How to lighten a ZX ?

FNG · Sep 12, 2009

I can't be the only one on this board who wasn't born into a sleddng family or who doesn't have a long list of sledding buddies right down the road to ask so I'll throw it out here. I am admittedly a recent arrival to sledding and am operating on a budget and I've ended up with a good solid 2001 Summit 700 ZX, 144 x 15 x 2 track as a first sled. Last season was great but this thing isn't a feather to push around that's for sure.

I've seen many posters mention lightning their ZX sleds, how do you go about doing it? My sled already has an aftermarket can (muffler) which is much smaller and lighter than the stock suit case that usully sits in there but what else

Hopefully this will be a usefull (source list) for others with the same questions.

Cheers :beer;

deboer · Sep 12, 2009

a couple ways to go about that would be by getting

a boss set= thats a couple pounds
light wieght hood (i think skinns protive gear makes one) = probly about 10lbs there
headlight delete=a couple pounds but then you cant see at night
poweder coat your rails and if you dont like to polish your tunnel you can poweder coat you tunnel too= that will get ride of snow build up in deep poweder
port your track = 1) less rotating mass=less wieght and more HP

s 2) snow doesnt build up as much eighter

maxwellzx · Sep 12, 2009

heres what i did....

lexan hood
deleted all electronics and guages and lights
running a digatron insead
deleted oil injection
deleted all skid wheels except rear 2
boss seat
dynoport can and pipe way lighter

i pretty much have it down to bare bones. going to weigh it soon

deboer · Sep 12, 2009

also to eliminate snow build up on your running board you could get a set of betterboard or snoweleminaters

Flit8.0 · Sep 12, 2009

The one me and my boy built is:
'01 Summit 800
lexan hood
avenger II
boss seat
fabcraft carbon fiber arms
2 inner 8" wheels
simmons skiis
better boards
dynoport pipe and thing can
150x16x2.5 track
fly bars and 8" risers

'bout as light as I can get it.
Would like to get a shorty highrise seat though.

winter brew · Sep 13, 2009

I had a '01 800 with 151. I had Lexan hood, removed oil injection, silencer, no bogie wheels, no sway bar.....with as much gas as I could siphon out it was still 535lbs on certified scale!! They were heavier than advertised, but a very easy chassis to ride, I had a blast on that sled.

Canuk · Sep 14, 2009

the big weight is not cheap to remove but it comes off in piles, relative to a rev or xp.

biggest losers are:
boss seat vs. stock.
Mountain Mod/lexan hood (no lights and gauges) vs. stock.
(i have a fog light bolted to my riser.. works good).

also have done the following.

pipe and can, led tail light, no bogie wheels., powder hound skis.

maxwellzx · Sep 14, 2009

does anyone know the savings running no electronics.

my hood with guages and light were rediculously heavy. not sure # tho.

Motley Doo · Sep 14, 2009

Yeah, the hoods are super flexible and hard to really hurt, but HEAVY!

breakingsomum · Sep 14, 2009

Here is what I have done 03 827 zx:

boss seat now (I built my own high rise weighed less than boss by 1.5lbs just didn't look as good)
lexan hood, I have 3 now might sell one reasonable
titanium driveshaft and extros
lighweight tss 04 team clutch(not 98)
slp lightweght rotor and kevlar pads
37" stance short 00 shocks
no gauges
avenger 2
156x2 track
8" big wheels
removed all wheels from skid except top 2 drilled 6 1" holes in each
snowstuff can
removed sway bar
removed rear tailight and alumium gas rack
added boss noss
I have run a ported track wasn't (to me that is) worth the work for what I got out of it

I lightened up the drive compents as much as possile for 1lb rotating = 7lbs dead weight.

If I were to start all over again like im doing on my 700zx I would start with the can and swaybar first, hood and skid wheels second, lightweight rotor, clutch, and driveshaft third, dynoport pipe fourth, boss seat 5th,
and any other things that you can justify that aren't needed in the mean time

Hope this helps:beer;:beer;:beer;

maxwellzx · Sep 14, 2009

where did u get the TI driveshaft and the brake rotor

breakingsomum · Sep 14, 2009

I bought it used 2 years ago with the extro's on it they got it from whal bro racing they still sell them just be sitting down when you get a price, and it sucks I bought a second one used last year for a redicouls price and sold it I wasn't thinking about the back up sled!!

The rotor is from slp but here is a secret that I found out last year I bought a 05 or 06 mxz factor skidoo wave rotor from my used guy and it was ony like 2oz heavier than my slp one but way less than the stock one amost a pound i think, so i put it on my 700 you can buy those cheap I paid like 30bucks or so and they used the same skidoo pads so you didn't have to buy the special ones from slp works great and stops way better

hope this answers your questions guy's:beer;:beer;

AKrider · Sep 14, 2009

Have you weighed the sled?

deboer · Sep 15, 2009

breakingsomum said:
Here is what I have done 03 827 zx:

boss seat now (I built my own high rise weighed less than boss by 1.5lbs just didn't look as good)
lexan hood, I have 3 now might sell one reasonable
titanium driveshaft and extros
lighweight tss 04 team clutch(not 98)
slp lightweght rotor and kevlar pads
37" stance short 00 shocks
no gauges
avenger 2
156x2 track
8" big wheels
removed all wheels from skid except top 2 drilled 6 1" holes in each
snowstuff can
removed sway bar
removed rear tailight and alumium gas rack
added boss noss
I have run a ported track wasn't (to me that is) worth the work for what I got out of it

I lightened up the drive compents as much as possile for 1lb rotating = 7lbs dead weight.

If I were to start all over again like im doing on my 700zx I would start with the can and swaybar first, hood and skid wheels second, lightweight rotor, clutch, and driveshaft third, dynoport pipe fourth, boss seat 5th,
and any other things that you can justify that aren't needed in the mean time

Hope this helps:beer;:beer;:beer;

what did you do with the alumium gas rack??? and if you still have it are you willing to sell it or not???

zeke · Sep 17, 2009

weight

Besides what the others said. I found some aluminum trailing arms and fox floats, then put ti springs on shocks of M10 skid.
good luck

Motley Doo · Sep 17, 2009

Who makes aluminum trailing arms? I know fabcraft makes carbon fibers but I kind of like the idea of bend and not break.

zeke · Sep 17, 2009

Did you ever hear of Racer-x? I managed to get a set off the guy who built those sleds before he closed up shop. They look just like stock and are light as a feather.

FNG · Sep 17, 2009

Oh, man, I've got some work to do, hafta call the boss and see if there's extra work ta pay for parts, again! ...

Oh, well, fer now, fu-gg-it, I'll be servicing the clutches, adding snow elliminators, throwin some (used) Simmons Skis on there and lubing some zirk fittings.... and lookin fer some lighter parts until the snow flies

Thanks for the ideas on where to cut weight and on your set-ups, gives me a lot of ideas on where to go from here. I actually kind-a "like" tweakin on my sled btw so this is great :face-icon-small-hap

I'd really like to do a drop and roll and lengthen the track a bit too but a guy's got to draw the line somewhere right?...right?

Really can't shed the lights as I do find myself out at O-dark-thirty from fairly often.

Now, another brewski

FNG · Sep 17, 2009

Doo Man 800

How did you go about building your own seat???

Beer fueled minds want to know?

deboer · Sep 18, 2009

FNG said:
Doo Man 800

How did you go about building your own seat???

Beer fueled minds want to know?

you need to ask breakingsomum he is he one who made his set not me

How to lighten a ZX ?

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