How to Make Your Jet Ski Go Faster for Under $1,000

Many people simply want more speed from their jet ski, to make it go faster and beyond the manufacturers set maximum. It can be done cheaply!

But how do you achieve this? Well, there are various ways. You can spend lots of money, but for under $1,000, there are some good strategies.

So in this article, I’ll be showcasing how exactly you can maximize the speed of your personal watercraft. Where you can spend a little, or even spend a lot. It’s really up to what you’re looking to achieve.

Going faster with just the basics

Right – let’s look at the things we can do initially without spending a fortune. Because not everyone has $7,000 readily available to performance massive modifications to their jet ski.

Jet skis go faster with:

1. Getting a full service done, so you’re starting out fresh
2. Making sure you only use premium fuels when refuelling
3. Removing anything from the storage locker that you don’t need
4. Replacing parts that are creating the biggest performance bottlenecks

That’s in order of easiest and cheapest, to the hardest and most expensive.

Certainly a jet ski service can be achieved for less than $1,000. Using premium fuels is only marginally more expensive. Lastly, many jet ski buddies of mine store way too much in their front storage locker.

It’s also how you ride

Then, what about the weight of the rider? You might be wearing a lifejacket which is too bulky causing greater wind-resistance. Your helmet might also be contributing to your slower speeds on the waterways.

The biggest issue that I see is the riding position. People want their jet ski to go as fast as possible, much faster than boats or sharks (lol), but aren’t riding properly. There is a certainly way to ride a jet ski where you can attain top speed results.

My recommendation: Go on YouTube and watch past jet ski races. Notice the aggressive riding stance that the professional jet ski racers use to win world championships at close to 100 miles per hour!

Performance modifications for a faster jet ski

Now, the best way to make a jet ski go much faster than anticipated is to start some upgrades. Depending on your PWC, there are various modifications that you can make.

The best way is to speak with your dealership. They’ll assess your jet ski and make some good recommendations. It won’t be cheap, but if you can achieve an extra 15 knots per hour, it could make all the difference, and give you bragging rights at the boat ramp. 🙂

Some things include:

• A new high boost impeller for the rear
• Upgrade to the air intake system (more flow)
• Full replacement of the factory turbo system
• Changes to the engine ICU to increase low-end torque

There are also companies that specifically help those who want to mod their jet ski, so as to maximize their performance. Be warned, however, that your jet ski warranty, whether though a dealership or another shop is likely to be deemed invalid. For this reason, it’s best to start these upgrades towards the end of your warranty lifespan.

Is it cheap to make performance modifications to your jet ski? Absolutely not! Anything reasonable will cost a few thousand dollars. You really need to weight up whether you should make part-upgrades to your existing jet ski, or just buy a new jet ski that already goes much faster out of the factory.

In summary

There are various ways to help your jet ski gain extra knots on the waterways. But it’s also (often) an expensive process too.

More often than not, beginners opt to simply replace their original jet ski with something already more powerful. Yes – even if it has some hours on it already.

Others intentionally look on PWC Trader for jet skis which have already had thousands of dollars of performance mods added to the engine. This way they don’t have to fork out as much money.

Either way, jet skis are already very fast machines. Falling off a jet ski at such high speeds can be dangerous. But if you have the riding ability to handle those fast speeds, then maximizing every extra nautical mile can be achieved quite easily these days.