steering effort

[bustamove]

i got the 900 out for the first time the other day. the only other sled i have riden was a rev 800. i found the 800 much more nimble and it feels like the 900 needs alot of steering effort. so i measured the bars and found the ski doo has a bar width of 31.5 inches. and the poo is 26inches wide. i realize the 900 is heavy btw.

has anyone put wider bars on there sleds? any suggestions? what about cable length if i decide to raise em?

 

[550iq]

The culprit may be the spindles on the 900. It took Team Polaro until 2009 to get them right. The OEM spindles were designed for straight line travel by "trailing" the spindle/ski mount behind the centerline of the A-arm/spindle connections. While this allowed for nice straight line control, steering effort was compromised. Holz figured it out in 06, Polaro in 09. I am not too familiar with the 900's but for the rest of the 06 - 08 IQ's, an 09 spindle or a Holz unit cured the woes you have discribed.

 

[94fordguy]

Yup, if you got the stock spindles you're gonna be working overtime.... the newer spindles are much improved. One correction tho, they new geometry started in '08... the '09s & '10s are simply cut out to reduce weight.

Also, do you have the 225 lb front track spring or if you have an adjustable setup, the preload increased? That will help to reduce some of the weight on the nose. I also personally prefer to let out the limiter straps to further reduce the weight penalty on the nose.

 

[Z-Man]

I see you have the 05 same as me. The 05 front suspension is the worst of the bunch. They changed the A-Arms and spindles in 06 to improve them, it's still not that great until 08 as mentioned above. Several companies make complete front suspension if you have the cash or watch for used 06 and newer A-arms for sale and the 08 and newer spindles of get a set of Holz spindles.

Timbersled http://www.timbersled.com/polaris.htm

Holz http://www.holzracingproducts.com/shopping/snowmobile-polaris-iq-rmk-c-22_30

 

[bustamove]

The culprit may be the spindles on the 900. It took Team Polaro until 2009 to get them right. The OEM spindles were designed for straight line travel by "trailing" the spindle/ski mount behind the centerline of the A-arm/spindle connections. While this allowed for nice straight line control, steering effort was compromised. Holz figured it out in 06, Polaro in 09. I am not too familiar with the 900's but for the rest of the 06 - 08 IQ's, an 09 spindle or a Holz unit cured the woes you have discribed.

thanks, very nice stuff they have. i just don't have the money to drop 300 on them this season. maybe next

 

[Z-Man]

thanks, very nice stuff they have. i just don't have the money to drop 300 on them this season. maybe next

Watch ebay for newer spindles or used Holz spindles. What skis do you have on there? If they are Powder pros that will make your steering effort even more.

 

[bustamove]

im not sure my guess what ever came stock. i bought it used with alot of random mods. i can' finally look into getting this thing tuned for riding rather then rebuilding motors lol,
i remember reading about the front track spring, how do i check to see what one i have. and it doesn't dive too bad in the power.
also the limiter strap, letting it out reduces the weight? im still figuring the rear suspension out.

 

[Z-Man]

Letting limiter out reduces weight on skis but could make it trench more. Stock skis have duel carbides under them. Powder pros have raised letters that say powder pro right on the top.

 

[Z-Man]

09 spindles are 139 at parts pitstop. There is an 08 and an 09 spindle on ebay for 95 plus 15 shipping http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_tr...ris+dragon+spindles&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

[danduvall]

i got the 900 out for the first time the other day. the only other sled i have riden was a rev 800. i found the 800 much more nimble and it feels like the 900 needs alot of steering effort. so i measured the bars and found the ski doo has a bar width of 31.5 inches. and the poo is 26inches wide. i realize the 900 is heavy btw.

has anyone put wider bars on there sleds? any suggestions? what about cable length if i decide to raise em?

the bars on the 900's are super narrow. i widened mine by taking my grips and heaters off. then i cut 2 - 3" pieces off of an old set of bars and butt welded them onto the end of the 900 bars. then used rsi 8" grips, i was able to re-use my original heaters. and by adding length to the end of the bars you dont have to modify the controls or cables/wiring! and it allows you moves your hands out to shoulder width and helps reduce fatigue alot! and you can move your thumb closer to the end of the throttle flipper giving you more leverage and less thumb pump!!

un-plug and remove your bars before welding on them! electricity can backfeed through the chassis grounds and fry your ecu and other components!!

