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XMT vs AxysT vs Doo 850T

skibumm

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Just thought I would give you my side by side comparison of the sleds on boost having had experience on all 3. The XM was a 2015 Snow check 174, the Polaris was a Snow Check 174, and the Doo was a Snow Check 165. Sleds tested were all Impulse Turbo Boosted. All were tested in various snow conditions in elevations ranging from 8K to 12Kish. Boost was at 8 to 12lbs. All 3 are stock other than the turbo system. No modifications were made to the skid or suspension. I have been riding turbos since 2005 and have owned several brands and have thrown a leg over most. Recently, I have only been riding the Impulse Turbos because the fit and finish is unsurpassed, the parts are of the highest quality, and the customer service is hard to beat. Now, with the background out of the way, here is how I see it....


Flickability: In order of easiest to least flickable.. 850 Doo, XM, and Poo. The Poo, however, holds a very stable line when in the side hill. The XM wants to either dive or wheely with the slightest of weight change on the board. The 850 is somewhere in between.


Trail ride: Not that I care, but the Poo has the best trail ride with superior shocks being the culprit with the remote clickers. 850 next then the XM


Climbing: Boost for boost the Polaris seems to climb the best. The XM actually out climbs the 850 only because it likes to wheely like crazy. More power but a lot of power and control are lost. We are, in fact, ordering Baker skids for the 850s to see if that helps. The Poo settles in nice with very controllable ski lift, more than I would like however, and the XM is very close behind.


Clutching: Based on belt wear, heat, and boostability the Poo is 1st, then the 850 is close behind with the XM coming in last. Both Doos will create twice the heat in the same pull as the Poo, measured with a heat gun. However, I put 500 plus miles on a boosted XM on the original belt!


Things I hate:
Poo.. Toe loops, no tether, and ridiculous wiring connectors. Someone is going to sue them over the first two. Connectors are so ugly and archaic that they have to be held in by grease and covered up by some weird Velcro sock. Too much money to pay for a sled with such cheap connectors. Low oil sensor must be in the cap! Every time I tip the sled or climb anything of significance, I get the red low oil light. Also, because I use the brake a lot will side hilling, I had to get used to the little red brake light that comes on every time I tap it. Ice scratchers are weak, I actually put XM ones on..


Doo 850:
No 174?!! Ya I know, next year... Wheelies constantly making extreme chute climbs very sketchy. I think a longer track would fix this, but the sled is a little too twitchy. Fairly thirsty compared to the other 2. That gauge is way to small to effectively read while riding. Fuel tank is smaller than the other 2.


XM: Loves to eat reeds if you don't watch the R's. It is a tractor and runs with a more torquey feel and less horsepower.


All 3 need extros!! Why can't they sell them on the sled already. They all ratchet with mild power and changing out drivers is a pain in the butt that I just don't think should be necessary.


What I love:


Poo... very predictable side hilling and climbing, with a great balance between rider input and flickability. Love the bars and seat relationship and general rider ergonomics. Suspension is awesome. Clutching is spot on with Tri City's turbo setup. Seat is a perfect height for me with the tall bar setup. I'm 6'1" and weigh around 195. Best looking sled IMO. Skis work great. LOVES Boost!!! This sled is bar far the easiest to run higher boost levels. Big fuel tank. Dry weight..


Doo 850... Most flickable by far... almost too much so. Great power that feels like it edges out the Poo boost for boost. As I said earlier though, we can currently run more boost in the Poo. Lightest "riding" sled of the three, or in other words it feels the lightest at the bars. Was the easiest to turbo as it had surprisingly good room in there. Great power and torque.


XM... It is a tractor and just keeps on going. Will often climb more things than the rider will give it credit for. Like I said, will out climb the 850, though it might happen a little slower. Great on fuel and reacts very well to rider input for a 174. Both Doos have great fit and finish with awesome accessories and storage options.


I'm sure I missed some stuff so feel free to ask. This is a good baseline though. Not here to bash any of them as I honestly love all 3.
 
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skibumm

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Adding things as I think of them

GPS on the Poo.... I don't know how to use it yet but I love it! ;-)
Of the three, the Poo is by far the fastest reving on Boost. Kind of crazy actually
 
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skibumm

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Better give you vids of all three. Sorry for some reason the Youtube link isn't working. Maybe somebody can hook us up with the link.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHclmKhjjkQ
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aHclmKhjjkQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArgdzBCjn60
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ArgdzBCjn60" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybA5UPXm2Qg
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ybA5UPXm2Qg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjUerfZDBgg
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hjUerfZDBgg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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skibumm

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Note about the Poo, I said everything was running 8 to 12 but the Poo is only running around 5ish in the vids. I will try to get some with more boost.
 

skibumm

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Im thinking there is a reason you didnt do a side by side and line them all up pointed up hill.... seems strange.

I can't ride all 3 at the same time. I sold the XM, so it's gone, but I do have buddies in the group that still have them. The 850 is currently running twice the boost as the Poo so that's not really a fair comparison. One day, when the XM was outclimbing the 850, I didn't have the Poo there, so logistically, it just hasn't happened yet. It will and when it does I will let you know with videos and comparative literature. Additionally, I feel that a drag race up a hill is only a small part of the total picture. All it shows is how that sled was hooking up in that particular snow that particular day.
 

mattymac

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so if you sold these sleds going into next year and you were going to build one sled... which ONE sled would it be knowing what you know now?
 
