What would you like to see for future improvement in the Ski-Doo mountain lineup?

[Dworek]

Now with the Gen5 we have seen a lot of improvements over the Gen4 chassis, and the Gen5 have been an awesome powder slayer this Winter.
I really like where Ski-doo is going with it's model program making different models for different riders and riding styles. The X, Expert and Freeride models, It is something i hope they will develop even further and even more specific and special towards each riding style.

So over to my wishes for the style and riding i do, the Expert is the sled made for tight trees and technical riding and that is what i like to do. I rode the Expert 154 TurboR 3" this season and its far better then the Gen4 Expert for technical and precise maneuvers. The more i ride the better i like the sled and more capable it gets.
I still see a lot that could be done to make it even more specific to that kind of riding.

This is my wish list and its the things i find could be improved towards my riding style and snow pack in our area.

A new 900-950 cc engine with quicker response, more torque and power. Compared to a turbo its a lot of weight savings
15" track: lighter weight, less rotating mass, quicker response, better side hill performance in an every day snow pack and set up snow.
Narrow tunnel: less drag in the snow with narrower track, more clearing by the running boards towards the snow on a side hill
Narrower running boards: I could see the running boards go even narrower on some specific models made for technical riding, 6-8mm.
Shorter tunnel: i have found that the tunnel is still a bit to long and wide at the back when doing re-entries, bow-ties etc. In set up snow it has held me back a few times.
Shorter cooler, i also would like to see a shorter cooler that reduces or takes away the snow and ice build up at the tunnel.
Belt drive: This would shed weight and rotating mass making an even quicker response.

With all this improvements i could see a lot of weight savings, maybe as much as 15 pounds?
It also has the potential of going as much as 4cm narrower, making it the narrowest and slimest snowmobile on the market.
And of course a bigger quicker spooling engine is always the way to go for tight technical riding.

That's my wishes for the future Ski-Doo mountain program! What are you guys hoping to see?

 

[NHRoadking]

Sleds delivered on time.
Better track longevity.
Belt drive.
Lighter stock exhaust.
Post forward.
Larger dash storage compartment (but not as big as the accessory one).
A real gauge that has GPS and universal buddy tracking.

 

[caper11]

Kinda a waste of time. Doo will just refine what they have, big wishes being made. Lol

This is a awesome sled, but HYVO chain and one piece driveshaft would be a start, but that won’t happen, as we seen already.
Better longer warranty. Integrated big gauge GPS would be nice, but the phone works for now. Smaller more compact big gauge battery.
Better sled storage.


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[turboless terry]

Narrow exhaust side to match clutch side. I did slide my buddy's 165 expert out on that side. Front heat exchanger guard from factory. Always take less weight. They are lying on their weights. I'm fine with their full lenght heat exchanger. Way better than polaris or cat going up trail. Double the size of front storage. Make a deal with trail tech. Hardest thing on my list is skinnying up muffler. Pretty good sled as they sit

 

[Driver]

Gen5 is already most slim sled on the market. Its 9cm (~3,5") narrower than matryx.

My personal wish list
-Narrow tunnel to fit 15" track
-New secondary, easier to work with so you dont have solid drive shaft
-New front suspension, spindles and ski for improved handling
-Tank should end where seat ends
-Relocating battery for 10" screen
-Larger glove box as stock

 

[ziggity]

Integrated GPS with big screen, hope this is possible when my FR shows up for next season

 

[EternalWinter]

