2011 m8 power question

[Jeepjay]

At beginnings of the winter I picked up a 2011 m8. I’ve previously owned a 06 m7 that I loved. The 8 is considerably better but feels less flickable. The 8 is the ho year and also has full slp intake and exhaust with a pcv fuel controller. My older m7 was stock with about 140hp but seemed much easier to throw around than the m8. The 8 seems a lot heavier. The previous owner did add a crossfire sway bar that I just took off. Hoping that makes a big difference. The 8 runs great now that I’ve figured out my coolant issue. Does seem to havevv bc a slight big at full throttle sometimes. Haven’t found much info on what power difference the current mods should add. I’m figuring it must be at least 170-175hp now. It has no trouble spinning the 153” x 2.5” track but won’t stand up. I kinda expected it to stand up since my old m7 could In stock form no trouble especially in deep powder. I’ve been stuck more in 3 months on the 800 than I was in 3 years on the 700. I Chalk it up to being older and less capable after some medical issues involving being paralyzed for a few months. Haven’t tried it without sway bar yet since I’m recovering from a surgery. It also has c&a bx skis which I’m not a big fan of. Liked my older slydogs better. The ski pressure on the 8 is kinda stiff. Can’t turn skis while stationary even on hard pack snow. Hoping to switch out to slydogs soon and get more flickability back. I have my front ski shocks as loose as can be without rattling. Having adjusted my front track shock yet but it looks kinda loose already. Am I just chasing the good old days too much or can the m8 be made as good as the old m7.

 

[summ8rmk]

Its the suspension setup.

The m8 is way more flickable than the m7.

1st, my 09 M8 was a better all around sled than the 2011 pro's. The only advantage the pro had was sidehills above 40°.

M8 would stand on the tail with ease.



Demo'd a 2011
The engine had plenty of power but the suspension is not the same as the 2009, even though it looks the same.
I had that pig stuck all day, eventually had my buddy with his pro, break trail for me, everytime we went of trail in the tree's.


We tried several times to adjust the suspension to make it perform like my 09, it wasn't happening. Maybe if we had it for a few days we could get it closer but i doubt it would ever be good enough for me without revalved shocks.

That sled wasn't even close to my 09 and if that would have been my only Mseries experience, i would have never bought one, it sucked.

I don't have any time with the coil suspension (other than FTS).
My 09 , skis 55psi , FTS 1in of space (about 10threads) under the spanner nut, RTS 120-140psi depending if it was a boondocking wheelie day or deep snow and long climbs. Mostly ran 120psi.

I really appreciate the dealership letting me take sleds out every couple of yrs to see if the newer models were worth upgrading. They were an awesome dealer, to bad cat didn't treat them well.

 

[Coldfinger]

I had a Power Commander fuel controller on my street bike which wasnt performing correctly and a call to Dynojet solved my problem. My pcv needed a firmware update which was easy and free, just hooked my laptop to the unit and downloaded new firmware. That was about 6 years ago.

How many hours or miles are on the sled?

What ski stance are you running?

 

[Betterview]

If the sled will not wheelie, tighten the front track shock some and take air out of the rear track shock. You said the skis have already been lightened and still feel heavy on the steering. That would indicate too much weight on the rear track shock is keeping the rear of the sled too high and putting some weight back to the skis.

 

[Jeepjay]

Sled has about 5000 miles. Shocks still feel ok though. I use the machine as daily transportation out of my community. Gonna test today how it feels without the stupid sway bar and a little less air in rear shock. Even with the excessive ski pressure it’s still a fun sled just not as fun as I expected from the m chassis. I know I have some clutching work to do. Sled engages around 4000rpm which is good with me but goes to 8350 on the max rpm recall which is a little high for my liking. I’m guessing it’s to do with my sea level elevation and added power. Throw some more weight on it and should be good.

 

[summ8rmk]

I have never seen any Mseries with a sway bar. Are u sure it isn't a crossfire? Could you measure the distance between the front spindles? CTC.

Sent it

 

[Jeepjay]

The sway bar wAs added by the previous owner from a crossfire. He welded tabs to the a arms to bolt them on. Ski stance now is set to 42”. It’s definitely a m and not a crossfire unless they changed out all body panels to get the exhaust in the shock well. It also has the 153” x 2.5” track and skid. Or maybe I’m wrong and it’s been totally messed with and is a Frankenstein sled. It does have a longer rear cooler than I remember my 06 m7 having. Either way I now have the sway bar removed and it’s never going back on.

