08 D8 - How to lighten up this summer

I am kicking around some ideas of how to lighten up my 155 d8.

So far these are the mods I have done.

-SLP single and can
-TCP bumper (doesn't shed any weight)
-scratchers (doesn't shed weight but my remove boggie wheels)
-remove all foam from under hood areas (helps with soakage)
-venting (doesn't really shed any weight)
-Carls clutching
-SLP air horn kit
-19/42 gearing

Things I am thinking about:
-Holz Rear Coil Over
-Can you lose the front cooler???????
-Remove boggie wheels

At this point, I don't think I want to invest anymore than another $1,500 this year.

Looking for both extremely cheep options also.

Any advice?

A hood?

http://xxxmodrods.com/_mgxroot/page_10767.html

Try some aftermarket skiis? The dragons are fairly light already. I would pipe it, get her dialed in and ride it like you stole it.

Holz has a whole new design coming out for next season... available in September... better shocks and diff geometry..

A cheap way to lighten it and free up some lost HP is to remove the front tunnel cooler, replace it with the plastic block off plate from the 163" dragons and run the 163" 800 thermostat, plug off the bypass (just like on the 163" models... should be good for about 6-7 lbs loss.... hoses, coolant, clamps, cooler....

This also opens up the front of the tunnel so you get less parasitic drag because you have more lug-tip clearance...

Any new skid is going to cost $1500 (Timbersled) to $2600 (EZ-RYDE)... the holz sitting squarely in between.

The Slydog skis with Shaper carbides is worth about 3.1 lbs of unsprung weight loss compared to the gripper skis... on a fedex scale

If you keep the headlight, gauge position, and the stock intake location, an aftermarket hood is good for about 7OZ of weight loss... lots of cutting and trimming and figuring out how to mount the air intake location.....

Delete of the headlight is easy on the stock hood as well with a mtn fit blanking plate,

BUT... so that you dont have anything funny hapening with the CFi system, which was desingned to run with a headlight load, you have to run 1.5 lbs of power-resistors in place of the headlights.... Easier to run some small trailtech halogens at that point for the same weight and better quality than PIAA lights at $48/lamp.

Mountain Horse,
At what temp is the t-stat out of the 163 rated at

That sounds odd that the cfi would require the load of the headlight system to function properly
I wonder why? is to keep the voltage constant, if so then mabey a VR would suffice
or
is it because the cfi will draw the excess current that the headlights would normally draw and that even that sounds weird

But I dont doubt it cause someone must have tried it for you to come to that conclusion I would just like to know why

sorry to side rail this thread I just had to ask

on the weight issue are people gutting thier airbox for increased airflow and weight loss as a by-product

D8 weight loss

I was thinking I could do the front cooler and most likely will as long it is will still run cool. Does the 09 155 come with the front cooler? Didn't they get rid of it?

Is the geometry the same for the factory 09 suspensions?

they don't have front coolers at all.

I wouldn't take off bogies, all it takes is forgetting scratchers once in bad conditions and you will be screwed.

Highly recommend the venting and 19/42.

The black foam is protective heat foam, if you remove it, make sure you install some kind of heat tape, personally I would leave it.

I really like my TCP bumper.

Skibreeze is right.. if you forget to put down the scratchers you can melt your hyfax.....BUT....The bogies, brackets and bolts accont for about 10 lbs of unsprung weight ... Hyfax is dirt cheap.... so are scratcher springs....

The front end geometry is the same on the 2008's and 2009's same bulkhead, same a-arm mounts and same angles on the spindles (the dragons/assaults have LW spindles) The Assault has a 4" wider front end than the RMK... but the angles are the same... The assault has the same a-arms and spindles as the flatlander sleds. The Dragons run the same swaybar as on the 2008's but I'm hearing that they are getting the new link type swaybar for the production Dragons.

If a 163" with more engine load from the longer track can run without the front cooler, the 155" surely can...

I would think about leaving it in if you run a turbo or a big bore kit...

The 2008 163 thermostat is the same temp... it just has a bypass hole in it.... all of the 2009 800's will have this thermostat.

Rab,

The resistors are there to stabilize the load on the stator..... The batteryless CFi system was designed to work with head light load... the resistors keep that load constant and would be easier on the ECU and the overall running of the sled. Some have deleted the headlight without adding resistors, but, IMO, I think you are asking for reliability problems and possible performance loss if you don't run the resistors.

I agree with skibreeze on the insulation, if you remove the foam that can hold water (weight) replace it with some form of heat reflective insulation...

The list of differences from the 2008 - to 2009 D-8's that I can see... might be others...

