so whats your thoughts on carb vs an efi machine.
i have a 02 zr 800 x-country. it is carb, but everyother x country i see has been efi. doesnt even list a carb model on AC's website. Glad i have carb though.

last year my buddy was looking for a zr6, and he had the same question. he decided that efi was the way to go. better reliability, easier start.... but when he got the sled, he was dissapointed with the performance, and now he's stuck. there are no mods you can do besides clutch and silencer. he is also not happy that he has to pull it twice even when it's warm. based on his experience, i would get carbs.

I like carbs better, their a little more work, but you can fine tune them. My little brother had an EFI, but when we were in the mountains we were having problems with it running on a warm day and there was nothing we could do about it. :angry:

Originally posted by SD_Sledhead@Jan 7 2003, 10:12 AM
I like carbs better, their a little more work, but you can fine tune them. My little brother had an EFI, but when we were in the mountains we were having problems with it running on a warm day and there was nothing we could do about it. :angry:
:withstupid: It always bothered me to think of being stranded on a trail with a bad computer.

ENGINE
FIRES UP
INSTANLY

LIGHT THROTTLE PULL, I WOULD LIKE TO THINK I WOULD NEVER OWN A SLED WITHOUT IT

i went with the 800 efi cce, i have went with the efi on all my sleds because i have gotten out of rejeting, we also go out to the mountains, and they work very well for varying temps, and altitude, and the mpg seem better, we have never had trouble with our efi sleds, however, the ccarbs that have come with always seem to be fooling with there sleds, or burning alot of fuel.

For me, EFI without question but the only think I usually do to my machines is clutching (if needed). If you feel the need to tinker, go with carbs.

yeh, i guess for the guy that wants to tinker wants the carbs. efi is good, but what happens when they dont wanta work, at least with carb u can figure it out on the trail. Not sure about the fact that efi are better on fuel than carbs though. think it has a lot to do with your setup and one sled can be different from th next

i tried a zr 600 efi,i loved the throttle pull,and how smoothly it ran and started,i understand about the breaking down and being stranded,the more electronics the more can go wrong,and once it does go down electronics are hard to figure out,but i do like the efi.. :p

Both of my sleds have been EFI ('95 Wildcat and '02 ZL 800 SS). I would never own anything but EFI. I don't do many mods to my sled, so I'm happy with EFI. It's nice not having to worry about rejetting. A few years back while in Cananda, we woke up to -38 degrees one morning and it was nice knowing that my computer would compensate for the colder temps, rather than having to rejet. It's also nice only having to pull a couple times to start my machine, no matter what the conditions are.

I have a 95 wildcat 700EFI and an 01 ZR800 carb. I prefer the consistancy of the EFI. I had problems with the plugs fouling, and it would still start on the second pull running on 1 cyl!! You have to love that, and when it is warm, it always starts on the first pull, my wife loves it cause she can start it even when it is cold. The 800 is a lot more touchy, takes longer to warm up (or at least has to be totally warm before it runs right), and needs to be rejetted when temp/alt change.

I have to say that a Batteryless EFI is what I would prefer on a sled that gets a lot of use (I hate the battery in my wildcat) but carbs are nice if you want all out performance and upgradability.

in my opinion carbs or better for the performance rider because you can fine tune them.. and mod up the engine if you want. you can adjust how lean or rich it runs.. unlike EFI.

I like the carbs better you can do more stuff to engine and not have to worry about electronic problems, but i do like the efi for easy start ups. I guess i always had carb models and i know all, maybe thats why it's hard for me to switch i would have to learn about the electronic stuff.

FOR ME-IT'S EFI AND ONLY EFI. :D SWRules

If I were going to do mods I would go carb but for anything else EFI seems like the way to go.

I like carb with DPM. Trouble free yet still tunable. I think the direct injection will become standard soon.

I've yet to see any benefit from EFI. My carbed 800 starts on the first/third pull everytime cold and always one pull hot and after jetting down once to 410's runs mint and didn't cost me the extra $500 or so bucks they want for EFI, so wheres the big advantage? At resale time they don't bring an extra dollar and when they break down (although it isn't often) cost a bundle. If the sled mfgs. take the system to the level of autos where the system gives huge performance and mileage gains count me in. till then I'll save my dollars and just listen to the EFI guys complain when they can't mod their sleds without blowin them up.
Rick.

I'm with you Dawg!
At least you won't have to worry about something in the computer going goofy and leaving you stranded in BFE.
I also like to fool around and tinker so it's carbs for me.
I think that only 1 manufacturer is offering EFI anymore (is that an omen)?
But...all my buds with EFI love it! their jetting is always spot-on, and, no one in our group with the EFI has EVER expierenced a failure of ANY type.
And, now that I think of it, my new Ski-doo has a computer that would most likly shut me down if it failed anyway.
I say, to each his own.

Trapper

See, I would think that EFI would out preform and be more popular, however it look like there are mixed opinions.

???

CARBS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my EFI, especially when I ride with other non-cat owners. Every time they unload their sleds, they're pulling for 5 minutes, dicking with the choke the whole time. I pull twice and go get dressed while my sled warms up. :)

Then we hit the trails, and every time we need to restart, they have to go through their whole 5-6 pull routine. I give it one easy pull while seated on my sled and I'm ready to go.

Then we get back, and I notice how much better my gas milage was than all of them.

The only difference with my Cat buddies is that their sleds start easily when we're on the trails. They're still pulling like mad men to start them when they're cold.

So far my sled has been 100% reliable (well, at least in the engine dept), and I'm not at all worried about it breaking down. Similar EFI systems have been on cars since the 70's, and used widely since the mid 80's. It's not like it's new technology.

I just wish I could modify the PROM :angry: I burn my own PROMs for my cars, and I'd like to do the same with my sled.

As far as starting my ext triple starts 1st of 2nd pull even when sitting for 2 weeks, so far it runs great at +35 deg and 0 deg. There are 2 efi's
in our group 600's, the 600zl already had the top end rebuilt under
warranty, I can't get him to call the dealer and see which sensor failed,
bad thing is I recomended the sled to him! We'll see if we ever get snow
and get these things on the trail. :D ??? :angry: ???

EFI is great. Fuel mixture is always adjusted for conditions, light throttle pull, instant response. It can be fine tuned by adjusting your fuel pressure, but I wouldn't recommend this for a person without EGTs, a few psi can burn ya down. A lot of people are just scared of technology; people said the same things when EFI first came into use on cars ("but I can't fix it or adjust it myself"). In a few years, when the tighter emissions standards come into effect, there will be no more carbureted two stroke sleds, so get used to it. They will all be DFI, SDFI, or four stroke to meet the requirements.

Originally posted by DamageInc@Jan 8 2003, 02:11 AM
A lot of people are just scared of technology; people said the same things when EFI first came into use on cars ("but I can't fix it or adjust it myself
It's funny you mention that, because it's true. People fear anything that is unfamiliar to them. I think that's why I bought an EFI sled to begin with. I've been in, out, and all around the EFI on my IROC, and I even burn my own chips for the computer. Ask me to diagnose a poorly running carbed car and you'll get a deer in the headlights. I have no idea what makes those things tick. ???

My last sled was a '97 EXT600 Triple/Triple Carb, now I have my F7. I really like the EFI. The EXT was a pain to start when cold, full choke, half choke yada, yada, yada, then it would foul a plug. Now it is just two pulls and go. You can do some mods, but the sled runs so well, there is not a whole heck of a lot more you are goind to squeeze out of the engine anyway.

Depending on my next sled, I would not let EFI vs Carb be the deciding factor on any purchase. But I do like the EFI, so far.