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The new Summit had the most to prove to us during our testing as it is the machine we have struggled with the most the past few years. The Summit’s climbing and deep snow capabilities have always been class leading, but handling has seriously held it back.
For 2011 Ski-Doo ditched the old carburetors in favor of direct injection and also made changes to the handling with a series of suspension updates dubbed SC36. While we were happy to see E-TEC in the Summit, we were less concerned with fuel injection and more interested in seeing if the SC36 handling package would be enough to overcome its previous awkward handling characteristics.
The SC36 handling package consists of a new narrower ski-stance (35.7 to 37.4 inches), a longer center shock, a softer sway bar and a new Pilot DS ski. The combined result of these changes is a machine that now sidehills much easier than before. The previous Summit would transfer a lot of harsh feedback through the handlebars to the rider when counter steering in a sidehill. One of the reasons that a lot of this feedback is gone now is the new Pilot DS ski is shorter from the spindle back and curved up at the rear, so when counter steering into a sidehill there is less ski contacting the snow.
Additionally, the ski stance is so incredibly narrow that the ski’s are barely wider than the body panels. This narrow stance makes the snowmobile a lot easier to roll up on one ski and surprisingly the machine is still quite stable even when cornering on the trail.
Ski-Doo’s Summit has been the last remaining carbureted machine in this class for several years, but for 2011 it added the efficient E-TEC 800 to this lightweight mountain chassis. This is similar to what debuted as the 600 E-TEC a few years ago with electronically controlled injection of both fuel and oil, allowing for precise control to maximum performance and economy.
We found the power-curve on the 800 E-TEC more linear than on the carbureted PowerTEK 800 and more forgiving. Where the P-TEK would hit very hard on the bottom end and sometimes lift the skis, the acceleration on the E-TEC was smoother and easier to control. Additionally, the E-TEC’s throttle pull is much easier and smoother. No more aching thumbs for Ski-Doo riders!
The combo of the SC36 handling package and E-TEC has really put the icing on Summit’s cake. The handling improvement brings this to a whole new realm in the mountains. Cosmetically the Summit seems unchanged, but one ride on this machine reveals that it’s a completely different beast. The way Summit climbs in deep powder is absolutely amazing and now that it’s more capable sidehilling and boondocking through the trees we love it.