Improvements going forward:
-Lose the two piece driveshaft. Failure cause of parts down stream. And really, if your changing a track out and don't want to see what the inside of the chain case looks like, you shouldn't be wrenching on a sled anyway.
- Make the spindles actually work properly and steer right. Precise steering that goes where you point it and doesn't jerk the bars out of your hands.
- Get a ski on the sled that works. DS ski has a been a failure since introduction in all versions. Needs to stay flatter, not plow, and lose the 2" deep banana keel so the ski will hold a line and ride up on the snow instead of snowplow.
- Belt drive. Simple, easy, and safer. Blow a belt, change it and ride home. Blow a chain; walk, tow, winch, or heli sled home. Pretty proven reliability on belt drives if done correctly.
- Easier secondary clutch to service with better rollers from the factory. Shouldn't have to change the rollers on a new sled after you pick it up so you don't have to deal with a broken roller in the backcountry. At least put the splined shaft and secondary from the utility sleds on so it's removable form the sled.
- Figure out a different steering rod boot. A flat piece of rubber with a slit would be more effective and durable than what is there now.
- More storage up front but not that tumor of a accessory box. Needs to be able to hold a water bottle and goggles at least.
- A gauge that is programable to what the rider would like to monitor. RPM should be visible at all times with other options shown in other places.
- A gauge that will interface with the apps on your phone for mapping and tracking. The map options from the BRP GO app are appalling and look like a third grader drew them. They lack detail, information, and coverage. Being able to display the app you already use for mapping on the screen would be great.
- "Buddy tracking" would be great and helpful.
- Whatever mapping and "buddy tracking" is chosen, it needs to work off network. Period.
- Move the piston ring locator pin to a bridge area in the cylinder. Having it dead center in the middle open to the transfer port sucks and just causes more damage when it backs out.

None of these will probably happen but we can always hope for a miracle.....

 

[steenso]

Wow, sounds like a complete model change lol

 

[Teth-Air]

Doo needs to make a real Expert model that is much lighter and skinnier. If they did this they would not need to build a bigger bore NA model to compete with the sales of the 9R. Narrow tunnel and 15" track. Ditch the entire hood design and start over. Belt drive is needed and to make it really skinny it needs to have the brake moved to inside the tunnel next to the driver. I know this is a ratical idea but the rotor is nearly the diameter of the driver now and a redesign of the drive shaft is needed now anyway.

 

[steenso]

Guess if your a Polaris fan stick with Polaris, Ski Doo in its own has a great sled, always room for improvements as with anything lol

 

[Teth-Air]

Guess if your a Polaris fan stick with Polaris, Ski Doo in its own has a great sled, always room for improvements as with anything lol

Skidoo has Canadian quality and Engineering that is second to none. Unfortuanately they just don't make the models that all want......Not yet, anyway.

 

[jcjc1]

Doo needs to make a real Expert model that is much lighter and skinnier. If they did this they would not need to build a bigger bore NA model to compete with the sales of the 9R. Narrow tunnel and 15" track. Ditch the entire hood design and start over. Belt drive is needed and to make it really skinny it needs to have the brake moved to inside the tunnel next to the driver. I know this is a ratical idea but the rotor is nearly the diameter of the driver now and a redesign of the drive shaft is needed now anyway.

i don't know how a sled can be made "much" skinnier and lighter while remaining durable and affordable. materials science just isn't there yet.

 

[Teth-Air]

i don't know how a sled can be made "much" skinnier and lighter while remaining durable and affordable. materials science just isn't there yet.

Not true. There is way more in the design then needed. Less is more. These sleds need to be designed simpler and more compact. If this was done you would need less motor and less track for the same power to weigh ratio.

 

[jcjc1]

Not true. There is way more in the design then needed. Less is more. These sleds need to be designed simpler and more compact. If this was done you would need less motor and less track for the same power to weigh ratio.

what is "way more" than needed? are you saying manufacturers are cramming more stuff in there just because? these machines i'm sure we can all agree, are fairly heavy and yet pretty fragile. i'm trying to think of what could be streamlined on a mountain sled so that it's "way" less in size and weight to the current, typical configuration but i can't think of anything significant without costing a fortune.

 

[NHRoadking]

what is "way more" than needed? are you saying manufacturers are cramming more stuff in there just because? these machines i'm sure we can all agree, are fairly heavy and yet pretty fragile. i'm trying to think of what could be streamlined on a mountain sled so that it's "way" less in size and weight to the current, typical configuration but i can't think of anything significant without costing a fortune.

I can:

Lighter stock exhaust (aftermarket saves 10 pounds, so even half that would be big)
Lighter spindles (Doo's are solid versus carved-out like Poos)
Belt drive (saves 5 pounds there)
Skinnier tunnel and 15 inch track (saves several pounds)
Should be able to shave some weigh off the skis, hood and clutch too.

I think Doo has given up on making their sleds lighter. They are focused on making us lighten our wallets instead.

