info on the 99 rmk 550 trail.

[konarider]

hey there guys. im kinda new to this but i got a little project on the go. i got a 1999 trail RMK 550. with a 136. with in the next month im putting a new track, seat, boring out the engine two sizes, getting a pipe and maybe a jet kit. My question is,
1. im looking at a 144 or 151x1.5 but there hard too find, do you think i could fit a 2 inch lug?

2. any one no anything about jet kits? like what size mine already are and what size i should go too??

3. is my tunel the same as any ethor RMK?

4. any one have any sugestions before i start? or does any one have any parts i can buy?

thanks for your time guys, hope someone can help me out.

peace!

 

[manowar]

hey there guys. im kinda new to this but i got a little project on the go. i got a 1999 trail RMK 550. with a 136. with in the next month im putting a new track, seat, boring out the engine two sizes, getting a pipe and maybe a jet kit. My question is,
1. im looking at a 144 or 151x1.5 but there hard too find, do you think i could fit a 2 inch lug?

2. any one no anything about jet kits? like what size mine already are and what size i should go too??

3. is my tunel the same as any ethor RMK?

4. any one have any sugestions before i start? or does any one have any parts i can buy?

thanks for your time guys, hope someone can help me out.

peace!

hey there if you add a 2" track you need 8 tooth drivers you may have them allready you can put 1 3/4' lugs on with 9 tooth if that opens up your options any. go with the 144" track 151 will be alot for the 550 to handle. jetting you will have to check on pull your carbs off and drop the bole jet numbers are right on the jets

 

[konarider]

alright thanks man, ill check the drivers and jets. but for the 151. going from 136 to 144 is only an extra 4 inches on the ground, really think a nethor 3.5 inches is going to make a big diffrence? also if the engine has a hard time, maybe i could just re-gear it?

 

[manowar]

If you want a 151 im not going to tell you no you cant have it. It just takes a lot more power to turn the track . The jump from 144-151 is not that big but 136-151 is a big diffrence in added drag and weight .

 

[rmkguy92]

I'm new to this forum, but here goes.

I've got a 2000 Polaris 550 Trail RMK over the summer and did a few things to it:

*I kept the stock track, but I dropped the gearing from a 18-41 to a 17-42.
*Added 2" powermadd handlebar risers and built a grab strap. I also added RSI hooks and sportech ultra grips.
*Custom painted hood (white) with custom decals.
*Cobra Chrome windshield.
*I also did a few other minor things, mostly cosmetic or maintenance related.

I'll be putting a few pics up when I can. I'm still working on it.

 

[IDAHO HOT SHOT]

I have a 144 Series 3 2" tracl I will sell for $250.00. You are going to have to gear down, I wouldn't go with a 151. What you should really do is save your money for a 600 liquid cooler or something. I cant see getting much gain out af a little over bore. Just my opinion

 

[550iq]

Well, what ever you do, you will always have a 55hp snowmobile that will never give you the trackspeed to spin the tracks you have in mind. If you think that the modded 550 will give you a 600 liquid power, the answer is not a chance. The snowmobile that you are thinking of will only put-put through the snow and not on top of it. Make the small little ergo tweaks as noted previous and leave the 550 Trail as is.

 

[jsledder]

There was a thread on here from a guy that works at a ski lodge and they had a pile of 550's and he couldn't keep pistons in them for anything once they went down. After reading that thread I took the 550 off the list of possible sleds for the wife/kids.

A 151 on that will look cool and you can say "i have a 151", but like said above....... it'll still be a very low HP sled and wont have the ponies to turn it in the snow.

A good rider can take a 136 most places a 151 will go.........

 

[rmkguy92]

I bought mine because it was only $500. The roof of a cabin had collapsed on it and it needed a new windshield and steering column. The hood was bashed in, but I was able to easily work it out with a little heat. I probably wouldn't have gone out and purchased a 550 over something else, but it was so cheap and the rest of it was in great shape with really low miles. It is one light sled, 462 lbs stock. So with a little work, you can have a lightweight, pretty fast sled. I've got a buddy that did all the paint for free, so I've got like $750 in it all said and done.

 

[overkill13131313]

I have 2 99 550 for the kids. I put a 136 x 2 inch (with stock drivers)on one and that is the biggest I will go. they can still get out of the bowls but if they had a bigger track it would loose to much track speed. they are geared but they are still 55 hp lol. dont go any bigger!

