First ride impression on 175-850 G4

fredw · Dec 5, 2017

Had put one day on new sled this last weekend in good three feet plus of new snow at 6500'

Sled is completely stock other than tighting rear skid to tightest position and setting front shocks to 3.5

Sled ran solid staying between 78-7900rpm all day, did here a few lazy back shifts in deep snow at top of good thirty second pulls, little power fade maybe..

Shot works perfectly and is a true asset to this sled, well worth the coin, bars seamed a bit short for my height of 5.9' but still very mangable

I ran a older xm 174 platform the day before and a t3-174 the day after riding the G4.. So here is what I found

In these deep snow conditions I found 850 to be extremely flickable, so much that I did more than a few ninty degree turns when I only wanted a slight turn, also found that you almost never had to have to legs on one side, just a turn of your neck or a shoulder is more than needed..

Also found this skid and track to be so flickable I could not follow a track up a steep line, just kept throwing you out, where you needed to stay in.. Real handful compared to other sleds where I have aftermarket skids in..

Left limiter strap in position sled came in and found it to lift skis more than needed and mich more in steeper lines, another sled had bakers aftermarket skid on a new 850 and it seam to follow lines and ski left much less.. Time to spend more $$ on this it looks

Power was ok, maybe a little light for that big track in that deep of snow, hit 50mph track speed, no belt problems

We had a average day riding I would guess and fuel light came on 20 miles from truck, not sure it would make a deep long day with out extra fuel..

Had some other t3 -174 with us that day and it seamed they were fairly equal, power after Breakin is over could be better

DRIVEBYE · Dec 6, 2017

Light on power compared to what?

Rotax_Kid · Dec 6, 2017

DRIVEBYE said:
Light on power compared to what?

10lbs of boost.....hehe

JungleJim · Dec 6, 2017

Thanks for the honest review Fred! I had the same challenge coming off my turbo Nytro with a Baker's skid to a stock Axys 163x3 when it came to over riding it. Ended up doing a bunch of 270 degree turns and falling off in the inside of the donut the first few days! On my Axys it too was squirrelly climbing in trenched conditions but got way better when I sucked up the front limiter strap an inch past stock. Looking forward to seeing how my G4 175 will work with the adjustable limiter strap this weekend...

DRIVEBYE · Dec 6, 2017

Rotax_Kid said:
10lbs of boost.....hehe

That's what I was thinking...I have a new 800 RMK and 3 800 Ski Doo's in my group and a Cat and the 850 has a good amount more IMO.

Chadly · Dec 6, 2017

You ride with your weight a lot farther back on an 850 chassis. People who have problems with this sled sidehilling steep terrain (tracking or whatever you want to call it) ride too far forward. If you bury your foot in the footwell like you do on any Polaris, XM, or T3, the back will wash out. The stock skid is very squirrely but it still can be done if you have the skill set to do it. For reference, if you see where the boards change design on the X models or the SP models, that is where you need to ride for the skid to hold a sidehill. I struggled with this probably for four or five rides when I switched to the 850. I would recommend an after market skid because I run one but for someone to say the sleds don't do it is ridiculous. They just lack the skill it takes. Just because you're not a good enough rider doesn't mean a sled can't or won't do it :face-icon-small-dis

fredw · Dec 6, 2017

We had a 110 lb lady with us and she just loved her new G4, and ride it well, not the same for me at 230lbs

With more rides on it it could get better, even placing your feet a few inches forward gave such a different feel of control, and yes I will be sucking limiter up before going out again a few holes, that is for sure

Talking with a few guys they added washers to limit t motion, and said that made a huge difference for control, might try that as well, it's quick to do

Trying to get Breakin finished on sled before adding silber turbo, also plan to go with toms new skid with full lock out shock for steep climbs, or another baker skid.. Just received seven tooth advid drivers to fix ulgy attack angle and be able to loosen track some

My turbo sleds day before and after were running mid 60 track speeds and that is so forgiving in the deep stuff, very stiff skids also make it for stable ride..

goridedoo · Dec 6, 2017

fredw said:
We had a 110 lb lady with us and she just loved her new G4, and ride it well, not the same for me at 230lbs

With more rides on it it could get better, even placing your feet a few inches forward gave such a different feel of control, and yes I will be sucking limiter up before going out again a few holes, that is for sure

Talking with a few guys they added washers to limit t motion, and said that made a huge difference for control, might try that as well, it's quick to do

Trying to get Breakin finished on sled before adding silber turbo, also plan to go with toms new skid with full lock out shock for steep climbs, or another baker skid.. Just received seven tooth advid drivers to fix ulgy attack angle and be able to loosen track some

My turbo sleds day before and after were running mid 60 track speeds and that is so forgiving in the deep stuff, very stiff skids also make it for stable ride..

