laxdad
Newbie
Ok so I'm a yamaha newbie, with a caveat that i have experience with two arctic cat m series...
Ok with that out of the way...
At the end of last season we got my wife a yamaha Phazer mtx. We looked at this and a nytro and couldn't pass this deal up on an 08 Phazer MTX.
Problem she is having though is it is still a little tippy for her. She did great over the month she used it, but she went to the dealer the other day and they told her try adjusting the shims on the a arms before we do anything drastic like the schmidt bros sway bar.
So I've searched this forum all over and it seems like a pretty common thing, but i have yet to find anywhere where it actually shows which shims. Before i tear something a part I'm the kind of guy who likes to plan it all out so there are no surprises. So does anyone have a pic or schematic of exactly the shims i need to move to the outside to move her skis out some? Being i see no shims anywhere between the arms and the sub frame I'm assuming its where the spindle meets the skis???
Im sure someones rolling there eyes as its probably obvious so go easy and any pics would be awesome.
Btw this sight is awesome. Ive already ordered the bushings from UP bushman and the roll over valve on here.
Ok with that out of the way...
At the end of last season we got my wife a yamaha Phazer mtx. We looked at this and a nytro and couldn't pass this deal up on an 08 Phazer MTX.
Problem she is having though is it is still a little tippy for her. She did great over the month she used it, but she went to the dealer the other day and they told her try adjusting the shims on the a arms before we do anything drastic like the schmidt bros sway bar.
So I've searched this forum all over and it seems like a pretty common thing, but i have yet to find anywhere where it actually shows which shims. Before i tear something a part I'm the kind of guy who likes to plan it all out so there are no surprises. So does anyone have a pic or schematic of exactly the shims i need to move to the outside to move her skis out some? Being i see no shims anywhere between the arms and the sub frame I'm assuming its where the spindle meets the skis???
Im sure someones rolling there eyes as its probably obvious so go easy and any pics would be awesome.
Btw this sight is awesome. Ive already ordered the bushings from UP bushman and the roll over valve on here.
laxdad
Newbie
Nevermind. I think i finally found a pic under the general section.
Snowmixer
Pro
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2010
- Messages
- 188
- Location
- Snohomish, Washington
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2007 Phazer Mountain Lite
2008 Phazer MTX
2012 Arctic Cat M800 153
First of all, welcome to the site! I'm glad you're enjoying what you find here, there really is a wealth of information available. I have not seen or heard of any "shims" for the A-arms, but I am thinking that your dealer may have been (somewhat indirectly) referring to the round spacers that locate the spindle in the center of the ski. If you remove the ski, you should be able to slide off and reposition the spacers so that they are both on the outside of the spindle. This would effectively place the skis about as wide as they will go without swapping out the A-arms to a set from a GT, FX, etc., which are slightly longer. It may look strange to see the ski off-center from the spindle, but I do remember seeing some early-2000's model Ski Doos with the skis offset this way from the factory.
Regarding the 'tippy-ness' of the sled, I am curious as to what type of riding your wife is usually doing when this becomes a problem. It seems that most people that are trail riding want to do things like widen the stance, stiffen the front shocks, add a larger sway bar, etc. On the other hand, if she is doing some off trail riding and finds that the machine is tippy when traversing or sidehilling a slope, I would suggest actually trying a day (or at least a few miles) with the sway bar removed.
Personally, I don't do much trail riding and am not concerned with speed or cornering ability, and in my off-trail experiences I found the Phazer to be way too stiff. The front end was so rigid that it just followed the contour of the hill (sidehill) to the point where it was very tippy any time I was not on flat ground. By removing the sway bar and setting the front shocks (stock MTX) to their lightest setting, it seemed to allow the independent front suspension to actually function. When driving over uneven ground now, the skis do more articulating and the machine isn't thrown off balance as easily. Obviously, if your wife is mostly trail riding this may not solve anything, but may be worth a try sometime.