 

[bustamove]

09 spindles are 139 at parts pitstop. There is an 08 and an 09 spindle on ebay for 95 plus 15 shipping http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_tr...ris+dragon+spindles&_sacat=See-All-Categories

how does the 09 compare to the holz?

 

[bustamove]

the bars on the 900's are super narrow. i widened mine by taking my grips and heaters off. then i cut 2 - 3" pieces off of an old set of bars and butt welded them onto the end of the 900 bars. then used rsi 8" grips, i was able to re-use my original heaters. and by adding length to the end of the bars you dont have to modify the controls or cables/wiring! and it allows you moves your hands out to shoulder width and helps reduce fatigue alot! and you can move your thumb closer to the end of the throttle flipper giving you more leverage and less thumb pump!!

un-plug and remove your bars before welding on them! electricity can backfeed through the chassis grounds and fry your ecu and other components!!

do you have any pics
and lol yeah ive blown up a battery before in a car... my bad

 

[mikemedic3]

took mine out yesterday on hard pack after rain, and the thing just steers like crap. all it wants to do is lift a ski and roll. Not to mention you have to be a body builder to turn it. Like you, don't have the 300 to throw on holz spindles yet, waiting for reply on the 09, are they comparable??

 

[BIGGDAWG]

took mine out yesterday on hard pack after rain, and the thing just steers like crap. all it wants to do is lift a ski and roll. Not to mention you have to be a body builder to turn it. Like you, don't have the 300 to throw on holz spindles yet, waiting for reply on the 09, are they comparable??

09 and up spindles are lots better than the 05 and better than the 06 spindles. pretty close to the geometry of the holz

 

[Stanleyd]

I installed the newer Gripper skis and 225lb spring on my sled. Still have the old spindles. New skis and spring do wonders - very little effort to turn now.

 

[diamonddave]

Unfortunately, the Holz spindles at $300 are worth every penny on the IQ. I would save the money you would spend on the later model polaris spindles and buy the Holz. If you want the best improvement possible and a completely different handling, FUN machine.

 

[otterpoo]

I just bought the 08-09 Poo spindles for my 05 900 IQ. Are these just a direct mounting using my 05 hardware since the spindles did not come with any? Will I have any turning clearance that will need to be adjusted?

 

[Z-Man]

I just bought the 08-09 Poo spindles for my 05 900 IQ. Are these just a direct mounting using my 05 hardware since the spindles did not come with any? Will I have any turning clearance that will need to be adjusted?

Bolt them on using the factory bolts and loctite, check alignment and ride.

 

[94fordguy]

I just bought the 08-09 Poo spindles for my 05 900 IQ. Are these just a direct mounting using my 05 hardware since the spindles did not come with any? Will I have any turning clearance that will need to be adjusted?

When I installed the 08 spindles on my 05 I found that I needed a longer upper spindle mounting bolt. The bolt on the 05's is shorter than the 06+ upper bolt and won't allow you enough thread to put the nut on. Other than that, get it on, and adjust the camber angle and tie-rod length to fit the new spindles... There is just enough adjustment to get it all nice and happy.

 

[otterpoo]

Thanks for the heades up 94guy on the longer bolts. I found the perfect fit at the local Ace Hardware. Everything went smoothly with the longer bolts until I went to remove the bolt holding the ski to the old spindle. I new it was all to easy until I discovered the bolt rust welded into the spacer, and I can't get the damn ski off. Looks like I will be sweet talking a stubborn bolt in the AM and hope my clutch arrives from IndyDan so that I can get on this new snow tomorrow. I can't wait to try out the new improvements on the 900.