Help With Suspension setup after adding C&A Skis

[Hayter11]

Hello everyone,

I recently added a pair of C&A xtx skis to my stock 2008 fx nytro 121 with clicker shocks and the ski pressure feels like it is way to heavy and the sled is darting really bad. Before I just had stock skis with dual carbides and everything seemed ok other than it wouldnt turn at all of course. The sled now gets around the corners really well but I have to really muscle it around. I did try softening up the front suspension and it did help a little bit but not enough so my questions are..

1) what is the best way to take off some ski pressure without compromising other things? should I loosen the limiter strap at the front? crank up the front shock in the skid a bit? or adjust the rear control arm as it says in the manual?

2) could it be that I did not shim up the skis when I put them in?

3) One other problem I am having is I cant adjust for toe out on the skis because I am maxed out on my right side tie rod when the bars are straight. Is there an adjustment to change the actual bar position? then I could have more adjustability with the tie rods.

Thanks for all your help in advance...

Chris

 

[herndonp]

Chris do you have a relocate kit? Your tie rods should be similar at least within an 1/8" of each other if not your steering shaft must be out of adjustment. The thing with adjusting suspensions you need to balance the front with the rear. I'm 235 lbs and my front shocks set at 5mm preload, limiter strap at factory hole, center shock 5mm preload, torsion springs on medium, and transfer at #2 ( I change this based on snow conditions). Ok how to determine preload- if you loosen shock springs until you can rattle them and measure there length and they are for example 255mm you would retighten the spring collar until the measurement would be 250mm (which is 5mm preload)

Pete

 

[stubb111]

1) yes you are correct
2) that might help
3) your steering rod will give the adjustment you are looking for (bottom of the steering post...shortening and lengthening will adjust ski / handlebar relationship)

 

[herndonp]

Ok when I do my ski alignment first thing is setting track tension to spec and alignment equal on both sides. I then set the handle bar at dead center using a piece of wood that I cut to fit my handle bar and the bar by lower footwell. I measure from bar on lower footwell to bar end and make adjustments until both side are equal then I bungy cord the wood piece to the machine to prevent handle bar movement. As long as your track is aligned you can now put a straight edge along track and adjust your skis to be at equal amounts to the straight edge one side then other now you can add 1/8 "-1/4" toe out on each ski. Hear is a couple of pics of my handle bar lock down.

 

[Hayter11]

Alright thank you guys very much for your help. I will align the handlebars and add the toe out, let the limiter strap out one hole, and tighten up the front rear shock 2 turns and see what that does for me. I will report back. By the way that is a great idea with the wood piece Herndonp!!

 

[R00STER]

Did you put wedges on the ski rubbers? You need to get them ski tips up some to lighten them up and help with the darting.

 

[Hayter11]

Well I went out and did some testing today after making one change... I let the limiter strap out 2 notches. It was one notch from the bottom and now I believe it is one from the top. I wanted to just make one change at a time to see the changes. Took it out and WOW what a difference. Steering is much lighter, zero understeer, and just a little ski lift if I went into a corner really hard. I didnt get to test out the difference in darting today as the conditions did not allow for that, but I will still add shims and do a proper toe out after I figure out how to adjust the steering post. I will report back after that change again. Might not be for a few weeks as we are about to lose all our snow here in Muskoka over the next few days

 

[larryh]

Hello everyone,

I recently added a pair of C&A xtx skis to my stock 2008 fx nytro 121 with clicker shocks and the ski pressure feels like it is way to heavy and the sled is darting really bad. Before I just had stock skis with dual carbides and everything seemed ok other than it wouldnt turn at all of course. The sled now gets around the corners really well but I have to really muscle it around. I did try softening up the front suspension and it did help a little bit but not enough so my questions are..

1) what is the best way to take off some ski pressure without compromising other things? should I loosen the limiter strap at the front? crank up the front shock in the skid a bit? or adjust the rear control arm as it says in the manual?

2) could it be that I did not shim up the skis when I put them in?

3) One other problem I am having is I cant adjust for toe out on the skis because I am maxed out on my right side tie rod when the bars are straight. Is there an adjustment to change the actual bar position? then I could have more adjustability with the tie rods.

Thanks for all your help in advance...

Chris

 

[larryh]

I have a 09 nytro xtx and just changed a lot of different things, (track, exhaust, skis and a lot of stock parts) and my first run I had the same issue, darting. I had one broken limiter strap when I went through the sled and picked up two new ones, when I installed them they were longer then first one's and put them to same length, second hole from longest. After a couple hrs I moved to , the longest hole and it helped a little but still darted, I talked to Pats in Greenland,mi about it and they told me really the only thing I could do would be to soften the rear suspension, besides tuner skis. I softened the rear shock all the way and that seemed to help alittle, but it still darted alittle. The only option they had was to try to fit dual carbides but there is no duals made for the ca pro. Every sled that I have ever owned with single carbides has always darted, the one way that I have always fixed it was to install dual carbides, My wifes phazer has X2 skis and it has dual carbides that are skinny and I was going to pull a ski off and see if those carbides would fit.