Snowmobile Services

Shock Service

The vast majority of OEM aluminum body snowmobile shocks are not very hard anodized on the inside diameter of the body. Then, when they start operating during the first few tanks of gas, the shock pistons start to wear off high spots and break into their bores, exactly like your engine did when it was new. However, in an engine, all of the break-in contamination can get out. In a four-stroke engine your engine oil suspends the break-in particulate and it gets cleaned out in the first couple oil changes. A two-stroke engine washes the break-in bits out by doubling or tripling the oil injector pump setting, flushing it into the tailpipe. In our suspension, our poor little shocks with their tiny amount of oil end up swimming in the metal bits for years until they either tragically fail, or the damping gets so weak that the rider finally realizes they need to service their shocks by the complete lack of ride control. We have serviced and re-valved many KYB shocks with as little as 500km on them from brand-new and the oil was black, stinky, and disgusting. The abrasive break-in contamination just can’t get out and collects down around the shaft and seal head making the shock sticky. Sediment also collects in the shim stack holding it open and dramatically weakening the high-speed system. Often, we find the steel shims beginning to rust in the first year from water in the oil. Also, don’t think for a second that the purchasing department at the OEM shock suppliers are picking the highest cost, highest quality synthetic shock oil for your machine. No way, not when they are building tens of thousands of shocks a year and are under strict pricing directives from the OEMs. 

Get your shocks serviced and cleaned after the first few rides or after the first season and have the oil changed out with a good, high-quality synthetic shock oil. If you do this before the bores and bushings get too scored up, the shocks will last and perform much better over the life of your machine. 

Expect a dramatic improvement in comfort, bump compliance, and performance with a shock service, which gives us the chance to remove all the break-in contamination, clean the shim stack and rebuild it with fresh nitrogen, synthetic oil and grease.

Base price for a snowmobile shock service starts at $90 for rebuild-able straight body shocks and goes up to $125 for full remote or piggyback reservoir shocks with clickers. As with any snowmobile shock service, this does not include any required seals, o-rings, nitrogen seals, lathe polishing and other repairs that may be needed after inspection. Revalve snowmobile shock service and re-springing is available if specific improvements are desired.

Revalve Service

Inside snowmobile shocks, we often find the shock suppliers will engineer a valve stack that is very tame with a very light stack. The stack is often so light that closing the compression adjuster (if you have one) just diverts more oil towards the shim stack and it opens sooner, giving almost no noticeable change to the rider. We believe this is a safety precaution, done by the manufacturers, ensuring the shock doesn’t get dangerously stiff if the rider completely closes the adjuster. Darwin protection as it were. A Snowmobile shock revalve can actually make your shocks change and get firmer and softer when you adjust them! Imagine that. Another common issue we often see is tragically slow rebound in the rear skid shock (not mentioning any names 137” Vipers and Cats). Slow rebound is ok if the vehicle is being operated at a walking pace, but as soon as the operator picks up the throttle, even a little bit, the lethargic rebound doesn’t let the sled recover back up to standard sag height before hitting the next bump. The result is a low vehicle ride height and a confused sensation in the rear skid, often misinterpreted as very stiff compression due to the shocks living down in the bottom of their travel as they encounter bumps.

Here is a quick test… sit on your sled and have an observer note how far your snow flap is from the trail. Then ride away at a moderate pace and have the same observer watch your snow flap again. If it is consistently lower than observed when stationary, your rebound is too slow. Open it a few clicks, if you don’t have clickers you need our Snowmobile Revalve Service. Another test you can do before the snow flies is to just push down gently on your bumper as deep as you can then release. It should come back and stop in about 1-1.5 seconds, if it takes any longer (especially in a warm garage) your rebound is too slow. Depending on the quality of the original shock package, we may be able to service and revalve the shocks to get the very best out of your stock shocks.

The revalve fee for a Snowmobile shock starts at just $65 plus shims and will be added to your shock service if you need it. Shims range from $2.50 to $3.00 each. We may need two or three in a shock that is close, or 10-12 or more if the shock is way off. We can guide you completely on your revalve needs and let you know if you would benefit.

