RXT 215hp impeller pitch?

[Michael211_2000]

Ok I've searched these forums and read and read for almost 2 hours now... what is the stock impeller pitch for a 2006 RXT 215hp? What would be a good aftermarket performance impeller pitch for it?

I'd like to put a Solas impeller in (nice and shiney!), but don't want to kill the top-end and would prefer not to overload the bottom end... stock bottom end has a nice hole-shot IMHO, but would like to see just a little better loading of the engine thru WOT. Usually no more than 2 riders (even though it's a 3-seater, it's most comfortable with 2 adults on it). Stock 215hp engine (no plans to change that), but aftermarket Aquavein R&D pump intake grate and might put a 2 degree wedge in shortly.

Can anybody with an RXT 215hp supercharged Seadoo attest to what works well? Thanks!

- Michael

 

[Coastiejoe]

I did some digging on the net and found the following, hope it helps...

RXT/RXP/GTX 14/19 CONCORD (FOR 215 H.P. MOTORS) And what seems to be a higher performer; 133-01424 R&D Pro Pitch Impeller for RXP-X 14/24

 

[Michael211_2000]

Ooh! That 14/24 is too high a pitch on the top end for my 215hp engine... I believe that is for the 260hp RXP/RXT X models only. My digging tonight suggests a 14/19 is about right for my RXT with 215hp stock engine. That would be a Solas SRX-CD-14/19 impeller, if I'm reading right. I'm open to others though, I'm not putting money down on 1 till Tuesday anyways... nothing can be shipped before then with the holiday and all.

Thanks and have a great Memorial Day ya'll!

- Michael

 

[Michael211_2000]

I was reading thru some PWC mags I have here today, and found a different Solas recomendation for the 2006 RXT 215hp.... a 13/18 pitch impeller, the SRX-CD-13/18.

Searching thru Ebay listings for Solas impellers (reading the listing descriptions), the 14/19 impellers seem to only be recommended for Stage 1 modified engines while the 13/18 is being recommended for stock 215hp engines without any mods (like mine).

I still wish I could find out what the OEM impeller pitch for my RXT is so I could get some idea of where I'm going here with the pitch. Grrrr!

I just now went ahead and slipped a new wear ring into my pump... I don't have the correct tool to un-bolt my impeller right now, so I can't see the backside of the impeller to see if there are any markings of what the pitch is. Wow! but I can barely turn the impeller now with the new wear ring in... maybe as the wear ring warms up (it's been in the freezer all night long) it'll expand a little and allow the impeller to turn freely again? Hope so!

- Michael

 

[Michael211_2000]

That was neat yesterday afternoon, at first with the new wear ring in I could barely turn the impeller it was so tight... after about 30 minutes though, the delrin ring warmed up and expanded just a tiny bit and now the impeller turns freely like it aught to, but I swear there's not enough clearance to slip a sheet of paper between the impeller fins and the wear ring! Talk about a tight fit!

So anyhows, back to the impeller issue... guess I'm going to go ahead and order the 13/18 pitch impeller and get it moving my way so I can put this pump back together! Here's hoping I'm not going too low on pitch for my RXT...... :nopity:

- Michael

 

[Lucas733]

Hi Michael,

Per a seadoo workshop manual that I have the stock pitch on an rxt and gtx ltd is 12-18. I know it's a little late, but hope it's helpful.

How did the solasimpellor go? Which one did you end up with and how does it perform? I'm looking at doing the same myself.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Thanks Lucas! I went with the R&D Aquavein Intake grate and a Sola 13/18 impeller (as recommended by Solas for my RXT actually) this past summer. I really think that my RXT has enough power for the Solas 14/19 impeller (which is recommended for the RXP model) instead after 5 hrs of runtime this summer with the 13/18 impeller... before next summer if the budget allows I may get a 14/19 and try it out. The lakes around my area all got too low to launch boats by mid August this year, the drought we've been experiencing has been a real kill joy and there are dead trees just about everywhere you look! I'm sure hoping next summer will have a more normal rainfall as this was just crazy. :-(

ps. I also filled-in the ride plate bolt holes and siliconed the intake grate and ride plate seams flush to reduce drag.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

 

[Lucas733]

Im sorry to hear about the drought, hopefully next season will bring better conditions.

