Polaris ambassadors are saying the NA is the way to go!

[Brentk]

The only downfall to this flawless factory turbo is spring time traction snow,, blip the throttle a little too much and you are launching out of control (usually around the trees where the heavy snow falls off), but during the normal winter and the deep days, that extra HP is the best thing ever.
Polaris embassadors are sales men, of coarse they will say what's best for the company that hooks them up. I would. I think every manufacturer's salesmen would do the same. But now that we are into spring, a NA sled is probably better for most of the time anyway.

 

[Bernoff]

As a Snow Biker I "have" to poke my nose in here. LOL Are you saying our 450's have lots of jam now? Be nice with your replies.

 

[rhody605]

I totally agree with above.
I think a green rookie on the hill shouldn't have the extra weight or extra power until they learn to be an efficient rider first. Without learning to avoid certain situations or learning where your skillset is first is dangerous. Young throttle happy guy on a turbo high-marking or whatnot feels like an accident waiting to happen.
The other reason I think this is, first ride this year we had a guy in late 30s on doo turbo banana. His first trip in mountains. He was throttle nervous like mentioned above and got stuck lots. Going too slow then pin it and trench to china lol. That was an exhausting day. Soo many stucks. I don't see how a turbo can make every rider better. Every experienced rider... possibly.

Do I want a turbo yes. But for me the cost doesn't justify the extra power. Nearly double what I'm willing to pay. But that's me in this current economy.

 

[Brentk]

As a Snow Biker I "have" to poke my nose in here. LOL Are you saying our 450's have lots of jam now? Be nice with your replies.

I'm not sure why snow bikers have a sled vs bike attitude?? I just don't get it. They are 2 totally different weapons and do things better and worse then the other. It's like trying to compare a trials bike to a mx 450, or vice versa. I have ridden some full custom high end snow bikes and they are super fun and easy to ride, I just get sick of sitting down all the time and being so under powered, and shifting and being so exposed to the snow. I just love the instant blast of power from a twin 850, it's just more fun to me. But whatever makes you smile, do it! Just don't tell me your highly modified snow bike can go more places then my stock sled, that's just straight ignorant.

 

[Lund]

These must be aftermarket turbo's, then I could believe your statement, as every rider out there will benefit from the ski-doo turbo, it is better in every way with zero, ZERO, downfall. If you say there is then go back to an 800 or 600 and tell me you are better off.

Seen it in both, you shouldn't believe that everyone out there can actually ride their non turbo 800 to its potential. That is unrealistic and more then not most cannot.
Your assuming that everyone is riding maybe at your level, is that realistic? So no not everyone will benefit.
The factory or aftermarket turbo is better off for the right rider with experience to back them up and not just everyone.
Your statement is exactly what guys like me who spent years with SARs have issues with. Selling BS to unexperienced riders so they can get them self's farther and deeper.
Sorry norona but i cannot agree.

 

[maxwell]

These must be aftermarket turbo's, then I could believe your statement, as every rider out there will benefit from the ski-doo turbo, it is better in every way with zero, ZERO, downfall. If you say there is then go back to an 800 or 600 and tell me you are better off.

I don't understand the 'my ____ already gets me into enough trouble, don't need even more ____' What trouble are these people referring to? On an underpowered or under tractioned machine you're riding at wide open throttle where you wouldn't have to if your machine was more capable. You've got nothing left when you start slowing down and you haven't turned out yet.

100% agree with these statements. Heres a story. My 120lb girlfriend rides a skidoo Factory turbo. It has made her hands down a better and more confident rider. Not to mention she gets a much bigger thrill out of this machine. She is stuck less and has a smile on her face more. She has been on the snow a few seasons now however so is not a new rider. If you have zero snowmobile experience for sure NA may be the way to start off, as mentioned you need to understand how to handle a powerful machine like this with basic skills under your belt first.

But like mentioned above, if your a seasoned mountain rider and your saying you don't need it. Its only for these reason, because you are telling yourself you don't, you haven't tried it, or its not in the budget.

agreed with dave it has zero drawbacks..Other than fuel and oil if you consider that a drawback to happiness LOL!!

 

[maxwell]

Seen it in both, you shouldn't believe that everyone out there can actually ride their non turbo 800 to its potential. That is unrealistic and more then not most cannot.
Your assuming that everyone is riding maybe at your level, is that realistic? So no not everyone will benefit.
The factory or aftermarket turbo is better off for the right rider with experience to back them up and not just everyone.
Your statement is exactly what guys like me who spent years with SARs have issues with. Selling BS to unexperienced riders so they can get them self's farther and deeper.
Sorry norona but i cannot agree.

Respectfully disagree. You are correct in saying most people cant ride an NA to its potential, that is true. But lets Define Potential, because not everyone needs to ride an NA sled to its Full potential before upgrading. Is a rider that is not riding an 800 stock to its potential going to have more fun Climbing a 20 Degree slope in 3 feet of powder on a sunny day at 40 mph? or at 10mph and stuck all day? These new factory turbos open up even simple terrain to become more exhilarating for guys not riding stock machines to their "potential". Not everyone needs to be slamming between 2 trees 36" apart on a 45 degree slope and then doing a bowtie and going back through like a grasshopper on cocain. A little extra power can really change the game for all riders, even in simple terrain. IMO

 

[norona]

I dont believe lund was referring to a aftermarket turbo.
There are ALOT more rookies on the hill this year, Does a green rider need a turbo?
Downfall to the turbo, harder on fuel, heavier, and a person needs to be conditioned physically to control the extra power, when the turbo begins to spool. There is a power surge in the turbo a NA sled does not have.