 

[jcjc1]

I don’t know that the exhaust can be lightened. it’s the big suitcase that it is because of EPA regulations. Again, I don’t think doo makes it that big just because they’re lazy and don’t want to make something smaller. Shaving weight off the skis and spindles won’t amount to much and the hoods/body panels are already pretty flimsy.
All the other things mentioned aren’t going to make it way light as Teth Air described it and that’s the angle I’m taking here. Those reductions would barely be noticeable if at all.
I think the only way to really make a weight reduction that will translate into noticeable increased performance and handling is to go with carbon fiber and titanium for example, which will be completely unrealistic price wise both in materials cost and new tooling, training, etc and repairing those materials would be a nightmare.
I think for the most part, we’re at or near the top of design in terms of weight, affordability and durability with aluminum, plastic, and steel until a new design paradigm emerges.
Doo prolly hasn’t given up on weight reduction, I’d say it’s more of a cost benefit thing. It’s not worth it to them to make the incremental lightening changes described above that a rider isn’t going to notice anyway. I can’t tell when I’ve burned 2 gallons of gas which is a loss of 12lbs.

 

[Calvin42]

I'd like to see a 600 in the "X" package again.

 

[caper11]

I don’t know that the exhaust can be lightened. it’s the big suitcase that it is because of EPA regulations. Again, I don’t think doo makes it that big just because they’re lazy and don’t want to make something smaller. Shaving weight off the skis and spindles won’t amount to much and the hoods/body panels are already pretty flimsy.
All the other things mentioned aren’t going to make it way light as Teth Air described it and that’s the angle I’m taking here. Those reductions would barely be noticeable if at all.
I think the only way to really make a weight reduction that will translate into noticeable increased performance and handling is to go with carbon fiber and titanium for example, which will be completely unrealistic price wise both in materials cost and new tooling, training, etc and repairing those materials would be a nightmare.
I think for the most part, we’re at or near the top of design in terms of weight, affordability and durability until a new design paradigm emerges.
Doo prolly hasn’t given up on weight reduction, I’d say it’s more of a cost benefit thing. It’s not worth it to them to make the incremental lightening changes described above that a rider isn’t going to notice anyway. I can’t tell when I’ve burned 2 gallons of gas which is a loss of 12lbs.

Exactly, Doo hit a home run with the G5 expert. The engine is the most responsive Turbo to date and the whole package flat out works for a first year sled. I dont know if guys will pay 35 to 40k for a sled if someone looks that far into the future to try and predict where the sled will be.
I can say one thing about the G5 chassis, after getting off mine and hoping on a boost, I could actually ride the boost with confidence, without overriding it, I felt very comfortable on the boost actually. Thats how far the G5 expert package as come, I stoked to see where the refinement will take in the next chassis change, if there is one.


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[MTsled3]

I can:

Lighter stock exhaust (aftermarket saves 10 pounds, so even half that would be big)
Lighter spindles (Doo's are solid versus carved-out like Poos)
Belt drive (saves 5 pounds there)
Skinnier tunnel and 15 inch track (saves several pounds)
Should be able to shave some weigh off the skis, hood and clutch too.

I think Doo has given up on making their sleds lighter. They are focused on making us lighten our wallets instead.

They've also got a lot of extra plastic and hardware they could lose. Hood is heavy, the separate clutch guard panel is unnecessary and adds weight, and if they reconfigured the air circulation for the clutches they could lose the extra plastic under the hood that I assume is a heat/airflow barrier to help keep the clutches cooler.

 

[jcjc1]

Exactly, Doo hit a home run with the G5 expert. The engine is the most responsive Turbo to date and the whole package flat out works for a first year sled. I dont know if guys will pay 35 to 40k for a sled if someone looks that far into the future to try and predict where the sled will be.
I can say one thing about the G5 chassis, after getting off mine and hoping on a boost, I could actually ride the boost with confidence, without overriding it, I felt very comfortable on the boost actually. Thats how far the G5 expert package as come, I stoked to see where the refinement will take in the next chassis change, if there is one.


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agreed. i liked the sled more and more as the season progressed and the differences between the G4 and G5 became more apparent, especially getting up on top of the snow with less trenching, better handling, and of course the +15hp is great on the turbo over the G4. for an improvement, i'd like to see some better cooling ability. i don't know how to pull that off w/o too much of a weight penalty but i think that's gonna be a bigger and bigger issue for many.