T

twsandrew

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I just spent a half day in very deep snow on all 3. The 850 was not an Impulse kit but my t3 and 16 Axys 163 were. Also had a couple of BD Pros that I own. I currently own a t3 174 Impulse which was running 11 lbs. It has been the most trouble free sled I have every owned. I have been on turbos since 07 and simply want to ride the best for me so I have no reason to favor any one brand or tuner. I do love the Impulse stuff for the reasons Travis has mentioned but both my BD pros have been extremely solid also.

Climbing
T3 climbed the highest in every case followed by my Pro with a 174 X 3.2". The snow was very deep but fairly heavy. I was able to tractor up a number of hills that neither the 850 or Axys could come close to completing. My 13 Pro 174X3.2 did make all of the same hills. Axys was next because the ski lift on the 850 was stupid but he said he had the limiters in the stock position so I am sure that would help a bit. On a couple of hills my 12 Pro with 162X3 and Timbersled skid easily outclimbed the 850 so I was not very impressed. You could tell it was making power but the front end would just come right up in any deep snow especially with me riding weighing 240. Once we got quite a few tracks on a hill the 850 would fly up them as fast or faster than everything else so to me it was obvious it was the ski lift.

Racing
We only raced a couple of times and like Trav said it is a very small part of the picture for me but the results were as expected to me (short tracks winning races). I am only sure about the boost levels on the sleds I brought and I have no reason to favor one or the other.
12 Pro 162X3" and 850 up front in most races with no clear winner in those two. For some reason my 12 Pro has always been faster than I would expect. It is a BD Tial kit running 12lbs BTW.
Everything else close enough that it was up to rider or hook up with the 174X3.2 Pro always last. This sled/track combo is the meaning of tractor. It climbs things very slowly but never stops.

Handling
Although I have a Impulse T3 I honestly prefer the Pro/Axys/Cat handling a ton more. I am a big guy 6'5" so leaning any sled is not an issue and I simply over turn the Doos. It took me a long time to get used to the Doo and even though I am used to the T3 like Trav said the 850 seems to amplify all those characteristics. I do love the flickability of the Doos in very tight slow stuff but other than that others suit me better. The newer riders is my groups always love the 850 but for me the ski lift was unbearable and it further amplifies how I over ride the Doo. Every time I hit a big bump on a climb with the 850 it throws me off my line which I cannot stand. I am sure with some time on it I could get used to it like I did my T3. With a skid it may be perfect.

Belts
We did not check heat but everyone rode in and out on the same belt and did not seem to have any issues. Snow was over the hood and heavy BUT we were only out for about 4.5 hours. I am on my 3rd belt on my Doo but both were lost on a really deep day when I was up front breaking trail the whole day as I had a few newbs with me.

Fuel
The Doos seem to rule here. My t3 literally uses about 1/3 less fuel than my Pros day in and day out. The guy with the Axys trailered home with me and his used about the same as my Pros while my Doo used far less. Did not check the 850.

Conclusion
I am with Trav on the build quality of the Doos but if I am buying a sled right now I am buying a 17 Axys 174 UNLESS putting a 174 and/ or skid under the 850 is a huge diff. I love the way the Axys revs. To me it is the best looking. The handling is way better for me and I can turn it up higher. It comes with a 174X3 option and it holds the front down. I do not think you can go wrong with either but the ski lift on the Doo is a major issue for me. Normally I am fine adding a skid but I have not had to on the T3 and the 16 Axys held the front down respectably for being boosted.

Sorry for the thread jack. I was going to post my own and then I saw this. I know it is not apples to apples but I wanted to add some color since it answered a couple of questions asked. It also made me think of a few things like fuel usage.
 
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F
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Not a very fair comparison with out upgrading skids.. Baker told me Paul ordered three skids..make sure rear spring is tight, so much tension that you can only push down about a inch on rear bumper..

Then give that comparssion another try.. I Run the Impuse up here on bakers skid and run against many poos in the steep, with the 174, at only 9 lbs and they don't stand a chance.. Can't imangine a 850 to do any less with proper setup.. And Zeb said they are now over 12lbs.. That's a lot more hp
 
F
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Few other things on the chassie setup, with the xm once you turbo it your losing around 10 percent track speed if you don't swap up to a 8 tooth driver, from the seven tooth alone.. Room for improved gearing, clutching found also..
 
F
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Yes your correct, not the best ride down the trail or in the woops, but holds the skis down in the steep.. I actually wish they would have a quick pin you could install to have no skid suspension.. Never seam to Need any when your in four feet of fresh
 

skibumm

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so if you sold these sleds going into next year and you were going to build one sled... which ONE sled would it be knowing what you know now?


Great question! Knowing what I know now, I would do the 850 with a Baker Skid. That sled handles great much better with the new skid, and is making sick power! That being said, I'm going to spend the rest of the year squeezing as much as I can out of the Polaris 174 and see what happens.
 

skibumm

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Might make for a good climbing setup, but that is going to ride like asss

With the magnets that come with the baker skid, you can really adjust the ride to your liking. Rides great without the magnets and doesn't compromise the flickability in my opinion.
 

skibumm

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I also think the tipped rails on both Doos serves as a detriment when adding this much power because it creates too much ski lift. Both sleds would probably be served well with bigger bogie wheels in the back to alleviate some of that rail tip.
 
F
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Out with a few boosted 850s today, even with decent skids they are loosing a lot of track to wheeling, rather than getting power to ground.. Doo missed the boat I think with not comming out with a 174 on the G4

Etec impulse had the edge on the 174 in the deep forsure..
 

skibumm

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Out with a few boosted 850s today, even with decent skids they are loosing a lot of track to wheeling, rather than getting power to ground.. Doo missed the boat I think with not comming out with a 174 on the G4

Etec impulse had the edge on the 174 in the deep forsure..

I don't think they missed the mark, I think that's what they're going to sell you next year ;-)
 
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