350 vs 400 hp xstar
I have an 08 xstar with the 350 hp engine. In recent years i have added extra ballast bags and it does not have enough power to plane out with everything full. I am strongly considering trading in for a similar xstar with the 400 hp engine. Does anybody know if this engine makes a meaningful difference?
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Have you changed your prop to something more aggressive?
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Yes, aggressive as they come, good thought
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Add a trim tab
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15x13 prop gets my good friends 5.7 350 06 on plane with 5k pounds of weight in the boat
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Luke, according to the CARB website, the 2008 5.7L engine was 296hp non-cat exhaust and 310hp with the cat exhaust. 5.7L are not 350hp. The 6.0L in 2008 is rated at 402hp.So, if you have a non-cat 5.7(350 cubic inch) now and change to a boat with a 6.0L engine, you are gaining 106hp. 36% more power. If you have cats on the 5.7, your gain will be 89hp. Either way, the 6.0L makes substantially more power than the 5.7.
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But peak horsepower makes no difference when getting the boa on plane. All about the area under the torque curve |
How is your weight distributed? How much weight are you running?
Are you wakeboarding, surfing, surfing with an aftermarket gate etc? |
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i think upgrading to 400 hp would be good, or an 8.1, but yeah I have been in a few 5.7l and it takes like 5 minutes to get on plane with any decent amount of weight. the 400 can take weight alot easier and will surprise you with how much it can get up. and the 8.1 gets up really easy, you just have to make sure to keep up with maintenance. |
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It took a minute, but it got there. Agree on keeping up with the 8.1 if you can find one, they can burn oil pretty bad. Don’t know why they aren’t as reliable as the ones in trucks, but they’ve gotten a pretty bad rep in older MCs. 5.7 is definitely not ideal for the star, but with a 15x12 or 15x13, it can be pretty decent. |
If I fill the factory hard tanks + two bags in the rear compartments (~750 lb each I think) + two bags under the front seats (~100 lbs each) + two people in the boat it will get on plane, but takes a while (this is a problem when you ride on a short lake). If I start adding more people it simply wont plane out, even if I put them up front. I certainly feel my current engine is insufficient.
I'm just trying to determine if I will be only marginally better off with the 6.0, or if it will be a worthwhile way to spend my money. I would have considered the 8.1 but as some of you pointed out it has a bad reputation. For context, my original thought was to go for a used G23 but the cost is still nuts. If the 6.0 will get me on plane quickly I think I will be happy. |
It sounds like you don't have nearly enough weight in the front. Are your trim options automatic? Or can you adjust them? While I'm in a completely different boat I run more weight with a wedge but there are times that I have to start with my wedge fully deployed and then increase the resistance after I'm on plane.
A bigger engine will of course help you, but if your weight isn't optimized there's still a chance the next size up with struggle. If you're on a short lake you'll want the most hp you can get. Once you start running 1500 lbs in the rear you need some more weight up front than 200 lbs. The original ration is 500 rear 500 mid. If you have the sacs to play I would suggest trying to run a 500-750 lb sac either in the bow or the bow walkthrough. While every boat is different I've commonly been around boats that have 750-1250 lbs in the bow (including factory). Mine seems to max out around 1200 rear, 300 mid, 850 bow plus a full load of fuel and 6-8 people. I've tried the 1500 lbs in the rear and on my boat it's a struggle even with the nose weight (I'm also running a 5.7). If you check out wakemakers https://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-...st-system.html you'll note that they've added a significant amount of weight to the bow. |
Yeah 1500 lbs in the rear to only 200 lbs up front sounds like it would be a major issue. I would throw another 750 up front and then drain the rears a bit until it planes out.
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Jeffrey, the wakemakers system is what I have installed.
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Luke, I would still try to add some more weight to the bow to see how the boat responds. The horsepower will make a difference in how quick and your ability to get on plane but if you're not even close right now one engine size may not make enough of a difference. The 8.1 is a beast, if you really want to run heavy just go with the bid daddy.
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Put both people in the bow and see how it reacts, easy way to move 400lbs.
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The trim tab is a darn good thought. way easier then a new engine...i would definitely do that first, if it were me. That is how all the new boats are getting on plane.
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We had an 08 X-Star with the MCX for a good 3 years. That boat was always slammed! We rotated through an assortment of props. Ultimately, we landed on the 5 blade (sorry, don't remember the measurements). It drastically improved the time on plane and dropped 500 RPMs when up to speed. It was a night and day difference. Other than that, in 08, they had an attitude adjustment plate that they primarily used on the X-45 at the time that you might could retrofit. Personally, I'm pretty paranoid about drilling holes in the hull and would see what a new prop would do before you go that route.
All that being said, we always commented that the 6.0 would have been a little better as it would have been marginally less stress on the engine over time. We ultimately put 1500 hours on that boat without significant mechanical issue. And sold it to someone else without issue on their end. |
I checked, I have the OJ 15x13. Adam I was not aware five blade propellers were a thing. Do you remember the brand name?
Thanks for all the feedback everybody. I will summarize what I have gathered below: It seems there are some less expensive possibilities: 1. check with my dealer to see if trip tabs are an option 2. consider a bow sac (can it really be that the solution to my problem is more weight?!?!) With respect to upgrading to the 6.0 or 8.1 I have gathered mixed messages. 1. Does anybody know for sure (as in they have been on boats pushed by both engines) how much difference exists between the 5.7 and 6.0? 2. Is there anybody who has owned an 8.1 who can speak to the reliabilty? (my dealer warned me away from this one) |
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