Time to upgrade my 180 255hp?

[CSager]

Hey everyone, I was at the lake for the past few weeks and had our boat out almost every day. I have had her for a few years now and know her tendency quite well we had no major issues but I did have a little trouble one day. The kids went on the tube (3 person) and the dog was with me in the boat my parents called and wanted to watch the kids on the tube so I picked them up and off we went. Now my 180 is the 215hp 2006 model once I hooked up the kids and headed out she hit 6500 rpm ish and then spun up to 8000 with no pull. I tried a few different things and couldn't get her to punch past 6500rpm. I know I had lots of drag with the kids and 3 adults in the boat so I'm wondering if going with the Xcharger and injectors from PWC muscle will help? I'm also 3200 feet above sea level which hurts as well just looking for some real world C180's owners with the 255 or anyone that did the upgrade to see how it is.

As always thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[pvamax]

The problem is not the motor power but the single jet pump. You are basically cavitating when you lose "pull" but rpm still climbs. I found this same situation on my c180 when trying to pull 3 tubes with full size adults and 4 adults on the boat. A fresh wear ring, good condition prop, and good ride plate seal is the best you can do to remedy this condition.

 

[JoeZ]

Does sound like cavitation for the top end, and what pvamax said is accurate for the remedy.

The x charger bundle would work great with adding additional power for your boat. I'd also recommend the fizzle intercooler at the same time. Do this with the impeller for the 255/260 and you'll notice a good addition of power and acceleration. Let us know if you have any questions.

 

[CSager]

Thanks the wear ring and impeller have about 40 hours on them they were both new. Maybe the ride plate is the culprit? I have taken the entire drivetrain apart before but I'm a bit hesitant to drop the ride plate any hits or tips? And thanks joeZ I'll contact you for some info!

 

[pvamax]

Thanks the wear ring and impeller have about 40 hours on them they were both new. Maybe the ride plate is the culprit? I have taken the entire drivetrain apart before but I'm a bit hesitant to drop the ride plate any hits or tips? And thanks joeZ I'll contact you for some info!

Could be the ride plate, but could also still be the wear ring as it only takes 15 seconds to ruin a ring in shallow water when something gets sucked up. Take a look in there and look for gaps and grooves in the ring where the outer edge of the prop touches.