Here's a pic of the spindle 'spacers' I was referring to. There is one long bushing that goes through both spacers and the spindle, and the two spacers slide onto this bushing. On my 2007 MTX, they are basically rusted together as one assembly, but could likely be pressed apart and rearranged to the outer position I described above. Hope this helps!
Regarding the 'tippy-ness' of the sled, I am curious as to what type of riding your wife is usually doing when this becomes a problem. It seems that most people that are trail riding want to do things like widen the stance, stiffen the front shocks, add a larger sway bar, etc. On the other hand, if she is doing some off trail riding and finds that the machine is tippy when traversing or sidehilling a slope, I would suggest actually trying a day (or at least a few miles) with the sway bar removed.
Personally, I don't do much trail riding and am not concerned with speed or cornering ability, and in my off-trail experiences I found the Phazer to be way too stiff. The front end was so rigid that it just followed the contour of the hill (sidehill) to the point where it was very tippy any time I was not on flat ground. By removing the sway bar and setting the front shocks (stock MTX) to their lightest setting, it seemed to allow the independent front suspension to actually function. When driving over uneven ground now, the skis do more articulating and the machine isn't thrown off balance as easily. Obviously, if your wife is mostly trail riding this may not solve anything, but may be worth a try sometime.
Here's a pic of the spindle 'spacers' I was referring to. There is one long bushing that goes through both spacers and the spindle, and the two spacers slide onto this bushing. On my 2007 MTX, they are basically rusted together as one assembly, but could likely be pressed apart and rearranged to the outer position I described above. Hope this helps!
Attachments
justforfun
Veteran
I don't know of any shims that could change the a arm, so must mean moving the skis to a wider setting at the spindle
laxdad
Newbie
Snowmixer, I'm pretty sure you hit the nail on the head and thanks for the pic.
Btw I'm from snoho as well.
She rides on what is a road, but is not groomed (so no darting issues) what so ever over by peoh point. We have a cabin in a small gated community so we ride the road all the way up to peoh and then its a mix of semi backcountry and road in the taneum. We never get into any extreme stuff like gallagher or anything so I'm looking to just make it ride how she wants (good luck). She has gotten better at standing up when were up on top and going off trail, but im trying to find a happy medium when she is just sitting and cruising up the road. Last year the road I'm Talking about had about 25" from our cabin to peoh where it was closer to 40" deep.
Ill widen the stance a tad and install the UP bushman inserts. The steering has about 3-4 degrees of play side to side so that might be next on the list, but it sounds like its a bear to tear it down to get to it all.
Btw I'm from snoho as well.
She rides on what is a road, but is not groomed (so no darting issues) what so ever over by peoh point. We have a cabin in a small gated community so we ride the road all the way up to peoh and then its a mix of semi backcountry and road in the taneum. We never get into any extreme stuff like gallagher or anything so I'm looking to just make it ride how she wants (good luck). She has gotten better at standing up when were up on top and going off trail, but im trying to find a happy medium when she is just sitting and cruising up the road. Last year the road I'm Talking about had about 25" from our cabin to peoh where it was closer to 40" deep.
Ill widen the stance a tad and install the UP bushman inserts. The steering has about 3-4 degrees of play side to side so that might be next on the list, but it sounds like its a bear to tear it down to get to it all.
Purplecoffin
Pro
Laxdad, My wife also rides a phazer although, hers is an rtx. She weighs about 100lbs even and I'm like 220. It was extremely hard for me to dial the suspension in to where she was happy. Every time I got on it the sled already felt too soft so I would bring it up a little. She then would complain about too rough a ride and tippy.... We found that a very soft rear end and I want to say like 23lbs of air in the front shocks and she loves how the sled handles. You said yours is the mtx so I believe that has the sprung shocks on the front. You may want to try a very light front setting and see what happens.
