Will C&A Pro Skis Fix the Awful Handling of the ZR6000???

[@davessparetime83]

Check your carbides when sled is flat on the floor. Look for contact to make sure it's centered at the spindle bolt. It always helps to shim the rear of the rubber putting more pressure on rear of ski. Cures darting .

[@mikestufano4961]

Yes I use a piece of my old hyfax for shims. Throw 2 small screws into the to hold em

[@johnrafferty5266]

Great video as always Ben, thanks for putting it out for all to watch. You will get it adjusted I would back off on the original setting from your last video. Grab some scratcher that will help with the over heating conditions on the hard pack icey trails It also helps with keeping lube on the slides. My condition are the same so most likely will need to travel to ride more this winter.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Thanks John! Yep after some adjustments it's definitely handling much much better! Still need some scratchers though...

[@DeepPowTherapy]

holy crap! thats one hell of a ski stopper

[@bergracing5b547]

C&A skis have a deeper keel to help in the soft snow, I run the c&A razors with 6 inch shaper bars with no studs and love the combo

[@SwankyCatProductions]

We've have nothing but thin hard pack this year sadly lol. Would be really nice to see what they do in powder!

[@bergracing5b547]

@@SwankyCatProductions they are pretty goodIn the powder, just put on almost 1200 miles up in Michigan, I only wish I had new carbides going up, was a little touchy on icy corners

[@nateruh3698]

those are the carbides i use there great.i would loosen up the front springs now.great video.those skis are good too

[@SuperBigdanno]

Adjust ski pressure with the front spring/shock in the rear skid set the ski shocks up for the correct sag according to the manual.

[@matad311]

I just swapped to C&A RZ's on my 09 Crossfire and they are a great improvement over the stock skis. I have 6" shaper bars with no studs and I can take corners so hard and aggressive now. Vs the stock skis that had a lot of front end push when you got into the soft stuff. I will say I hard a ton of ski pressure with the stock skis to help rail corners. But now with the C&A's I had to re adjust my entire suspension to get rid of some of the previous ski pressure I had. I barley could turn the bars standing with the pervious suspension setup with the new skis.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Nice, yeah I'm surprised they suggested the 9 inch ones but after switching some stuff around they actually seem to do just fine somehow.

[@matad311]

@@SwankyCatProductions Yeah 9" is pretty aggressive carbide which really going to that length is required when your running a ton of studs in the rear. But since I have no studs I kept them small. But good deal, im not sure I could have a sled without C&A's now, the cornering is so predictive now i love it.

[@briangeurink]

Woodies 6" doolies and adjust the ski pressure accordingly. No turning issues.

[@tonys1641]

Hey Ben! Nice video! Yep! Snow is getting thin for sure! That blinking light! Overheating light?

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Thanks! Yeah flashing means it's above 150 degrees. If it stays constant your supposed to shut the sled down. Not sure what temp that's at but don't want to find out lol.

[@TheMidwestPatriot]

Stock ski’s with 6 inch doolys is the best combo I’ve found. Arctic cat made the stockers specifically for the chassis. Also adjust your skid per arctic cat recommendation for the kind of riding you do. If you google you will find the guide. My sled handles like it’s on rails. Much less grabby then my buddies xrs.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Really??? I tried quite a few different settings and combinations and never got it to stick in the corners.

[@rprovasoli]

I have used 4 different types of c/a skis as well as some other brands. Through my experience the best skis are usi spx 301. They hold a line in a corner like a c/a but do not dart as much. The keel is wide up front and tapers. Also has three different mount points .

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Hmm interesting... I like the C&A but would definitely like to try others!

[@ArcticJeff]

I went with the dual 6 inch carbides on stock skis on my 2019 ZR8000 SnoPro 129. I did adjust front springs a tad for a bit more ski pressure. I'm also running 90 studs up the middle. Also, you really need scratchers on your ZR. If your temp light is coming on (which is around 160*) then its getting WAY too hot. With scratchers on mine or riding powder, temps are a consistent 105 to 115 degrees. I do not like to see the temps go higher than 140.

[@ArcticJeff]

p.s. you should adjust the front spring tension to the neutral position - which is when you set the front end down the nose only drops 1 inch.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Good info, thanks Jeff! Yeah it definitely needs some scratchers...

[@reekinhavok420]

I had these skis I hated them on my 2005 m7 turned like a tank

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I just got a set of the XCS skis and I like those A LOT more.

[@reekinhavok420]

@@SwankyCatProductions cool the xcs are the ones I had but glad they work for you

[@airman6822]

Ben, love the vids. Wish I had seen these years ago when I had my 99 ZR500. Couldn't get that thing to handle at all. Some of these tips would have been valuable.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Thanks Airman68! I've been avoiding getting into stuff like this the past few years but am glad I'm finally putting the time in and it's been a lot of fun actually! Really glad I'm able to share the experience with people like you! Glad your finding it interesting and entertaining!