 

[gogglefurnace]

track

i have a 05 trail rmk and went to a 144x2 series IV and then geared up from 19/43 to 20/41 because i felt the stock gears are utility gears. it handles it fine and could easily go to a 151 track. the sled is very forgiving when boondocking. the lower revving fan with the flatter torque curve makes up for lack of hp. i surprise people when we ride. not a highmarker, but a boondocker. gps speed on hardpack at 6000ft is 63mph.

 

[FEZ]

Lets not forget the most important variable and that is rider weight.

A 550 with a 144 will do amazing things with a 130#er on it but put a 200+er on it and she is done for.


I would run no more than a 144 on a 550 IMO. You need 2" paddles to do anything in POW otherwise the paddles are too stiff. 18-41 should be good enough for gearing. I would think a 40-34 or 40-32 helix would be good help as well.

Lessons from the Phazer days with fanners is watch the heat and don't push the compression otherwise caboom. I would think a pipe and some porting and a little compression would get you 60HP. I know you can swap CDi's on them and let it run to 8K rpm but then you are back to the heat issue. More forgiving here in the flats, but not a good idea on them lonnnggg WFO pulls on the hills...

 

[gogglefurnace]

fan & track

i weigh 150. i will agree a heavier rider will compromise performance but that is true for anything. i'll tell you a story. after i tracked and geared my sled i decided to let my kid borrow it for some lion hunting. he weighs 240 and wears a 40# pack plus pulls a sled sometimes with 4 dogs in it. i figured it would be a good test for my mods. well he treed a lion and called me to come meet him to check it out. he rode my sled down to the road and we met and he said "up this ridge a half a mile". i looked up this ridge and said you gotta be kidden me; so i said you drive. a guy single on the sled would have been tough enough, but double! it was about a 30% grade, 1 foot of pow with 2 & 3 foot drifts behind the sage and junipers. off we went. he was leaning over the bars as far as he could to keep the front end down and i just hung on. this was all done at 5 to 15 mph because of all the turns through the sage. well we made it. that is about 900#'s gross on 55 hp. we were both impressed. normally he rides a 700-144 and knows well what it can do and said he would rather have done this climb on my 550. now i know this is not recreational riding, a fan cannot compete with a liquid when it comes down to HP and high track speeds when that is what is needed for a climb, but a fan can handle quite a bit of track. the lower engagement, lower rpm and flatter torque curve of a fan acn do some impressive stuff. over on DOO-TALK there is a guy called LRD that has done some serious mods to a 550 summit for the hell of it and it is quite interesting. there is another thread on snowest about a guy that went 151x2 on a trail rmk plus a little air box work and said they use this sled to break trail in 2-4 foot fresh pow because it does it better than their 7 & 800's. this is in the washington cascades. it's kinda like the old 6 cylinders. won't outrun a v-8, but sometimes is better suited.

 

[norcalstew]

I own two 550 rmk's with 136" and I think 1.5". These are what I learned on and I've thought of modding them at first. bad idea in my opinion. Save the dough and put it towards a used 700. You'll never get even close to the performance on the 550. Also, the 550's are so reliable. Once you try and squeeze more compression it will sacrifice reliability.

I will say: when the conditions are right and snow is set, I could take the 550 just about anywhere. It side hills like a champ, fun in the trees and lite when its stuck. My wife loves them. And it's not a terrible back up if mine 700 is down.

Leave the 550 as is. Buy a liquid cooled sled.

 

[gogglefurnace]

sled

I own two 550 rmk's with 136" and I think 1.5". These are what I learned on and I've thought of modding them at first. bad idea in my opinion. Save the dough and put it towards a used 700. You'll never get even close to the performance on the 550. Also, the 550's are so reliable. Once you try and squeeze more compression it will sacrifice reliability.

I will say: when the conditions are right and snow is set, I could take the 550 just about anywhere. It side hills like a champ, fun in the trees and lite when its stuck. My wife loves them. And it's not a terrible back up if mine 700 is down.

Leave the 550 as is. Buy a liquid cooled sled.

i would agree. don't do alot with the engine. fans have a inherent cooling limitation. but any sled can do with a better track. fans can be tracked quite heavily compared to their hp because spinning the track is not their claim to fame. a high hp liquid needs to spin the track at high speeds compared to ground speed to make those great climbs, plus stay in the proper powerband. high hp, high revs, high track speed make a highmark. but ever look at a guy out in the field on a 80 hp tractor? he can do a lot of work because of traction. a 300 hp truck even if it weighed the same couldn't because of lack of traction. a rail extension and paddle track up to 151 will help a fan alot, maybe a gear change too. after watching your buddies highmark for a while then head into the creek bottoms or the aspen groves or wherever slow speed and traction rule and let them watch you. everyone needs a beer break.:beer;:beer;:beer;