Chassis Service

Here is a bit of bad news, the OEMs need to keep the cost of your sled reasonable. In doing so, your skid frame is not full of high-quality needle bearings. Sorry folks, it is metal sliding on metal, or even less durable, metal sliding on plastic. Surely, they will have grease fittings for these important metal on metal pivots, right? A current R-Motion equipped Ski-Doo has two grease fittings on the rear skid frame, yet there are 18 pivot points that could use a bit of lubrication every ride. Why? Well, what gets generated when metal slides on metal? Heat. This byproduct of heat melts snow and ice turning them into water. Warm parts expand, cold parts contract. Cooling bushings that are soaked in water and snow draw that water into the joints as efficiently as a plumber can draw solder uphill into a copper pipe joint. How do we know that water gets in there? What comes out for the first few pumps when you pump your grease gun on the few grease fittings you do have? Water, every time! Water causes corrosion when left over time. Corrosion sticks parts. Sticky skids don’t absorb bumps, they send every impact right to the seat.

When we have your sled in the shop to do a SAG and Set Up, or we are removing the shocks if we are doing a Shock Service, it is a great time to service and grease your skid for you. We use an ultra-high tack waterproof grease that resists wash out in the un-serviceable locations, and a lower viscosity grease on all the pivots with grease fittings. If you aren’t up for it, give us a call and book an appointment. Making sure all these critical pivots are smooth and lubricated is what makes a brand-new sled feel… well, like brand new.

If you want the ultimate next level in skid suspension performance, we can install the Mainway Greaseable pivot kits. These ultra high-quality kits replace the bolt and bushing with a higher grade and quality bolt complete with a grease fitting! With the Mainway greaseable bushing kit in place, you can quickly eliminate all friction in your skid before every ride with a few pumps of your grease gun. Most sleds go from two grease fittings to 22 after the full kit is installed! If your sled is a ‘keeper’, this kit is a no-brainer. While in your skid, we check wheel bearings and sliders and replace them if necessary (after checking with you first).

We can replace your standard sliders with Dupont Vespel glides that last about three to four times as long as the standard ones while rewarding you with reduced friction which equates to higher available speed and better fuel economy, plus the added protection when on a cold, dry trail or other temporary situation where slider lubrication is lacking. Reduce the stress on a hard-packed railway bed, where there are no corners to help generate snow dust… go Dupont Vespel! They are four times the cost of standard slides, but if they save you doing the job three or four times it’s worth it! Face it, you likely won’t be changing them out ever again during the time you own your sled.

Need a new Track? We are a Camso dealer with their awesome range of standard and pre-studded tracks. If the skid is out for service, most of the labour is already paid. Drive shaft removal is all that is lacking to dramatically upgrade the shoe that contacts the ground!

Want another huge handling improvement? C&A Pro make seven different skis for every possible rider and sled combination.

Our labour rates are $110 an hour.

Up Front Service

Many riders bring their sled to us every year for drive belt inspection or replacement, clutch service, chaincase cleaning and adjustment, spark plugs, power valve cleaning, carbide inspection, replacement or sharpening, brake pad inspection or replacement, and brake caliper service. We can also align the handlebars to the machine center and then true the alignment of the skis, setting the toe out. Nothing is quite so annoying as living with bars that are gently pointed to one side after that rock you hit last year. 

Performance Improvements

We are Central Ontario’s Authorized Hurricane Performance dealer capable of turbo installation, ECU reflash of the Yamaha Sidewinder and Arctic Cat Thundercat. Re-clutching in house and re-gearing are often mated to a big horsepower increase. Elka Snowmobile Shocks are for sure one of our biggest sellers at Accelerated Technologies. We are Canada’s largest Elka Snowmobile shock dealer and have become experts in their selection, installation and tuning.  

An extensive range of suppliers ship parts to us constantly to help us maintain and improve dozens and dozens of sleds a season. We can custom select a Camso or Kimpex track to best match your expectations and a wide range of skis from suppliers such as KIMPEX Skis, C&A Pro Skis, xx skis to match your track and turn your sled like you dream it would.

Labour rate is $110 an hour for most Performance Projects.