I'm still indecisive over the solas 14/19 & the 15/20 as the 215hp engines are pretty strong.

Did the intake grate make a huge difference?

 

[red2blue]

The next step up for an rxt w/o mods is a solas 14/17.....and at that an upgraded air intake would be a help.

To go taller than that w/o at the very least an upgraded air intake...ie rear air or an upgraded SC would be a waste of time, effort and money.

 

[Lucas733]

Time, effort and money are all equal as the current impeller is needing to be replaced and the variations in pitch have no cost difference.

The real question is, will it be detrimental to the ski or it's stock standard performance? I'm not concerned about getting the full benefit of the highest pitch impeller straight away, as I may upgrade other components at a later point to achieve this.

 

[red2blue]

Please don't take offense.

Your motor as it stands now is in balance...ie the air intake, sc, oem ic, 38# fuel injectors, prop.

under max rpm...8200 or so you are seeing approx 67-68mph gps.

When you go to a taller prop..say a 14/17 from from the stock 13/18 any change will be small.

To go taller than that would place a much larger load on your drive. I wouldn't expect you to see 63mph @ maybe....7800rpm with a 14/19r on an otherwise completely stock ski.

For instance....my mods are as follows

'05 RXT, 2* wedge, riva grate, skegs, rear air, free-flo exhaust, 158* Tstat, S3 SC, 14/19+2

72.7 @ 8050....ain't done yet

I once thought I was strong enough to twist a 15/20.....not even close, couldn't even break 70 and never got above 7700rpm. A stock ski?....would be a dog.

For me to go to a 15/20 would require an external IC and 42# injectors...and I still may have to take a bit outa the prop...but i would expect to see 74-75 with those additional mods....sigh...maybe someday.

 

[Lucas733]

Thanks for that! It's very informative. I'll keep it in mind with my new impeller shopping.

 

[Michael211_2000]

The Solas 14/19 is the recommended impeller for a 2006 RXP stock machine... which has the exact same engine as the same year RXT which I have. The RXP is just a slightly shorter and lighter hull, the engine is no different. The Solas 13/18 is what Solas recommends for my 2006 RXT and what I put in it, but I'm pretty sure it'd do better with the RXP's Solas 14/19... at least I'd like to try one. Last summer before the lake levels got too low, on my last outting I hit 68 mph with the 13/18 and I still had throttle left (can't recall my engine rpm's at the time now, but was definitely below 8k and not maxed out I could have gone faster still).

I don't think I'd want to try more than a 14/19 pitch impeller though, anything more would likely hurt performance with more than 1 person on this 3-seater machine. In fact the 13/18 might be just right if I was running it fully loaded with 3 grown adults on it, but I've yet to find a date so it's just me for now. :-( I bought this RXT 3-seater because I wanted it to be comfortable to ride with just 2 adults on it, I have no desire for more than 1 passenger (unless she has a really hot friend or twin sister!). Did I mention I'm single and it's really hard to find a date in Texas????? (sigh!)

The R&D Aquavein in my opinion did improve hole-shot and helps it alot when turning tight under power... it more fully loads the impeller top and bottom, and the taller rails on the Aquavein grate make the entire hull feel like it's "on rails". I highly recommend one of these performance intake grates, they DO make a nice difference for the $. The 1st two things to upgrade on any stock jet watercraft are the impeller and the intake grate, nothing else makes as much difference for the $ spent.

That's my $.02, make of it what you will. When I have my SC rebuilt at 100 hrs I may go ahead and have a slightly stronger air wheel put in it, something that will make more boost but not require upgraded injectors I really don't wanna go that far.

Regards!

