Polaris xtra-10 suspension

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boyzni

New member
Question - other than the adjustments in the owners manual, are there ways to soften the ride on this suspension. I have a Trail Touring 2-up sled that I often use as just a one-up for either me or my son, or a 2-up with me and a younger child. Total rider weight will range from 100 lbs to 250 lbs.

I have done all the items in the manual, but it still rides rough. My next thoughts were to replace the springs with thinner diameter springs (3 diameters available for this model), possibly replace the rear shock, and/or possibly removing the rear shock altogether.

Thoughts / recommendations? Thanks.
 
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redrat75

New member
Well you have a very large weight range and the Xtra-10 was never that great. Are you sure your not bottoming suspension out? With my old xtra-10 I set it as stiff as it would go to prevent bottoming and I weigh 230 fully dressed. That skid has limited travel and I always bottomed mine on big bumps, unless I skipped over the top of the rutted out trails. As far as the rear shock you need it! Only true way to get a smooth ride is to change the suspension out. Technology has come a long way and it's a lot better on your backs! That's my .02.
 
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fredster

New member
We had three sleds with that skid and it works but it's nothing great. Having a top-quality rear shock with adjustable damping helps a lot with the tuning. If the front and rear shocks haven't been replaced, they're way overdue. Most polaris sleds came with a spring designed for a weight range of 150-200 pounds. You can't get a set of springs that will cover the range you mention, and replacing the springs takes some time. I would pull the rear skid, remove all the rust and corrosion that have built up over the years then install new f/r shocks and try it. The skid might be binding up contributing to the roughly ride. You might also consisder replacing with an xtra-12 which had more travel and should pretty much bolt in place of the xtra-10.
 
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whitedust

Well-known member
Leave it alone xtra10 was good for its' time no use throwing money at old sled move up to something better.
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
Ditto on the previous posts.

New shocks for sure. As fredster says, something could be binding or dragging. Pull it out and make sure all of the pivoting shafts are well greased and pivot freely. Changing the springs probably won't solve the problem for all riders.

When the trails got really rough my 98 RMK with an Xtra-10 always rode like a buckboard. Saw one on the trail once with the 0's removed from the decal: "Xtra-1". Mine felt like it sometimes.
 
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boyzni

New member
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. It's certainly not bottoming out. Just the opposite. I understand not throwing a lot of money on an older sled, but if I can tinker with it myself, spend two-three hundred on parts, and end up with a sled that meets our needs, then I feel its worth it. The thing only has 3,500 miles, and everything else is in good shape.

I ripped it all apart and here is what I found: All linkage and pivot points moved freely and were well greased. The center shock appeared to have good damping movement, but when I did the "freeze test", it had very little movement. Must have water in it. I'll replace this, and the front one while I'm at it. Regarding the springs, the ones on there were a .466 diameter, which is thicker than any factory spring option. Some previous owner must have needed to beef it up a little. I'm getting .406 springs which are on the light end of the two-up options, but still heavier than most one-up springs for sleds w/ this suspension. I was hoping to only need either springs or shocks, but after ripping it apart, it appears I need both to get this thing to ride better than a hay wagon!
 
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groomerdriver

New member
Didn't this skid have some sort of coupling blocks? If so you want to make sure that they are set so that the skid couples properly.

IMO - don't just buy replacement Poo branded shocks...buy a rear shock that has variable valving....like when Poo has the Position Sensing Shock (PSS??) shock. Get the same or similar for the front, but don't get a pure gas shock (IMO). Stock valving will be too stiff and the ride will be worse...not better.

The other posters idea about an Xtra-12 has merit. The Xtra-12 skid is a falling rate suspension (gets stiffer at the latter stages of compression) which is better for trail riding. The X10 is a rising rate skid, which means it's stiffer during the initial stages of travel.

If you could TRULY bolt in a Xtra-12 (but I doubt it) in the same holes as the X-10 you can find those skids pretty cheap. OR..find a used Polaris version M10 and put that in. You may pay a few bucks more in total but the sled will ride 1000% better!
 
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markf419

New member
groomerdriver said:
If you could TRULY bolt in a Xtra-12 (but I doubt it) in the same holes as the X-10 you can find those skids pretty cheap. OR..find a used Polaris version M10 and put that in. You may pay a few bucks more in total but the sled will ride 1000% better!
Click to expand...

I remember visiting a website a while back detailing skid swapping on Polaris machines. Had all kinds of technical info including what could be swapped and template diagrams with measurements for drilling new mounting holes. I'm not sure, but I think I originally found the link here somewhere.
 
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dcsnomo

Moderator
boyzni said:
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. It's certainly not bottoming out. Just the opposite. I understand not throwing a lot of money on an older sled, but if I can tinker with it myself, spend two-three hundred on parts, and end up with a sled that meets our needs, then I feel its worth it. The thing only has 3,500 miles, and everything else is in good shape.

I ripped it all apart and here is what I found: All linkage and pivot points moved freely and were well greased. The center shock appeared to have good damping movement, but when I did the "freeze test", it had very little movement. Must have water in it. I'll replace this, and the front one while I'm at it. Regarding the springs, the ones on there were a .466 diameter, which is thicker than any factory spring option. Some previous owner must have needed to beef it up a little. I'm getting .406 springs which are on the light end of the two-up options, but still heavier than most one-up springs for sleds w/ this suspension. I was hoping to only need either springs or shocks, but after ripping it apart, it appears I need both to get this thing to ride better than a hay wagon!
Click to expand...

I have a set of stock springs from a 98 Indy 600 XLT that I would part with cheaply. If interested just PM me.
 
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snowman72

New member
Use the lighter springs, install a Ryde FX adjustable rear shock (or similar brand) and turn the adjustment screw all the way out to for the lightest setting. I have an xtra-10 in my son's 440 l/c and it works great with everything set on the lightest settings and with the light weight rear springs.
 
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lowell7511

New member
Did you replace your springs? I have the opposite problem with my suspension being too soft. I am carrying around 400lbs when I load up for a long trip. Sounds like your heavy ones would work for me. Are they available or can you tell me where there's a place online to buy some. Thanks
 
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racerxnet

New member
I just swapped a 136 Extra lite Polaris skid in my 2 Up Ski-Doo and it has been a very good upgrade. My wife and I just came back from the UP and put 350 miles on the sled in 2 days. Here is what I did:

RydeFx clicker shock (rear) from Ebay. Extended 15" / 9.5"
RydeFX front skid shock from Ebay. Extended 11" / 8"
Kimpex torsion springs to replace the square Polaris springs. Part # 04-444 and 04-444-01. I had to machine 2 spacers to move the idler wheels outward for spring clearance. It was very easy to do. The Kimpex springs were $19.00ea. vs. $78.00ea from Polaris. I calculated the surface area of the springs for a general idea of spring rate comparison. The .437 Kimpex round is close to the .375 square spring from Polaris. The cheapest cost for .437 square springs is from Wahl Bros. at $119.00. http://www.wahlracing.com/product.php?productid=19735&cat=250&page=10&click=srclick

We rode some of the poor rutted trails to the very good and flat trails. We could not fly over the poor trails, but they were much more manageable than before with the old C-7 skid.

Hope this helps with the parts list.

MAK
 
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