In-House Setups

We are always looking for ways to improve handling and comfort of our sleds. Typical stock suspension is not set up ideally for each and every individual rider. Rider weight, luggage and passenger load, riding conditions and styles all influence how the suspension works. We have now developed five different snowmobile suspension tuning packages to address riders’ handling desires. They vary from the basic chassis set up using only the stock components, to a stock-shock fully resprung version using dual rate springs with beefier torsion springs and an adjustable limiter strap. All packages include chassis set up and basic suspension tuning training so you will know how to adjust your suspension to the best of its ability. These packages all utilize your stock OEM shock absorbers and are tailored especially for BRP Ski-Doo machines. These packages can be applied to other manufacturers’ snowmobiles as well, however some pricing may need to be modified due to different track lengths or chassis requirements. Following these package descriptions will be more options that utilize Elka shocks for an even more drastic improvement in ride comfort and handling.

Package 1

Basic full chassis set up using only the OEM suspension components on your sled. Full final sags are done and the chassis is balanced as well. No extra springs or parts are included. This service usually averages about 1-2 hours of set up and training time. The set up is not cookie-cutter, we debrief you on your current complaints and riding style and tailor the set up especially for you and your gear/passenger!

Cost: $200 for the first hour, any additional labour or time is $110/hour.

Package 2

All of package 1, plus the supply and installation of a Trac-Link adjustable limiter strap to properly adjust the front of the skid to allow for quick, easy corrections to chassis set up as trail conditions change.

Cost: $400. *Any additional labour is $110/hour.

(Basic sag $200, Trac-Link limiter strap and installation $200)

Package 3 

Recommended for riders that weigh > 180lbs or carry gear or passengers

All of package #2, plus stronger torsion springs. Cost varies a bit due to the rate of springs we choose for your sled. Stronger springs allow you to accommodate for gear, fuel, or simply snow build up without needing to go to MAX on your torsion spring preload, which adversely affects ride comfort.

Cost: $660-$720. *Any additional labour is $110/hour.

(Basic sag $200, Trac-Link limiter strap and installation $200, Torsion springs with installation $260-$320)

Package 4

Recommended for Advanced Handling Performance for riders under 180 lbs.

All of package #3 minus the heavier torsion springs, but with the addition of dual rate springs with crossover spacers installed onto your existing stock ski and centre shocks. These spring combinations include a stronger than stock main spring and a light tender spring. The tender spring gives a softer “start” rate to the suspension travel, so small bumps are less noticeable, while the stronger main spring prevents bottoming on big bumps. As they work together, the lighter spring is absorbing most of the initial shock travel, until the shock “crosses over” to the stronger spring, where it does the work to absorb the bigger bumps, creating dramatically improved shock performance. Rarely does a performance product also offer a comfort improvement like this. This new spring package also allows us to lower the front ride height for a massive improvement in flat cornering, reduced or eliminated inside ski lift, and safety.

Cost: $1200-$1275 depending on shock spring selection. *Any additional labour is $110/hour.

(Basic sag $200, Trac-Link limiter strap and installation $200, Ski shock spring package and installation $510-$560, centre spring package and installation $290-$315)

Package 5

Recommended for Advanced Handling Performance for riders >180lbs or carry gear or passengers)

All of package #4, but with stronger torsion springs added on.

Cost: $1460-$1595, varies according to what rate of torsion springs we choose. *Any additional labour is $110/hour.

(Basic sag $200, Trac-Link limiter strap and installation $200, Ski shock spring package and installation $510-$560, centre spring package and installation $290-$315, Torsion springs and installation $260-$320)

Performance Option Add-Ons!

Ice Scratchers: OEM BRP. As we get the nose of the sled lower to dramatically enhance handling by reducing body roll, the snow flap may be farther from the snow’s surface. The Gen 4 chassis can quickly get hot in low or hard/icy snow conditions. These ice scratchers are inexpensive and offer good insurance against over heating.

Cost: $200 for scratchers and installation. Scratcher retaining system under the running boards is included.

Dupont Hyfax Sliders: You have heard about them! Dupont Vespel Hyfax have ultra tough graphite strips embedded into the sliders to extend life by over 4 times over a conventional slider. Advantages are reduced rolling resistance for higher top speed, better fuel economy due to less track friction, piece of mind on a dryer trail or roadside trails, and less slider wear compared to conventional sliders.

Cost: $226/pair, plus installation. (The skid must be removed for installation. Rates vary). 

Kimpex LED Headlights: With the nose of the sled lowered and the confidence you will have in your new set up, you may outdrive your OEM headlight capability. These LED headlight bulb replacement assemblies offer a tremendous improvement in nighttime visibility.

