2018 - why pick the freeride?

AndrettiDog said:

To each their own. We all weigh different weights, ride differently in different areas with sleds setup differently. I have used several aftermarket shocks and love the ability to fine tune the ride. This year I'm riding on Polaris stock piggyback shocks. Stock shocks are getting better but they are not there yet. I think the sled manufacturers are spec'ing shocks as light as possible to keep a low dry weight. Revalving is a great option too, I'm just not as familiar with the Doo shocks.

If I did a Doo, I think I'd get an SP and add shocks. But...you can't get that cool new blue/green combo!

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Actually they valve the shock to sit in the right calibration for the rider weight that they pick and go nicely up and down from there...if your a pip sqeek like me or a fat bastard, your gonna find they are not perfect for you. Carl Kuster one of the best sledders on the planet, who regularly jumps the 174 80-100 feet just uses stock shocks revalved, he never complains their not enough. I rarely get off the ground so my shocks sit at 1 all year long.

Norona said:

Actually they valve the shock to sit in the right calibration for the rider weight that they pick and go nicely up and down from there...if your a pip sqeek like me or a fat bastard, your gonna find they are not perfect for you. Carl Kuster one of the best sledders on the planet, who regularly jumps the 174 80-100 feet just uses stock shocks revalved, he never complains their not enough. I rarely get off the ground so my shocks sit at 1 all year long.

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Who do you mean by "they"? Are you saying Ski-Doo picks a calibration and uses it across the board? If so, I'm sure that's what all the manufacturers are doing. Works great if you are in that range.

Norona said:

Actually they valve the shock to sit in the right calibration for the rider weight that they pick and go nicely up and down from there...if your a pip sqeek like me or a fat bastard, your gonna find they are not perfect for you. Carl Kuster one of the best sledders on the planet, who regularly jumps the 174 80-100 feet just uses stock shocks revalved, he never complains their not enough. I rarely get off the ground so my shocks sit at 1 all year long.

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My stock SP shocks and my friends X shocks. both could hardly even hold the sled up after a year with no one on it. tip it on one ski with no one on it. totally bottomed out. Are they supposed to be like that? It was driving me nuts so I upgraded to Fox and its been way better ride. bars don't get jerked out of my arms when on one ski anymore.

Honestly the X model boards are just ok. They are marginally better from the back of the chaincase rearward than the SP boards, but they both are identical and SUCK at the front. I wish Ski Doo would pay just a bit better attention to us western rider's "voice" when it came to some of these easily designed areas. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'd like my sled to be as narrow as possible. And while they did go that direction with the G4 they left an easy 2" on each side starting with the running boards. We are already paying an inch wide penalty for the 16" wide track and tunnel, which is fine. But there is absolutely no reason to leave the boards and panels that wide at the front. I ran the Skinz narrow boards and narrow panels on my T3, and even though I wear a size 13 Boa, I never once thought those boards were too narrow. Most of us ride with our feet tight to the tunnel so it's actually nice to have them there and also have the most rigid part of the board with the most traction (outside edge) under our feet instead of somewhere outside of our boots. Where am I going with all this? One reason is since Dave is in here I'm hoping he will listen and pass on the fact that leaving any extra width on these sleds is an absolute sin. AND, I still think going with the SP and upgrading the shocks to your liking, sticking on a set of B&M or Skinz narrow boards (they are coming) and matching your panels up accordingly (I think we could narrow these panels ourselves a lot like the Cat guys are doing with the 17's and older Cats), is the way to go. Oh and Dave! While you are putting in my own personal order, tell those dummies to drop that chaincase a bit and put 7 tooth 3.5" pitch drivers under these things! Those 6 tooths are terrible for rolling resistance, the fact that you have to run the tracks so tight on these sleds should tell them something!

KTMDirtFace said:

My stock SP shocks and my friends X shocks. both could hardly even hold the sled up after a year with no one on it. tip it on one ski with no one on it. totally bottomed out. Are they supposed to be like that? It was driving me nuts so I upgraded to Fox and its been way better ride. bars don't get jerked out of my arms when on one ski anymore.

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The shocks does not hold the weight, the springs do!


All OEMs that I have seen fill the shocks with the cheapest oil-like substance they can find, all new factory fitted shocks will benefit from a rebuild almost immediately.