Any idea how much clearance there is with 7 tooths?

jackbombay · Dec 6, 2017

fredw said:
Had some other t3 -174 with us that day and it seamed they were fairly equal...

Line up a couple drag races next time you are out ;-)

slinky · Dec 6, 2017

would definitely be interested in more info regarding the washer trick to limit some of the T-motion. Please elaborate. Thank you in advance!

fredw · Dec 6, 2017

I certainly will, the gent I talked with is sending me the stuff I need.. My understanding is there are washers that take up space on either side of Heim, and eliminating its effect..

As for the seven tooth drivers on left side of tunnel it looks 1/2 inch of play but on right side the coolant inlet pipe is direct above driveshaft and driver and needs to be tapped up giving more clearance between driver and tunnel

Rotax_Kid · Dec 7, 2017

Fred - I bet a ZRP offset rear arm and the washers would help you out and would be a less expensive option to experiment with than spending more on Baker's stuff right off the bat.

jackbombay · Dec 7, 2017

slinky said:
would definitely be interested in more info regarding the washer trick to limit some of the T-motion. Please elaborate. Thank you in advance!

https://www.zollingerracingproducts.com/ski-doo/t-motion-lockout

fredw · Dec 7, 2017

Now that looks like that could get rid of t motion or tee a totor effect.. Bet it would help more than a guy thinks

jackbombay · Dec 7, 2017

fredw said:
Now that looks like that could get rid of t motion or tee a totor effect.. Bet it would help more than a guy thinks

I rode a buddies sled with the lockout yesterday, I ordered a set of lockout washers for my sled yesterday evening. It makes the back end "smear" less, holds a side hill better, and you can throttle out of corners harder without the back end squirming outward, which can be fun, but there are a lot of times I want the back to track straight. My buddy has a 165 and I have a 165, so things were equal.

I have ridden a 154 G4 as well back to back with my 165, both with functioning t motion, I'd say the 11" more track keeps the back end "in place" as much as the t motion lock out does, that is, in some regards the lockout will make your sled behave as though it has the next longer track.

fredw · Dec 7, 2017

Good to know, had the G4 wash out more than a few times on a side hill, that caught me off guard, and would of never happened with other skids.. Skid just to sloppy

High Voltage · Dec 7, 2017

Has anyone tried just putting regular large washers in to take up the space in the T-motion?

Red Mtn · Dec 17, 2017

fredw said:
Good to know, had the G4 wash out more than a few times on a side hill, that caught me off guard, and would of never happened with other skids.. Skid just to sloppy

The whole tmotion flex edge is what has been keeping me off the Doo. I have been on a Polaris for 4 years now, two Pros and an Axys for two seasons. I rode a couple G4s last season and I feel like I am on top of a barrel in the river, the thing just rolls around and is a handful. I tried a Cat on the sidehill, holds like a champ till it panels out. The G4 was hard to hold by comparison and my Axys smoked them both on the sidehill by a good margin. Of course that is the chassis I am most used to.

I would do an 850 without t-motion and flex edge, I like the all black 18s at the dealer... If you guys get some precision out of this chassis, I could be on board. I can't do Poo anymore, rides great, falls apart... Most likely going cat after x-mas.

fredw · Dec 17, 2017

We rode another 3 days this last week, snow was not the best but in trees we had foot or two of untouched, pretty technical riding and found it such a handful.. Sucked up limiter 4 holes and it was much much more manageable, other than just off the start and the last few mph at wot, all was good and climbed some pretty decent climbs

Going to try the tmotion lockout next, I still found it a bit to Darty, but think this could be a decent next step.. Final would be a better rear shock or springs to prevent suspension sag in the steep..

Plan to do boost install early January once motor is broke in and then plan a complete driver and skid swap..

No problems so far with belt and primary stays around the 78-8100, will drop clickers or add a few grams for next ride

Out with a few other G4 155s and what a joke it was to watch them climbing, skids had no chance and a few came right over on driver in a climb.. Really made you wonder who is testing these things out, and what conditions they put them threw..

jackbombay · Dec 17, 2017

Got a ride in today with my tmotion locked out, I used the washers from Zollinger. Certainly worth the $50 IMO. The sled holds lines better and exits corners more precisely on the gas.

First ride impression on 175-850 G4

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