- Michael

 

[Michael211_2000]

ps. Be sure to fill flush the ride plate bolt holes and seal all ride plate and intake grate seams with good quality silicon! Make the underside as flush as possible... those ride plate bolt holes are like little anchors causing drag, that's a terrible design flaw IMHO! With some marine epoxy a little nylon cord and some duct take it only takes about 20 minutes to fill them and let the epoxy cure overnight before using... cut about 2 inches of nylon cord and wrap around each bolt head, use a small piece of duct tape to hold the cord in place, then use a putty knife to fill the hole with marine epoxy and make it flush. Then once cured it doesn't hurt to sand each spot with a sanding block to make it as smooth as possible with the ride plate. The cord and duct tape on each bolt head make it possible to break the epoxy out (use a hammer and flat screw driver to break it loose) and be able to remove the bolts if you ever need to replace the ride plate for any reason. This mod costs almost no $$$ and only takes about 20 minutes to do and really helps performance alot!

Regards!

- Michael

 

[red2blue]

Your grate is causing you drag. All top loading grate's do. To overcome this you need a bigger wheel...and all the freebie hull mods you can get, which you mentioned. (filling plate holes, flushing the grate to the shoe and plate.

The best bang for the buck..bar none...is improving the air intake. A simple 4" dia 7' length of kana-flex hose and a 3x4 reducing bend for less than a $100, instead of the insane oem air box will net you an easy 100-150rpm.

What do you do with the extra rpm....since most would already be sitting on the rev limiter?...you go to a taller prop....or tweek your oem prop. I followed this same path at the beginning.

Believe me when I tell you this....the extra weight and length of the rxt hull without additional engine performance mods will not allow you to twist a 14/19 like an rxp with vts can.

Seat of the pants, like the oem speedo will lie to you...get a gps.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Not interested in a GPS speedo, OEM is acurrate enough for my needs. OEM air intake is designed to circulate air thru-out the hull to prevent fumes from building up leading to fire/explosion: I'm leaving mine alone it's not worth the safety risk. I said I want to *try* a 14/19 Solas impeller in it... whichever impeller I like better, I'll keep and the other I'll sell as lightly used. But it's not a high priority to me either way, it's plenty fast enough as-is and I really like the handling the way it is.

While all top-loading performance grates do indeed add drag, they also allow your engine to apply more horsepower to the pump as the pump impeller is more evenly loaded as compared to OEM grate or no grate at all. By directing some water towards the top of the impeller, performance is increased that more than makes up for the little bit of drag induced. If you want the least grate drag possible, remove your grate entirely and ride without one then you'll have no grate drag at all! It'll handle like crap and the impeller will cavatate alot but you won't have that pesky bit of drag so... lol!

Max speed is not the end-all-be-all in my book.

Regards and have a great Thanksgiving!

- Michael

 

[red2blue]

Not interested in a GPS speedo, OEM is acurrate enough for my needs. Then you don't require accuracy at all or have any need to know when or if you go faster than 70mph OEM air intake is designed to circulate air thru-out the hull to prevent fumes from building up leading to fire/explosion: Wow...not sure where you're getting your info. I'm leaving mine alone it's not worth the safety risk. A diy front air will create the same "air-flow' in the hull with better volume to the sc. I said I want to *try* a 14/19 Solas impeller in it... whichever impeller I like better, I'll keep and the other I'll sell as lightly used. But it's not a high priority to me either way, it's plenty fast enough as-is and I really like the handling the way it is.

While all top-loading performance grates do indeed add drag, they also allow your engine to apply more horsepower to the pump Uhm....no, doesn't work that way, the power directed doesn't change. The grate by doing a better job filling the tunnel means the pump's output will be more efficient ie better hook up in chop and in a ski w/a modified motor that hook up even in flat water is crucial to higher speeds. as the pump impeller is more evenly loaded as compared to OEM grate or no grate at all. By directing some water towards the top of the impeller, performance is increased that more than makes up for the little bit of drag induced. If you want the least grate drag possible, remove your grate entirely and ride without one then you'll have no grate drag at all! It'll handle like crap and the impeller will cavatate alot but you won't have that pesky bit of drag so... lol!

Max speed is not the end-all-be-all in my book. obviously.
Regards and have a great Thanksgiving!

- Michael

No offense here......I'm not a pro but I have been modding this ski for a while now...been down some wrong roads. I am only trying to help.

I haven't steered you wrong. Don't believe me...ask fizzle. he's turned a wrench or two on these money pits.