My friend just bought a Pro Ride 163, and was considering buying a Boondocker turbo kit for it. However, the technician at the dealer said that if you didn't change the rear skid, it would wheely over backward. Is this true? Or some truth to it? If anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it. I was suspicious that this wasn't correct, that you could alter the current skid, but didn't know for sure.
Suspension mods needed for turbo on Pro Ride?
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The dealer is trying to make money off you telling you your skid is no good, so you would buy another skid. If it were me I'd try it with a 163 stock skid, play with spring tension on rear skid and if it wheelies to much then put 155 rails and pull the skid back 4". Just my thoughs anyway.
Crank rear spring and loosen the front track spring will help keep the front end down more. There are also a few cheap upgrades like AK said, like the Timbersled or Kmod rear arm.
Keep in mind that there are only about 15 PRO's running around with a turbo to date. Most aren't even dialed in yet. Here is an absolute fact.
Turbo guys no longer have to spend $2500 and up to get excellent consistant all around rear suspension performance like you did on the IQ RAW.
Spend $855 on a FOX Racing Shox rear end kit from Carl's Cycle Sales. That combined with your stock suspension is flat on MONEY for the PRO with boost. Tested to 9lbs but universally perfect at the 7-8 like Boondockers is targeting. In the event that guys start to acheive higher levels of boost with the PRO you have other options on this same system. Further development of additional or custom limiter straps and also additional spring weights and rates for the front shock on the rear suspension are coming as well. THIS STUFF FLAT WORKS~!
Turbo guys no longer have to spend $2500 and up to get excellent consistant all around rear suspension performance like you did on the IQ RAW.
Spend $855 on a FOX Racing Shox rear end kit from Carl's Cycle Sales. That combined with your stock suspension is flat on MONEY for the PRO with boost. Tested to 9lbs but universally perfect at the 7-8 like Boondockers is targeting. In the event that guys start to acheive higher levels of boost with the PRO you have other options on this same system. Further development of additional or custom limiter straps and also additional spring weights and rates for the front shock on the rear suspension are coming as well. THIS STUFF FLAT WORKS~!
Here's my take on the subject and in no way taking away from the excellent post by F-Bomb and others above.
I DO agree with F-Bomb on the stock suspension, or shock upgrades/revalves for the Low boost PRO-RMK's...
There are only a small amount of Pros Out there with turbo kits on them as Rob points out... some are getting excellent results with the stock re-valved shocks (Like the Walker Evans redone by Holz racing in cooperation with the engineers at WE Racing) OR upgraded rear shock packages like the Fox upgrade from Carl's Cycle and Z-Broz
The new PRO-RMK's with the BD 3rd injector system spraying into the airbox are giving stellar low end "grunt".... the WOT operation at 8-9 lbs is making about the same power as the previous CFi-4 systems at 8-9 lbs according to my sources that have them installed on their sleds so far.
As BD and the other turbo mfgs like Aerocharger, Twisted, Big-Boost, Turbo-Performance get their rigs dialed in with different setups we will start to hear more about the higher boost capabilities and limitations of the stock skid (with or w/o shock improvement)
At higher boost levels, say 10+ pounds... where these systems really seem to "wake up" to another level...IMO, handling this power changes in a hurry....[though this amount of boost has not been perfected in YET.]
An uncoupled suspension, regardless of shock choice, starts to give up control and safety on WFO steep climbs compared to a coupled suspension where it is important to:
1) Keep the front end down and prevent the sled from coming back over on you.
2) Retain a compliant rear suspension that will cope with terrain variation...lumps, bumps, dips, ice chunks, ruts, stumps etc... during your climb and not be so stiff that the sled tends to "buck" you off.
(While still keeping the front end down)
There are a few coupling skid designs out there.... Timbersled Mountain Tamer, K-Mod,( both kits available as "conversion" kits)...EZ-Ryde.... and even the M-10 suspension.
Non coupled skids generally require a much stiffer rear track spring/shock for a given weight rider/gear to keep the front end down compared to a coupled design.
Over-transfer CAN be controlled on a non-coupling (ie stock PRO rear suspension) to a degree with shorter limiter straps (makes the steering heavier when off the power and limits bump absorbing travel capacity) or stiffening up the rear track shock (makes the suspension less compliant to lumps and bumps and other terrain variation).
A good friend of mine has a fully dialed in PRO with the top notch Fox package on a stock rear skid and 153" PC track... when he starts to get more boost I am very interested (sincerely) in seeing how this handles the 12 lbs of boost I'm sure he will be throwing at it. It will be going head to head with a coupled suspension running the same boost and track combo.
Time will tell... I do admit that all of this talk about higher boost, regardless of the upgrade, will only be proven on the hill... also this will be dictated by setup skills for those that own the upgrades and the type of riding that they want to do.
In the end... accurate verdicts on this topic and all the different options will be able to be reached by the end of this season.
Much depends on the boost level (not the name of the kit ie... pump gas or race gas)
A 163 PRO RMK with stock skid at 7 lbs of boost will do well in most conditions... a bit better with the shocks revalved and making sure that you have the correct springs on the rear for your rider weight... Polaris designed the springs setup on the PRO Chassis RMK's for the average 200 lb rider (this weight includes gear) according to the engineering staff at Polaris. Add some boost and a heavier rider (with gear and all that you stow on the tunnel included in that weight) and you are pushing the limits of the stock skid design.
The stock skid is, IMO, a great skid for 80% of the PRO-owners/riders out there.
Turbo sleds have very specific needs...
1000's of more hours on these chassis with turbo mods over the next few months will give us a more accurate, broad-spectrum picture of what really works and what does not in these sleds in different conditions with different riders.
I have watched as elite level riders have swapped similar boost level and setup sleds, with each other.... one having brand X and the other on brand Y rear skids.... they both could not wait to get back on their own sled.... so, much of this is, IMO (again) personal preference...
Try what you have.... see if you like it... if not... see if a simple re-valve and/or spring change will help things... if not keep on going.
Keep this in mind though... when upgrading, you still have the option to sell what you take out to take the "sting" out of the price of the ugrade.
For example... the $900 Carls Fox upgrade will only cost you about $550 when you sell your rear 2011 PRO shocks to someone with a non-PRO 2011 RMK.
Or similarly... would drop the price of a full-on, w/front/rear shocks/arms, Timbersled/K-mod (with rail adapters) to around $1250
Thats my 2 cents and there are a lot more opinions too.
Happy holidays and ride hard!!
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A
Anthony Oberti
Well-known member
Well I speak from 100% experience here guys. I have a 155 Pro(with a 153" Powder Claw) and I am running 9-9.5lbs on my BD turbo. I have Carls Cycle Fox shocks both front and rear. After today I can now say that I have had it on steep hills with deep powder. IT RIPPED!!! The rear skid works very well and the transfer is perfect in my mind. The technician that said you need an after market skid is full of it and obviously does not personally own and ride a Turbo Pro. I rode am Alpha X last season, and as far as I am concerned, this new skid is every bit as good.....and better in my mind. The only difference is that I hjave flat rails which I did not have last season. And this is something to keep in mind. I know the 163's have tipped rails so I can't comment on those. Additionally, I have only run my sled up to 10.5lbs of boost so I can't comment on higher boost level applications.....like MH was commenting on. However, as of now, the stock 155 skid, with good shocks, and 9lbs of boost is perfect in my mind.
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