock constantly, or find a suitable fix and continue to use what they have. I was upset with constantly trying to fix the shock or pump air in over and over during the course of a ride that I found a way to replace.

I see that you are from Maine. If you ever ride in Aroostook County, let me know and I'll let you test out the shock on my snowmobile. We ride in the Caribou area and that might give you some insight into deciding if changing out the shock is the right move for you.