Your statement would mean that no beginner needs and 850, or an 800, new people are learning faster than any of us due to new technology, don't put limits on people. Yes there are guys out there who will hurt themselves, but this happens to seasoned riders as well, this is they type of person rather than any person. You are not the one to judge that, they have to and pay the repercussions for their own choices in life. This happens in every sport, not just sledding. The above is what it does to you, not every person. I have found none of your statments above to be true, harder on fuel when every sled is harder on fuel, but the other day we did 190km and the NA 175 sled was out of fuel before any of our turbo 175's and I even had my 165 turbo, heavier, wont feel it - especially if your new - I dont notice any extra weight, again if you do you would notice the fuel in the sled and be able to tell exactly how much fuel is there at all times to the liter all the while the skid is getting more or less powder in it. The more conditioned you are the better you will ride any sled, so moot point. The reason why I said lund must be talking about aftermarket as your last statement reads as on aftermarket you have to keep it fast , but the ski doo turbo runs just like a NA sled until you need the extra power, that is the beauty of it. New riders will always get stuck more, but with the turbo they will be stuck less, ride more due to the fun and improve faster. Learning on an old sled will just teach them old ways. Its why the worse thing you can do to young kids is put your old **** views on them, new riders dont need to know about trailing arms. I bet you would be hard pressed to find any rider who would go back to a NA 850 ski doo after riding and owning a turbo, there is a cost and that would be the only reason why to not own one in the mtns. The NA sled is awesome, turbo is better though.

 

[snochuk]

These things come with "multi position speed controllers".
They are not life ending all powerful rockets.......
Those that get a turbo will survive............and have stories to tell.
Some of FUBAR, some of glory....lol
In case any one forgot, that's called fun!

 

[Lund]

These must be aftermarket turbo's, then I could believe your statement, as every rider out there will benefit from the ski-doo turbo, it is better in every way with zero, ZERO, downfall. If you say there is then go back to an 800 or 600 and tell me you are better off.

You got to learn to walk before you can run, people can put it in any form they want call the N/A 800 under powered but don't forget the majority on here are on 800 non turbo's learning and polishing their skill's.
Personally i'ed rather ride with a refined rider on an N/A 800/850, then a recently new to the sport superstar on a turbo of any kind.
There is something magical about watching a skilled rider over a unrefined baffoon on boost, factory or not. But then that can be funny too.

 

[Lund]

100% agree with these statements. Heres a story. My 120lb girlfriend rides a skidoo Factory turbo. It has made her hands down a better and more confident rider. Not to mention she gets a much bigger thrill out of this machine. She is stuck less and has a smile on her face more. She has been on the snow a few seasons now however so is not a new rider. If you have zero snowmobile experience for sure NA may be the way to start off, as mentioned you need to understand how to handle a powerful machine like this with basic skills under your belt first.

But like mentioned above, if your a seasoned mountain rider and your saying you don't need it. Its only for these reason, because you are telling yourself you don't, you haven't tried it, or its not in the budget.

agreed with dave it has zero drawbacks..Other than fuel and oil if you consider that a drawback to happiness LOL!!

Max i'm not talking about experienced rider's, not at all. I totally agree for an experience rider there are nothing but benefits to boost.

 

[Foxstar45]

This has turned into an ego thread. Talking about inexperienced and bad riders is a way to point out that you are not part of this group. The 'a turbo isn't necessary for everyone' comments are not responses to any point anyone has made ever.

 

[bobsledder]

This has turned into an ego thread. Talking about inexperienced and bad riders is a way to point out that you are not part of this group. The 'a turbo isn't necessary for everyone' comments are not responses to any point anyone has made ever.

Always does and there are those on here that have pounded their chest and proclaimed only "real men" can handle a turbo yet there are many women that handle them well.

 

[Caper11]

Your statement would mean that no beginner needs and 850, or an 800, new people are learning faster than any of us due to new technology, don't put limits on people. Yes there are guys out there who will hurt themselves, but this happens to seasoned riders as well, this is they type of person rather than any person. You are not the one to judge that, they have to and pay the repercussions for their own choices in life. This happens in every sport, not just sledding. The above is what it does to you, not every person. I have found none of your statments above to be true, harder on fuel when every sled is harder on fuel, but the other day we did 190km and the NA 175 sled was out of fuel before any of our turbo 175's and I even had my 165 turbo, heavier, wont feel it - especially if your new - I dont notice any extra weight, again if you do you would notice the fuel in the sled and be able to tell exactly how much fuel is there at all times to the liter all the while the skid is getting more or less powder in it. The more conditioned you are the better you will ride any sled, so moot point. The reason why I said lund must be talking about aftermarket as your last statement reads as on aftermarket you have to keep it fast , but the ski doo turbo runs just like a NA sled until you need the extra power, that is the beauty of it. New riders will always get stuck more, but with the turbo they will be stuck less, ride more due to the fun and improve faster. Learning on an old sled will just teach them old ways. Its why the worse thing you can do to young kids is put your old **** views on them, new riders dont need to know about trailing arms. I bet you would be hard pressed to find any rider who would go back to a NA 850 ski doo after riding and owning a turbo, there is a cost and that would be the only reason why to not own one in the mtns. The NA sled is awesome, turbo is better though.

