Hi. I was talking to a ski doo dealer about the poor fuel economy of my 2009 Skandic SUV with 550F motor. He was telling me about a carb. mod that they do in their shop that could possibly improve my mileage. I get terrible fuel economy when I'm hauling freight, typically 1500 to 2000 pounds. I'm not even impressed with the fuel economy when I come back from the cabin empty. The dealer says it's about $100 to do the mod. Has anyone ever heard of this? Is it worth it? I have no details on what all is involved with the carb. mod. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

NCHviid

He's likely dropping the needles, bringing the pilots down one or two sizes and potentially bringing down the mains a size. Ask him to be sure and post back here.

I did items #1 & 2 above on my 2000 Skandic WT 500F and all it did was cause my fingernails to shorten every time it dipped to -35/-40*C waiting for a visit from Mr. Squeaky. With either set-up, I could never get better than 100km's from 40L of gas (full tank) when I was running a 1.25" lug track, empty or loaded.

The 500F/550F are very durable, reliable engines designed to work at extremely low speeds and harsh conditions, but the fuel consumption has always been a bone of contention with owners.

LB is right you can drop the needles a natch and it well improve the fuel economy somewhat but if your hauling freight I wouldn't touch the darn thing, I can almost guarantee you you'll have an engine failure if you drive the machine hard, I've noticed with my '05 skandic WT 550 if i keep the speed below 60 kph there is a considerable difference in fuel consumption, much better.

This man speaks the truth. Go slow, profit. Boring sometimes, but it works.

Thank you for commenting on my question. When I get home, currently in Prudhoe Bay, I will stop by the dealership and ask exactly what it is that they do to the carbs. Sounds to me like I'm better off to just leave the engine the way it is. Would rather pay for more fuel in the long run and not risk damaging the engine. I don't push the SUV very hard when pulling, the trails are slow and oftentimes quite drifted. Again, thank you for taking the time to comment on my question. I will post back and let all know what the dealer / service manager tell me.


NCH

My tundra 550f sucks fuel and seems a little lean -15f and colder. I got the best results just slowing down. my 600 wt gets way better mileage

I doubt if there is anything you could do that wouldn't jepordize your engine when the temps dip down. If there was BRP would have already done it and anyone that tries to sell you an easy fix is probably thinking about their own wallet and not your engine. There is a thing that will change your mixture with the altitude and maybe with the temps (forget what it is called) but to me it would be just one more thing to malfuntion. It regulates the atmospheric pressure between your air box and your carb float chamber but don't know if I would trust it. You need to run a big jet with it so it can be in control of the mixture and and not your main jets. ........too scary for me.

http://www.holtzmaneng.com/

http://snowmobile.off-road.com/snowmobile/...l.jsp?id=195909

FYI, the Holtzman ATACC is the Tempa-flow and the Vari-Flow all in one, great device. It would keep your mixture right on in every condition and I did see my 500F really drink it in the Spring when temps were warm. I have seen the ATACC used on a 99 MachZ and on several 600HO's with great success. I'm sure one could be found used for cheaps on SnoWest with all of the high-altitude traffic they get.