- All 2009 D-8's and Assaults do not have the front tunnel cooler and run a bypass thermostat
- 2009 upgraded to a 1lb lighter brake rotor
- 2009 Dragons get the Racer master cylinder
- 2009 Dragon has a Magnesium chaincase cover
- 2009 Dragons have the old style non pivot steering post
- 2009 Dragons have new Aluminum handlebars, and hooks
- 2009 Dragons have LW spindes (same geometry as 2008's just lighter)
- 2009 Dragons moved the left side handlebar switches to the console
- BNG and Paint
- New bumper, nose pan and fenders on the 2008 RMK's ($410 for all the parts to do this)


The bulkhead/tunnel remains the same as the 2008 and 2007 raw chassis.

D8

Mountainhorse, to be clear:

Does the 155 have the front cooler? I seem to remember that it did but the 163 did not. Ski seems to think that neither has it.

As for the foam, when I removed the foam, I did put down aluminum heat tape. I have been watching it to make sure it isn't warping the plastic.

Thanks,

Also the 2009 has a lighter weight skid.

08poo800 said:

I am kicking around some ideas of how to lighten up my 155 d8.

So far these are the mods I have done.

-SLP single and can
-TCP bumper (doesn't shed any weight)
-scratchers (doesn't shed weight but my remove boggie wheels)
-remove all foam from under hood areas (helps with soakage)
-venting (doesn't really shed any weight)
-Carls clutching
-SLP air horn kit
-19/42 gearing

Things I am thinking about:
-Holz Rear Coil Over
-Can you lose the front cooler???????
-Remove boggie wheels

At this point, I don't think I want to invest anymore than another $1,500 this year.

Looking for both extremely cheep options also.

Any advice?

Click to expand...

Oh boy, here we go. If you lighten up your D8 then you won't have an excuse when I beat you every time. Remember I got that Boss seat coming, you better look out next year.


-Seeder

Front Bumper?

Hey Mountainhorse, How much weight is lost in the new front bumper, worth it or not? Also I lost about .5 lbs by shaving extra plastic under the hood. Question to anyone else. "Easy Ride"; weight loss, handling is it worth it

Put a KMOD skid under it. The ride is drasticly better than stock and it work extemely well in the deep powder. It is the most inexpensive of the rear suspensions out there.

Seeder

Frog, you may want to reconsider the 146 for next year. If your 154 couldn't get the job done, there is no way to the 146 will. Also next year you will have 09 D8 to contend with. That is the only one I am worried with stacking up against.

At least your XP will be more comfortable with the Boss seat I ordered you. It will be interesting to see how the 10 pounds of lead I asked them to put in it will effect that light weight thing.

Later,

08poo800 said:

I am kicking around some ideas of how to lighten up my 155 d8.

So far these are the mods I have done.

-SLP single and can
-TCP bumper (doesn't shed any weight)
-scratchers (doesn't shed weight but my remove boggie wheels)
-remove all foam from under hood areas (helps with soakage)
-venting (doesn't really shed any weight)
-Carls clutching
-SLP air horn kit
-19/42 gearing

Things I am thinking about:
-Holz Rear Coil Over
-Can you lose the front cooler???????
-Remove boggie wheels

At this point, I don't think I want to invest anymore than another $1,500 this year.

Looking for both extremely cheep options also.

Any advice?

Click to expand...

your not going with "better-boards"?
with all this and not put them on would be criminal, i have done this list except i have the hps can, all i have left is the tcp bumper and changing the helix, sleds rock and with the better footing it will be SWEET!

Hiline

Hiline, do mean you are running the SLP single with a HPS can? Everything fits together well? How much lighter is the HPS can than the SLP can? I am sure it is a bit louder.

The TCP bumper is cool, I installed it without cutting out the belly pan, however I am thinking about cutting out the plastic per the directions.

I don't mind the stock boards, however I am sure the better boards would make a big difference.

i have the stock pipe, missed the slp single on your list, i beleive it would work though, from my experience this season the hps has a better top end than the slp, i think it sounds better too, the better boards are trick and makes it so you don't have to stomp, always a plus

ttt

08poo800, You do all of those things to make your sled better in the field...now you want to make it lighter but you are thinking in terms of garage weight. How much snow and ice are you packing around on your stock running boards all day every day? The Better Boards are more then just traction! Best mod you can still do to that chassis...you already did the rest!

Best weight loss so far has been ME. Went and had a weight loss surgery and I am down 40lbs in one month. Could be close to 100lbs by the time snow flys. All this and my Dragon is still in storage. The personal mods are a bit spendy but most can loose 10-20 and even save money that was spent on beer and fast food. Just a thought. EW