The phazer also likes an active rider. It is really like riding a cross between a sled and a motorcycle to me. Hopefully this helps you. I am by no means a snowmobile expert, I am simply sharing our experience with a Phazer adjustment. Most times, having our wives sharing our passions is a blessing. Sometimes though..........
The phazer also likes an active rider. It is really like riding a cross between a sled and a motorcycle to me. Hopefully this helps you. I am by no means a snowmobile expert, I am simply sharing our experience with a Phazer adjustment. Most times, having our wives sharing our passions is a blessing. Sometimes though..........
laxdad
Newbie
Thanks guys really appreciate ll the fast responses. I moved the skis today and it was what i thought but snowmixers pics sealed that for me.
Thanks for the advice on the shocks too Purple. When we get some snow i think ill start doing some trial and error adjustments with her.
Thanks for the advice on the shocks too Purple. When we get some snow i think ill start doing some trial and error adjustments with her.
Snowmixer
Pro
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2010
- Messages
- 188
- Location
- Snohomish, Washington
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2007 Phazer Mountain Lite
2008 Phazer MTX
2012 Arctic Cat M800 153
Well laxdad, it sure is a small world! I'm glad to hear that you were able to make some progress on the widening of the skis. Has your wife ever talked about steering effort on the Phazer? That was another big 'complaint' of mine when I first bought mine. Any time I drove any of my buddie's sleds (mostly Ski Doo or Arctic Cat) it just felt like the steering was so much easier to move, and of course this difference was especially noticeable at slow speeds. After doing some research (mostly on here) I loosened the rear limiter strap by one set of holes (from the stock position), which I thought made a noticeable difference in the reduction of steering effort.
I think the way the sled rides and handles comes down to each person's preferences and having the 'right' combination to make it do what the driver wants it to do. I weight about 150 with all my gear, so maybe I just don't have the height/weight to be able to move the sled as easily as I expected, but keeping the suspension soft has worked well for improving the general handling. Front shocks and front shock in the rear skid are at their lightest settings, and rear spring adjuster set to 'medium.' I have done some small jumping and at the 'medium' setting the rear suspension bottomed out pretty easily, but I like the way the weight transfers when I accelerate, it seems to let the front end come up more, making the ski pressure/steering lighter and (hopefully) preventing the front end from burying itself!
At some point I purchased a service manual for the Phazer which describes most of the adjustments you can make, which reminds me of something else. I just removed the sway bar altogether, but in the manual it shows a few different positions where the sway bar can be mounted which apparently changes how it handles. If I remember correctly, the aluminum mounts on the bottom of the sled can be reversed. Here's a link to a .PDF version, thanks to "Cannondale" for making it available on his page! I'd say it's worth checking out, even if just to look at some of the adjustments.
Alright, I'm out for now, off to the snowmobile expo and swap meet!
I think the way the sled rides and handles comes down to each person's preferences and having the 'right' combination to make it do what the driver wants it to do. I weight about 150 with all my gear, so maybe I just don't have the height/weight to be able to move the sled as easily as I expected, but keeping the suspension soft has worked well for improving the general handling. Front shocks and front shock in the rear skid are at their lightest settings, and rear spring adjuster set to 'medium.' I have done some small jumping and at the 'medium' setting the rear suspension bottomed out pretty easily, but I like the way the weight transfers when I accelerate, it seems to let the front end come up more, making the ski pressure/steering lighter and (hopefully) preventing the front end from burying itself!
At some point I purchased a service manual for the Phazer which describes most of the adjustments you can make, which reminds me of something else. I just removed the sway bar altogether, but in the manual it shows a few different positions where the sway bar can be mounted which apparently changes how it handles. If I remember correctly, the aluminum mounts on the bottom of the sled can be reversed. Here's a link to a .PDF version, thanks to "Cannondale" for making it available on his page! I'd say it's worth checking out, even if just to look at some of the adjustments.
Alright, I'm out for now, off to the snowmobile expo and swap meet!