Cost: $69.99 each bulb assy, installation is extra. (The hood and glovebox must be removed and reinstalled. The estimate for labour to install the headlights is $80-$100.)

Mainway Greaseable Bushing Kits: A great idea if you plan on keeping your sled. Some of the new R motion Gen 4s have as little as 2 grease fittings on the whole machine! The Mainway greaseable bushing kits increase this to 13 for the skid alone, or up to 24 if the front a-arms and (X package or XRS) rack and pinion steering kits are done as well. See our website for more details. Kits are sold and priced individually.

Typically, to outfit the entire sled is estimated at $1000-$1100 with all kits supplied and installed (5-6 hours). For just the skid, the estimate is $700-$800 for all of the kits and installation. If you are interested, please call for a more accurate estimate.

Elka Snowmobile shock packages

Elka shocks come in a variety of “stages”, with dual rate springs on the ski and centre shock. Snowmobiles utilizing torsion springs will not have a ‘coil over’ spring on the rear shock. Springs rates are selected according to rider weight and riding style, as well as engine weight. Accelerated Technologies checks every shock that comes in for correct spring selection and cross-over rate, ensuring the best performance according to your requests. Tuning options of the shocks change with each stage as follows;

Stage 2 = no reservoir, spring preload adjustable, rebound damping control.

Stage 3 = piggyback reservoir, spring preload adjustable, low speed compression damping.

Stage 4 = piggyback reservoir, spring preload adjustable, rebound and low speed compression damping.

Stage 5 = piggyback reservoir, spring preload adjustable, rebound, low speed compression, and high speed compression.

Shocks can be purchased individually, and selection for ski, centre and rear shocks can vary according to rider preference. There are also three shock “kits” that Elka offers that include an extra discount for our more popular combinations.

Elka shock Kits

Recreational Kit

This kit with its damping adjustability and dual rate springs offers a huge improvement over the stock shocks, providing a great start for those looking for better comfort and handling, without the complications of more comprehensive tuning options. This kit gives us the opportunity to hit any weight or handling target with your sled. The shocks have larger rods and are fully serviceable, offering a significant improvement over the OEM shock package.

Stage 2 ski shocks (rebound only), Stage 2 centre shock (rebound only), and a Stage 4 rear shock (rebound and low speed compression). Complete Kit with all 4 shocks is $2625.00. Installation is extra.

Sport Kit

This kit provides a significant tuning upgrade over the Recreational kit. Both ski shocks are upgraded to the compression AND rebound adjustable Stage 4s from Stage 2s which also adds the cool piggyback reservoir. This ‘rezzy’ doubles the oil in the shock, extending the service life of the oil and giving improved damping stability. The ability to separate rebound from compression (on the ski shocks) helps the sled transition from a smooth trail to a bumpy one as speeds increase. A big upgrade in flat handling with the Stage 4 ski shocks. The sport kit gives the rider the option to adjust ski and rear shock compression, and centre shock rebound, without being too complex to use. A great choice for the rider wishing to do light tuning!

Stage 4 ski shocks, Stage 2 centre shock and Stage 4 rear shock. Kit is $3250.00

Pro Kit

These are the top shocks to achieve ultimate comfort and performance for pro riders, racers, and for those who just enjoy having the opportunity to make significant tuning changes to suit different terrain, tracks, or snow conditions. Stage 5 shocks give you the ability to have a separate setting for small and large bumps. Image having a shock set soft and compliant for the small trail chatter, but the shock steps up and resists bottoming on a huge hit you didn’t see coming! Don’t be intimidated; once we train you on these suspension settings, you’ll wonder why you never had these before, but be careful, after this you will need Stage 5s for life!

Stage 5 ski shocks, Stage 5 centre shock, Stage 5 rear shock. Kit is $4625.00

After your shock choice you can have us…

• Install shocks with full chassis sag, balance and set up with training; add $400.
• Supply and install stiffer BRP torsion springs; add $260-$320
• Supply and install Trac-Link adjustable limiter strap; add $200
• Supply and install OEM BRP ice scratchers; add $200
• Supply and install Kimpex LED headlights; add $69.99 per light, plus aprox $150 installation
• Supply and install Dupont Vespel sliders; add $226/pair ($234/pair for long tracks) plus labour.
• Supply and install Mainway greaseable bushing kits; estimate is $700-$1300.