 

[summ8rmk]

I believe Mseries ski stance is 39-41", 42 is not achievable.

Sent it

 

[Jeepjay]

Maybe it’s a crossfire front end installed to get the sway bar connected. The mount does kinda look like a sloppy weld so I assumed it wasn’t factory weld.

 

[summ8rmk]

Im pretty sure the exhaust outlet on the crossfire and Mseries are the same also.

Sent it

 

[sno*jet]

I prefered the M7 over the M8s (non HO) for the reasons you listed, felt easier to throw around even tho weight was similar, but so was horsepower. the 10/11s are a bit of collectors items in my mind, get it figured out it should be waxing your old sled unless it is just too molested. 42" ski stance on anything is not flickable.

 

[Jeepjay]

I always thought the crossfire was a bottom outlet for the exhaust. Maygg bc d I do have a converted crossfire. No stickers and tunnel isn’t original to the front. Machine was broken in half a few years ago.

 

[boondocker97]

My dad's 2011 M8 153 runs and maneuvers better than either of our well-setup M7s. Completely different experience than summ8rmk had on his demo. If your old M7 still had an attack 20 track that might be part of it. They "slipped" around easier because they had less bite. The old torsion skids transferred more IMO than the float skids. The 2011s have different suspension valving than other years. I feel it was an improvement over the 2009 setup though. At 5000 miles you need to check for binding or rusted bushings in the rear skid. Especially in the pull rod below the rear track shock. I've seen them almost seized solid. That could cause binding and reduce transfer. Service the air sleeve on the rear shock at a minimum because it's probably got some sticking going on. Also at that mileage the secondary might be completely shot and not getting your power to the ground efficiently.

 

[Coldfinger]

Post some pics of what you have.
Broken in half? wonder if it was repaired correctly considering the sway bar mounts.
2.5” track is not oem, iirc...My 2010 is 2.25” and I thought 11’s were same.

I just replaced all bearings in my skid frame wheels, rollers at about 4400 miles and glad I did because the bearings, though not seized, had some nasty looking grease inside. Also glad I took the skid frame apart because some of the items/crossshafts were partially siezed and I put anti-sieze on them to help prevent that in future.

My secondary looked real good when I took it apart.

I have replaced my primary a few times.

What belt number you running? If it is the 60 belt I heard the engine runs 200 Rpm higher.

Include pics of your a-arms. I know the HCR had a little extra bracing and wider ski stance.

 

[Jeepjay]

I know the 2.5” track isn’t on. Previous owner installed it as a upgrade. I’m currently running the 060 belt. Guess I could try the 046 belt.

 

[summ8rmk]

Mseries vs Crossfire lower A-arms
Just for reference
Crossfire has a 3rd cross brace and swaybar tab.


Sent it

 

[Jeepjay]

It seems I have the a arms with the rounded 3rd brace. Are they better or worse. I do have the m series a arms in my spare parts bins. Would I be better off switching out or just leave it alone. I tested this morning with sway bar removed and it feels a lot better. Much closer to the m7 feeling I’m looking for. Still waiting on a shock pump to arrive so I can properly dial in the rear. I have it set with about 2” sag now when I get on. It rebounds nicely and feels good. To me it seems I have a crossfire front end on a m8. I’ll contact previous owner and see if the shocks were switched aswell. I’m guessing crossfire front end will need longer shocks compared to a m series front end.

 

[summ8rmk]

A-arms depend on personal preference.
Do u want the wide front end for trail stability or do u want the narrow front end for off trail mobility and easier rolling side to side.

Knowing what i know now, i would have put an aftermarket 36-37" front end on my M8 back in the day.

Remember, u gotta change the upper A-arm with the lower as a set. Shocks and tierods will have to change also. Not a cheap change.

Sent it

 

[Jeepjay]

I think I’ll just leave it as is for now. I do more on trail than off trail where I live. It’s a 20 minute trail ride just to get to my car parking spot. With sway bar off its easy to lay down again. I’ll probably just Barrie the stabcevv bc with the spacers. They are in middle setting now.