SKI DOO Technical Information

Explaining Ski Doo Models

If you're reading this, you have scavenged the internet looking for answers on what Ski Doo models to purchase and obviously had no luck so far. I am going to break it down for you in simple terms that will help you make your decision. Now, you're probably wondering what credentials does the author have?  My credentials are my years of experience and working first hands on Ski Doo’s professionally. 

Sport

The Sport is the bare bones package. Oil filled shocks and 600cc carb or 600cc EFI motors that will be a great start sled and top out at high 80s. This will be a bumpy ride because of the oil filled shocks. These sleds will last a long time and are very reliable. This is a great beginner or starter sled. The rider will outgrow this sled in a season or two and will want something better. 

TNT / Adrenaline 

The TNT and Adrenaline are the same package. TNT is for the MXZ and Adrenaline is for the Renegade. This pack offers a better skid and gas filled shocks. Depending on the year, the machine will have the R Motion skid which is the best skid on the market. This package is a great option for riders that are new to intermediate. Advanced or expert riders will be looking for more. This package is great for Wifes, daughters, newbies, or anyone that is not aggressive.

Enduro

The Enduro is a cruising machine. This model was built for long hauls and high mileage days. The air suspension shocks in the rear skid are adjustable on the fly via a rocker switch on the dash which makes the sled ride great. This package has a heated seat and a multi-function gauge cluster. This is a great sled for high mileage riders whose skill level is in the intermediate range but is not an aggressive, rough, trail rider. 

X

The X package used to be the top dog until the XRS came out. The X Models usually feature KYB gas shocks with rebound adjusters front and rear. These shocks are a good upgrade from the TNT or Adrenaline models. This model has the premium multifunction gauge which shows engine temp, digital speedo, elevation and a bunch of other features. This model is built for a rider who is intermediate to expert. This sled can pound most mid size moguls and take small jumps. The X is suited to high speed and high performance riders. 

XRS

The famous XRS. Back in 2007 Ski Doo rocked the world when it introduced the consumer race sled. The XRS featured a consumer motor with race ready suspension and bracing, all decked out in race inspired decals. This sled was a work of art. Now, moving on to the 2007-2012 XRS models. 2007 to 2012 was the era of the true consumer race sleds. These sleds were built to resemble the RS models you see on the snocross tracks with bracing and KYB 40 shocks. It was not uncommon to have zip ties holding components on from the factory to save weight. Ski Doo built these sleds for peak performance. These years were some of the roughest riding XRS produced. These sleds could take anything you could throw at them. Moguls or twenty foot kickers would take it all and keep on going. For trail riding under 50mph, these sleds rode like bricks. Super rough at slow speeds even when they are tuned at full soft. These sleds shined when riding at WOT over the roughest terrain.
 

2013 to 2017 XRS models started to introduce more comforts to the rider like soft suspension and softer seats along with new hand controls. These changes were made because everyone wanted an XRS to be “Cool”. The changes affected the true XRS name with its consumer ready race sled but the XRS still stays at the top dog level. The softer seats were needed because the 2007 to 2012 seats were extremely stiff and felt like you were sitting on bricks. The new hand controls were a great improvement and the zip tied components were removed and held on with built brackets. These years still have the KYB 40 shocks. 

2018 to Present XRS models are in the G4 chassis which brought softer suspension again and a less quality shocks. Ski Doo went with the KYB 36s to solve the spring rubbing issue that the KYB 40s had. It was not a big deal but did cause decal damage on the face of the shock. The new KYB 36s are a let down due to a small shock shafts and shock body bore for holding less oil. It's still a great sled but has been downgraded again. 

Overall, the XRS is an expert level sled which involves the knowledge of tuning the suspension to get the ride you want. The rider must know how to use compression and rebound adjusters and be able to tune the machine through the day. If the rider can not do these things, they will hate the machine and suffer from a rough ride. The XRS is built to jump and take the moguls at very high speeds. It will suffer greatly at lower speeds. If you can not tune the suspension or have no desire to, an XRS is not for you. I’d highly suggest you purchase an X model instead. 

Expert (Summit)

The Summit Expert is for advanced riders who are riding deep snow only and no trail riding. The cut tunnel allows less snow to be trapped in the tunnel and allows the sled to carry less weight around. This is built for Expert Mountain riders only. 

