Common Questions.

What do I use to cut the plastic with?
ALL vents are supplied with a paper template that can be taped to the snowmobile panel for ease of cutting.  For Ski-Doo XP sleds the plastic on the panels is thin.  The panel can be heated up for a short period of time with a blow dryer and cut out with a sharp utility knife.  Some guys like to leave some plastic behind the vents so they use various sizes of hole saws.  For most sleds a jig saw with a metal blade works great.  Drilling holes in the corners of the template will facilitate cutting. 

How do I attach the vents to the panel?
All vents are supplied with color matched rivets and back-up washers.  You will need a rivet tool.  Hand rivet tools are inexpensive and easy to use.  They can be purchased at almost any hardware store.  Pneumatic riveters are the best but can be costly.  Harbor Freight tools sell one for around $40. 

Can I cross water with your vents?
Xtreme Air Vents uses high quality water repellant pre-filter material on all clutch side vents.  This is the same material that all 4 OEM manufactures use for their intakes.  That being said, we don't recommend crossing water with vents (but that is mostly just to cover our butts).  If you plan on venting your sled and doing a lot of water crossing, we recommend taping off vents that could let the clutch get wet.

What vents do I need?
This is probably the most debated question out there.  My general rule is the more the merrier.  But I like to ask a few questions.  What kind of riding do you do?  What are your riding conditions?  What type of rider are you?  What is your budget? 

Typically trail riders don't need as many vents as mountain riders.  Trail riders have the advantage of faster speeds that allow more cold air to circulate through the vents.  Lots of air movement helps cool things down quicker (you don't see many mountain riders wearing heavy coats and insulated bibs for the same reasons).  If you ride mainly in the steep and deep, with lots of heavy pulls in deep snow, full throttle boondocking, deep powder carving and such you will need more vents.   How many vents?  The cooler you can keep your clutches and belt the better performance you will maintain.   Deep snow is hard on sleds and usually is associated with full throttle without fast speeds.  5-piece vent kits are great all around kits, but 7-piece kits are better suited for mountain riding.

When choosing vents, you need to think about how the air will get in...and how the air will get out.  In order for heat to escape you need exhaust vents (typically placed toward the rear of the panel).  But you also need vents to let the cold air in.  Here at Xtreme Air Vents we have done the homework for you.  All of our 5-piece kits are set up to allow air in and out.  Adding more vents like the 7-piece, 9-piece, 13 piece or more just adds to the efficiency of air circulation.

For Ski-Doo '08-'11 XP (non E-tec) sleds the Cold Air Intake kit is a must for mountain riding.  The stock intake gets clogged very easy and is difficult to keep clean, which results in a bogging motor that can't get enough air to maintain RPM.  The Cold Air Intake kit virtually eliminates bogging and RPM losses by allowing the engine to always have enough air to breath.

Do I need to re-jet with the Cold Air Intake Kit?
No jetting is needed when installing the Cold Air Intake Kit.  This kit does not force more air into the system.  It simply allows the stock system to breathe normally even if the stock intake is clogged with snow.  It is also upstream from the DPM air sensor in the intake charge tube which allows the DPM to function normally.  You will notice that you rarely need to clean the stock intake because the Cold Air Intake Kit allows enough air into the stock air box to maintain RPM.

How do I order individual vents?
Use the drop down menus for individual vent pricing and selection.  Every vent can be purchased separately.  


I don't see vents for my sled on your website, can you do custom vents, and how much is it going to cost me?
We specialize in custom vents.  Almost any vent can be built for almost any sled.  We have done many custom vents that are not pictured on the website.  Turn around time is usually about 1-2 weeks at the most.  Because we don't have access to every sled sometimes we ask you to supply a template.  This can be done by tracing the vent area with a piece of paper or cardstock.  Send us the template and we will give you an estimate before we build the vents.  Most vents are priced according to the size of the vent.  If you supply a template of the vent you want the turn around time is even quicker. 

What "other" mods do you recommend?
One of the #1 mods you can do to your sled to improve clutch performance is to re-gear.   Most sleds are geared too high for mountain riding.  Stock gearing may work fine at sea level, but you should drop one or two teeth on the top gear for high elevation riding.

For Ski-Doo XP Summit riders the NEW Xtreme XP Rear Suspension Upgrade Kit is a must.  This kit make your '08 and '09 summit perform like the 2010 summits.  Read more about it here.

Upgrading your '08-'09 steering post to the 2010 steering post is also a big improvement to reduce steering effort.  You can do this for "free" if you have a mig welder and a few hours.  Check out the tech tips section for pics here.

Will vents add power to my sled?
Vents don't add horsepower.  What they do is add efficiency.  Cooler clutches mean cooler belts which results in consistent performance.  Scorching hot clutches and belts are a result of high heat and lots of slippage.  That slippage is just wasted power that is not getting to the track.  Adding vents will add consistency to your set-up.  Better consistency will result in constant controlled RPM which gives better track speed and longer belt life.