I respectfully disagree, this is a good discussion BTW. In keeping with this threads title, not everyone needs a turbo, including new riders. This is not a ego thing, or a personal thing. Its progression. Can I ride like mentaberry, Kuster. Hell no, those fellas on a NA will make me look silly on my turbo.
This topic IMO, is no different than some guys need a 175, and some guys want 154.
Ive seen threads, even this season how to make a NA sled less snappy for a individual, I dont believe a turbo would be the solution to that person’s issue.
Having less power, and a excellent chassis will push a rider to learn how to make a sled work to their advantage.
Example. A turbo will climb up and over a hill, where a NA sled will push the rider to be more fluent and efficient, and learn how get to the top of the hill using skill, and techniques. Thinking back to my progress, if I had a sled that would climb everything, what would I have learned?
I believe everyone knows this, we are like a fluid, “we chose the path of least resistance”.
All turbo sleds are faster than a NA, to say the doo turbo is just as like a NA defeats the purpose of buying a turbo.
There are drawbacks to having a turbo. To say there are zero, is incorrect IMO. There is a power surge im referring to is at 6500-6700rpm when the secondary intake closes, and the turbo takes over. I actually wish the doo turbo came on sooner at a lower rpm instead of the 6500rpm range.
Some guys hate that more than others, yes I do know one guy that despised it, coming off a NA 850’s.
I said the sled is heavier, I didn’t say I could feel it. My fuel consumption is based off of previous experience on areas. I know how far I could get with my NA 850, and not touch the jerry can. Ive used the larger jerry can more times this season, than any other previous season, and the snow wasn’t even that great majority of the season.
I could chose to ride around half throttle to conserve fuel, but than whats the fun in that? I bought a turbo for a reason, and now we circle right back to the original topic.

 

[Modman]

Can someone post a list of which sponsored riders we are supposed to trust and which ones we aren't? I mean, it just seems like some folks here are paid to promote the Ski Doo turbo.....seems like it would be ironic to be a sponsored rider on a thread about why we shouldn't trust sponsored riders? Maybe moreso if the thread was started by a loyalist to the same brand as the sponsored rider?

I'm treading lightly (this is my 3 re-write of this post) here as my buddy owns a Doo turbo and can actually ride it, and does so at an elevation where it makes a difference. So understand that I mean no disrespect to the folks like Maxwell etc, but as stated, this is an opinion thread and there's little value in projecting your opinion on me about what I want or need.

Apples to apples, the power to weight ratio is almost the same at 4000 ft where the turbo is only making about 16-18 HP more than a N/A version. If your riding areas are generally 2-5K in elevation, you will simply not see much of a benefit to a turbo over an N/A sled. For $5000 you can drop another 20 lbs off the stock skid and front and actually have a sled that is lighter and easier to ride, easier to lift when its stuck and marginally cheaper. Here's a tip for - a 500 lb sled is still 500 lbs at elevation, no matter how much power it makes..... So no, turbo's are not required for everyone to have fun and make their riding better. More power (literally) to you if you want to though, or have the skills to ride to its potential.

 

[Longhairfreak]

100% agree with these statements. Heres a story. My 120lb girlfriend rides a skidoo Factory turbo. It has made her hands down a better and more confident rider. Not to mention she gets a much bigger thrill out of this machine. She is stuck less and has a smile on her face more. She has been on the snow a few seasons now however so is not a new rider. If you have zero snowmobile experience for sure NA may be the way to start off, as mentioned you need to understand how to handle a powerful machine like this with basic skills under your belt first.

But like mentioned above, if your a seasoned mountain rider and your saying you don't need it. Its only for these reason, because you are telling yourself you don't, you haven't tried it, or its not in the budget.

agreed with dave it has zero drawbacks..Other than fuel and oil if you consider that a drawback to happiness LOL!!

How tall is she 3'6"?

 

[jhurkot]

Ok, any ambassadors in this thread I have a quick question for you. Is 9 PSI boost better than 0 PSI boost? Which one provides the maximum horsepower? I'm lost... help!

 

[maxwell]

How tall is she 3'6"?

if i posted her actual weight that would be like committing suicide man, common LOL

 

[maxwell]

Ok, any ambassadors in this thread I have a quick question for you. Is 9 PSI boost better than 0 PSI boost? Which one provides the maximum horsepower? I'm lost... help!

we know your lost, all you need to know is if its 0lbs or 9lbs your still going to blow it up.

 

[maxwell]

boy this really is SKIDOO and mud, this is a polaris thread! LOL!