[@MrJeffyb69]

Awesome set up for skis, that's my exact set up! The issue with yours vs mine is my sled has 144 studs so it balances out. 9" of carbide on shaper bars is way too much for an unstudded track!! BE CAREFUL, too much bite on the skis with no bite on the track will end in disaster on the ice or icy corners, that rear end will come around on you so fast !! I honestly would recommend no more than 6" on a NON studded sled. With the setup you have I would go with a 6" carbide on a "round" host bar. With how much ski pressure you have and with those C&A's the round bar will make easier steering effort but still give you bite :-) Also you should consider studs not only for safety, but for added kick up(cooling) on hard pack surfaces. Not to mention a set of scratchers too, these Pro Cross Cats overheat way too easy !

[@MrJeffyb69]

Also, just to add, those C&A's will definitely be noticeably better than the stock skis once there is more snow on the trails! On super hard pack you are only using the carbide runners, so you are correct in your statement about just adding those carbides to stock skis would give you similar results.

[@mikeh4053]

again, your missing how to set this up. i'm not gonna type it as it is too long, but please read a manual.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

This is literally what the manual says to do... Not to mention you can actually see it working in the video. If you're that concerned go to County Cat and look it up in the manual for yourself.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Direct from the 2019 ZR6000 Arctic Cat Manual at CountryCat.com (Full Link below). "Adjusting Front (Ski) Shock Springs - The front (ski) shock springs are individually adjustable for the terrain conditions and driving style of the operator. The spring adjuster nut has been set at the factory so the correct amount of threads are exposed between the adjuster nut and the threaded shock body as an initial setting. Additional ski pressure can be obtained by tightening the spring tension; ski pressure can be decreased by relaxing spring tension." This can be found on page 39 of this manual support.countrycat.com/posts/3650630-2019-zr-xf-m-pantera-norseman-6000-8000-operator-s-manual

[@edwardfesko]

this!

[@danwustrack]

Get some ice scratches, help keep it cool

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Yeah it needs some...

[@danwustrack]

@SWANKY CAT stock cat scratchers are cheap and install in 5-10 min

[@MrSkurtenb]

Ben, you would have the same affect running those 9inch shapers on stock skis. 6 inch shapers would be way good

[@TimewithCal]

We always have ran 6 inch carbide with great luck. My dad has a rs 6000 cat, it does have a 129 track but has handled great right from the factory. I’m guessing the 137 is the issue with your handeling??? Hopefully your new ski’s help!

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Yeah I'm guessing the long track is why they suggested them, the 6 inches are more than enough on my F1100. But after these wore in a little and I made some tweaks to the suspension they actually work great.

[@PartTimeYooper]

You gotta get scratchers on that ASAP! I have 2 2019 Ski Doo 850's and a 2017 ZR 6000. Yes, the Doo's corner better but the Cat front end is way more forgiving. We still have plenty of snow in the UP....for now. Also still think the limiter strap in rear is causing most of your issues. That C&A setup with 10" is WAY too aggressive for those conditions.

[@paddyg56472]

Heating up. Now it needs scratchers. 😀

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Needs them BAD. Putting them on tonight!

[@gentjim5007]

Now your cooking with gas! Now that you have the front locked down I d put 96 studs in the back. IMHO, I've always used studs for braking more than forward bite especially in central wisconsin with icy or hard packed trails. They help break up the snow for hyfax and sled cooling plus help with traction on hills and road crossings. A 137 track isn't so long as to need scratchers, but is still short enough that panic braking without studs can be a shaky proposition. The benefit of the long carbide up front can be tuned like you did, and the added wear protection will make your skis last longer. The old SLP skis that Arctic started using in the late 90s were great skis. Good keel length and height plus flexibility made them light years above the old steel skis they replaced. For most people looking to improve their steering, I would recommend replacing runners first, then skis if results are not good. A good shaper bar and longer carbide than stock should make a drastic difference in both steering response and darting than a stock setup. Good video!

[@dmett3828]

First of all I love your camera work. The camera on the front bumper is awesome. So there at the end you mentioned part of the problem, snow conditions. I don't care what skis your running if you put 10 in of shaper bar carbide on them on low snow conditions like that she's going to really bite and the sled is going to be nervous. For example if you were up in Munising with a 3-foot base that set up would be awesome. Sometimes it's a tit-for-tat so🤷‍♂️ keep up the tuning I am enjoying this content. Side note. I bleed green and always have and I almost hate to say it but if you could Wrangle up one of them ski doos and take it for a blast I'd be interested to see what you think of it. 😉

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Hey thanks man I really appreciate that. I'm glad to hear your enjoying what I'm doing. It's been a great learning experience and I've really been enjoying it too. What you said about conditions is something I've also been learning. I always knew conditions effected how a sled handled but until you start making adjustments and change out skis and carbides you don't realize just how much. Funny how just the temp changing while your actively riding can almost make you want to stop and adjust things. My plan is to find a happy medium that works ok I'm most conditions and just leave it... Maybe haha. Ski Doo has always both interested me and scared me at the same time. I think any of the 850s can let go at anytime but I'd hate to buy one and than need to rebuild it right away lol.

[@davessparetime83]

Should have gone with 4" Carbides. C & A Pro Skis have a long Keel, not much of a Rocker.

[@alancall5113]

6 would have been plenty you have no studs are you crazy Grind a couple inches off Make them 6

[@SwankyCatProductions]

That's what C&A suggested, at first they did seem like a lot but after some more suspension tweaks it actually handles pretty perfect.

[@tippytailmckitty2658]

Kawasaki colors.