As to what brand shocks are better than others I usually reply "They are the same" as in they are almost all De Carbon type shocks built in more or less the same way and can almost without exception be made to work as good as the others. There are differences in how the compression adjustment is achieved and so on but in general they are the same. The secret is the balance between bleed holes and shim stacks and of course the build up of the shim stacks. The OEMs does not pay the shock supplier enough to make the perfect valving for every model, (any model!?!?), so that's why stock shocks often does not work as good as they could.

There are premium brands, Öhlins, high end Fox shocks etc, that seem to work better but mostly those shocks just use a bit better seals, a bit better component finish etc so the service intervall can be longer, but if you know what you are doing a WE or KYB shock can be made to work as god as those premium brand shocks, (at least so close that no non-professional can notice the difference). You just might have to service the shocks a bit more often but you can pay for a lot of service with the pile of cash a set of "premium" shocks costs.

Yeah I was trying to allocate the 25 lbs difference as well

Shocks and springs heavier on FR

More bracing on FR

Rail Braces on FR

I think that's the only differences , hard to see 25 lbs there !!!

Norona said:

Rode it for a short while. I will have one only cause I want something different from my summit x 175. To answer your question, no you wont, guys always say they will notice the 20 pound e-start, really you wont, if someone witched out my earth x battery, I would not know, do you feel your gas tank going empty? That is 60 pounds, guys say they do, funny thing is when it empties your skid usually is filling up with snow, the guys that feel this stuff are feeling it in their minds. The freeride is a wicked sled and a good price for the shock package, many guys say they would rather have X brand instead, well then the best option for them is to get the summit and upgrade, but they will pay more to do so, which is fine as they get what they want. If I had to buy a sled tomorrow, and only one, it would be the 2018 summit x 175.

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Norona why do you like the 175 so much? Just curious I'm torn buy another 154 " that's playful or go big on 175"? Tell us bit more on handeling of 175. Trees? Technical etc?

Sorry a bit of an update here. The 137/146 freeride are 25 pounds more, than summit, but the 154 and 165 freeride are 15 pounds more than summit, difference is kyb piggy back shocks all around and rail braces. Unless you are getting a killer deal, any other shock package for all 4 will be more than what the upgrade is from summit to freeride. 1300.00 I believe. If that is worth it to you then awesome, if not awesome go with summit.

NWaxys said:

Norona why do you like the 175 so much? Just curious I'm torn buy another 154 " that's playful or go big on 175"? Tell us bit more on handeling of 175. Trees? Technical etc?

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I love the 154 2.5 but for where I ride and the sled skiing I do, not worth owning. The 175 is not noticeable over the 165 and handles better. Think why big mountain pro skiers use longer skis not shorter, suspension and hook up and traction are better. and I ride super deep snow all season long. no drawback. Most guys fear the length but anyone who was riding a 154 xm would agree the 165 handles quicker and more nimble, so anyone who previously rode a 163 would feel and see the same in going to 175, I don't think about it any more...I just ride it...

Norona said:

I love the 154 2.5 but for where I ride and the sled skiing I do, not worth owning. The 175 is not noticeable over the 165 and handles better. Think why big mountain pro skiers use longer skis not shorter, suspension and hook up and traction are better. and I ride super deep snow all season long. no drawback. Most guys fear the length but anyone who was riding a 154 xm would agree the 165 handles quicker and more nimble, so anyone who previously rode a 163 would feel and see the same in going to 175, I don't think about it any more...I just ride it...

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I like my 165, not as playful as 155 but that's why I like owning both. The 175 catches my eye but if difference isn't too much I'll stick with my 165 that's all set up how I like it. Thanks. Always appreciate good input

NWaxys said:

I like my 165, not as playful as 155 but that's why I like owning both. The 175 catches my eye but if difference isn't too much I'll stick with my 165 that's all set up how I like it. Thanks. Always appreciate good input

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no difference in handling but huge in where it will go and how it does it...that is why the guys who ride them love them! Have a great one!

Why I am picking the Freeride. You can't upgrade shocks for the price difference to the X, This is my first time going this route (spring check) so I'm going to put my faith in the manufacturer for once and see what they got. If I don't like them, they should fetch a decent price. Last but not least, I think it has everything included except a handlebar bag

The 154 FR is 464 lbs
The 154 summit x is 439 lbs
The 154 summit sp is 447 lbs

That's like 25 lbs and 17 lbs respectfully !