Freeride

The Freeride is the XRS of mountain sleds. This sled is built to jump and ride the roughest terrain in the mountains or deep snow. This sled is considered to be for an expert level rider due the need to tune the suspension with the rebound and compression adjusters. The Freeride is not built for the average mountain rider. 

BackCountry

The Back country is a great crossover sled. It will come in 137 or 146 length tracks and is built to ride trails and deep snow. This sled is a 60% off trail and 40% on trail. This sled does neither off trail or on trail well, but gets you out to where you want to go with the ability to do both in the same day. This is an intermiated. 

Track Length

120/129

120 or 129 length tracks are easy to turn and throw around. This short track is great for newbies all the way up to advanced. The short track does not bridge the moguls or bumps well like a longer track. This length is great for tight and twist trails. 

137

The 137 length track bridges the bumps better but does make turning the sled slightly harder. The 137 is great for long straight and wide corner trails. 

146

The 146 length track was traditionally a deep snow only track but it has transitioned its way to trail riding. You will need scratchers and good snow to trail ride. This sled will be hard to turn and will need more effort. This track length will be short for mountain riding but is a crossover for midwest and out west riding still. 

154 and up

Mountain tracks. Simple as that.

Motors

550 Fan

The 550 Fan is a great reliable motor that does not produce much power but gets you from A to B. Fuel Economy is not great.

600cc Carb

A great reliable motor for beginners to intermediates. Roughly 10mpg only and will use a lot of oil. Top speed 80ish mph

600HO Carb

A semi reliable motor. Plagued with issues from 2003 to 2004. After new pistons and rings, this motor was good. This motor is very fast and will smoke most 600s. Top speed of over 90mph. 10 -11 mpg and used a lot of oil. Intermediate to expert level motor

600 ETEC

The first Etec in a snowmobile. Offers moderate power with great fuel economy of up to 21 mpg and very good oil consumption.  This motor won't win many races but is reliable and a good motor for all riders. 

600 SDI

The 600 Semi Direct Injection motor was Doo’s first shot at a fuel injected motor. This motor was reliable or a complete dumpster fire. There was no inbetween. The major issue of this motor was the electrical system. The electrical charging system was not strong enough to support the system without a good 12v battery. When the battery could not hold a charge the sled would not run worth a crap. The magneto and flywheels were notorious for failures. These SDI had 3,000 miles or 13,000 miles. There was no inbetween. 

600R ETEC

The 600R is the upgraded version of the 600 ETEC with many improvements. This offered better throttle response and slight improvement in power. 

800 Carb

This motor offered decent power for an 800cc but drank fuel like a drunken sailor. Expect 5 to 10 mpg at best. This sled will drink oil too. This motor was reliable but expensive on fuel and oil.

800 PTEK

The 800 PTEK was the first advancement over the carb 800. This motor offered improvements over the carb model with better fuel economy and oil consumption. 

800 ETEC

The 800 ETEC was a great motor with good fuel economy and oil consumption. 15mpg is easily obtainable. This motor makes good solid power and is known for hard riding and high miles. 

850 ETEC

The 850 ETEC was an improvement over the 800 ETEC with a new crank design based on the 4 strokes and a larger bore. This made more power while keeping a good mpg and oil consumption. This motor has been mostly reliable. 

600 ACE

The 600 ACE is a four stroke motor with very impressive mpg. Up to 30 mpg. This motor offers low hp but with fantastic reliability. 15,000 miles seems to be easily obtainable. This is a great motor for slow speed uses only. Top speed 65 mph

900 ACE

The 900 ACE is a motor I can not say enough good things about. The mpg is down right impressive and this motor makes 130hp which is the same as a 600cc. The weight difference between a 600 ETEC and a 900 ACE is 5LBS only. It's almost a no brainer to buy a 4 stroke over the 600 ETEC. This motor has been known to go high miles with little to no issues. 

900 ACE TURBO

It's a 900 ACE with a factory turbo strapped to it. What could go wrong? I haven’t heard of one issue with it and it's been out for years now. Must be pretty awesome then. More to follow when we see more long term reports. 

1200

The motor that came before the 600 ACE and 900 ACE. The 1200 made 130hp but is a very heavy motor that was in a chassis built for it. This motor and chassis combo was almost 100 lbs heavier than any 2 stroke at the time. It had good fuel consumption but is heavy and that's why it's discontinued now.