Help a friend setup his 15 xtx

[tnc110]

My buddy bought a 15 xtx se at the end of last year. I would guess with gear he is close to 250#. First ride he complained that he could not get it to turn.(this is all trail riding) I had a set of shaper bars, maybe 6 inch, can't remember. We installed shapers and the stock carbides, let off some of the preload on the center shock. He said it was better, but still not great.

Should he try another shaper on the other location (he needs to replace the stockers anyway as they are shot).
Pull the limiter strap tighter a hole or two?

I know the xtx is tough to get to turn with the uncoupled skid, but what can he do to get the most out of it.
Curves would help, but I don't think they are in the budget this year.

 

[Quipper16]

My buddy bought a 15 xtx se at the end of last year. I would guess with gear he is close to 250#. First ride he complained that he could not get it to turn.(this is all trail riding) I had a set of shaper bars, maybe 6 inch, can't remember. We installed shapers and the stock carbides, let off some of the preload on the center shock. He said it was better, but still not great.

Should he try another shaper on the other location (he needs to replace the stockers anyway as they are shot).
Pull the limiter strap tighter a hole or two?

I know the xtx is tough to get to turn with the uncoupled skid, but what can he do to get the most out of it.
Curves would help, but I don't think they are in the budget this year.

More pressure in the ski shocks and the rear skid shock, less preload on the front skid spring. That's what I do on mine for trail riding. Still not the greatest but it keeps the front end down and bites a little better.

 

[InRBigness]

If he is running the tuner ski's good luck. I had same issues until I got curves. WAAAAAAY better now.

 

[Wannaviper]

We have a 2014 & 2016 XTX SE and set them both up with SLP Mohawks and Bergstrom triple points. They absolutely "rail" on the trail, and have great flotation off trail. I have never ridden Curves, but I honestly cannot imagine anything that would handle better than the Mohawks; they are a perfect match for the XTX!

 

[Team Lazy]

Snowtrackers. Not as good as new skis I'm sure but a very significant improvement for about $100 and a half hour work.

 

[chuckpp]

Snowtrackers. Not as good as new skis I'm sure but a very significant improvement for about $100 and a half hour work.

Are you saying snowtrackers are 100 bucks?

 

[Wannaviper]

I ran Snowtrackers on my old Vector, I still do on my wife's Vector. When we bought the used 2014 XTX I took the single keel skis off and put them on my Viper LTX DX so that I could run Snowtrackers on it. I am a definite fan of Snowtrackers. That having been said, I do not know how the Snowtrackers for the Tuner Skis perform; they are different than the single keel Snowtrackers and I have no experience with them. Aftermarket skis like Curves and Mohawks may be "pricey", but when you buy a sled that lists for over $13,000, they are a comparatively small investment. I've ridden my 2016 XTX SE with Mohawks twice now; one day in fresh powder "off trail", and the other for 150+ miles on hardpack trails, and I can't get the "permagrin" off my face; IMHO they are a perfect match for the XTX.

 

[Team Lazy]

Are you saying snowtrackers are 100 bucks?

Boy did I get that wrong! Sorry. But they are under $200 in USD.

 

[ck7923]

I had exactly the same issue you're describing. Shock and limiter adjustments provided minimal improvement. I tried Simmons Gen 1 skis (with max carbides) and found an unbelievable difference - it rails now, and I had to back off some of the adjustments I'd previously made to weight the front end. It's the Tuner skis, don't even waste your time with adjustments. Replace them.

 

[murdered141]

I ran Snowtrackers on my old Vector, I still do on my wife's Vector. When we bought the used 2014 XTX I took the single keel skis off and put them on my Viper LTX DX so that I could run Snowtrackers on it. I am a definite fan of Snowtrackers. That having been said, I do not know how the Snowtrackers for the Tuner Skis perform; they are different than the single keel Snowtrackers and I have no experience with them. Aftermarket skis like Curves and Mohawks may be "pricey", but when you buy a sled that lists for over $13,000, they are a comparatively small investment. I've ridden my 2016 XTX SE with Mohawks twice now; one day in fresh powder "off trail", and the other for 150+ miles on hardpack trails, and I can't get the "permagrin" off my face; IMHO they are a perfect match for the XTX.

Which model and width of Mohawks, I'm looking for a good on/ offtrail ski to replace my tuner's on the 15 ltx dx

 

[hognit09]

any concern that the skis are held on by the carbide only ?

 

[Wannaviper]

Which model and width of Mohawks, I'm looking for a good on/ offtrail ski to replace my tuner's on the 15 ltx dx

Mohawks are made by SLP, and they make other skis, but I only know of the one Mohawk model. They do come in at least two different colors (black & white) with some other colors for loops and ski saddles. The best deals I found for them were on Ebay where I found packages made up for Arctic Cat sleds including the skis, saddles, and carbides.

I ran my Mohawks on my 2015 LTX DX last year and loved them. I experienced very little push in the corners, regardless of the conditions. I have 9" Bergstrom triple points, and there was increased steering effort over the Tuners, but it was well worth the improvement in performance. I bought the XTX this year because I wanted to try more off trail riding, and I immediately switched the Mohawks over the XTX. So far on the XTX, they are amazing both on and off trail!

 

[Wannaviper]

any concern that the skis are held on by the carbide only ?

The only concerns I had were caused by reading other people's comments with the concerns they expressed, but I don't recall any of them actually having experienced a failure due to the design. Like anything else, it is important that you check your gear before riding; if you have worn your carbides down so that they are paper thin, you might have an issue. I bought Bergstrom triple points, and I double checked to make sure they were on tight after each of the first few rides, and then left them alone. I put about 2,000 miles on them last year without any issues, and when I took them off this year everything was just as strong and good as the day I installed them.

 

[Wannaviper]

I got a second opinion this weekend on the XTX/Mohawk combination. My stepson has not snowmobiled with me for several years due to having a new family and new responsibilities, but we convinced him to join us this past weekend. He took turns riding my 2015 LTX DX set up with the semi-agressive Snowtrackers and my 2016 XTX set up with Mohawks and Bergstrom triple points. In loose snow, he actually complained about the LTX pushing in the corners, but the second day, with hardpack trails, he said it went exactly where he pointed it. He also rode the XTX with the Mohawks, and while he acknowledged some increased steering effort, he said that all around, it cornered and handled much better than the LTX.

 

[tnc110]

I got a second opinion this weekend on the XTX/Mohawk combination. My stepson has not snowmobiled with me for several years due to having a new family and new responsibilities, but we convinced him to join us this past weekend. He took turns riding my 2015 LTX DX set up with the semi-agressive Snowtrackers and my 2016 XTX set up with Mohawks and Bergstrom triple points. In loose snow, he actually complained about the LTX pushing in the corners, but the second day, with hardpack trails, he said it went exactly where he pointed it. He also rode the XTX with the Mohawks, and while he acknowledged some increased steering effort, he said that all around, it cornered and handled much better than the LTX.

Wow. Thanks for the info!