Hi everyone, i think i've pretty much narrowed my choices down for my newer sled. I wanted to know your opinion on both these sleds.

The 1996 Polaris XLT or XC or XCR tripple 600

and the 1996 Ski-Doo Formula 3 600 tripple.

I would like to know what one you would choose, not by brand make but which one has better gas mileage, going through deep snow, handling, performance, and most important are the clutches on these bad? motors blowing pistons? hard to maintain.

ALL THAT info. would make a huge difference in my decison. tell me what you think about those 2 sleds, anything at all and let me know what you would choose. And dont just choose ski-doo because you like ski-doo, i want to hear from ppl that know about these sleds. I've been looking around and it seems lots of the Forula 3's have rebuilt motors?

Thanks for the HELP guys!! SWRules

If you want a softer ride and happy with 90 to 95 mph get the xlt,if you want to go over 100mph with a little more agressive ride go with the formula 3 both have good clutches although polaris is probably a little more durable and yes there seems to be some rebuilt formula's but there is also a lot of rebuilt xlt's out there .
you have to consider the age of these sleds their gonna need rebuilding sooner or later if you want top performance out of either sled.

but if you want to blow some doors off buy the zrt 600!! :D

I wouldn't suggest the F-3 unless you just want straight line performance. That sled has the older chassis, and is not a ditch banger at all. If you want a baby triple-triple I would go with the ZRT.

However, for what you want it for I would choose the XCR if you must have a triple. The XCR with the mono block motor was lighter then the competitors twins(475lbs). It was a real cross-country machine, which it sounds like you're looking for.

If you can find a 96 in good shape, you're a lucky man. The 96 has the Xtra-10 rear suspension, which offers a bit more travel then the xc-101 from teh year before. Both the 95 and the 96 can pound pretty good though, because of the Fox shocks, though they are designed as sit-down machines for sure, as opposed to todays stand up machines. With a flatter set of bars and a 2 or 3 inch riser it is much better.

Whatever you get, put a set of plastic skis on it asap. You cannot overstate the the improvement in ride and handleing this will make.

If your heart's not set on a triple, I would also consider a ZR 580. The ZR and the XCR were direct competitors, and are in fact very similar sleds.

The F-3 competes with the ZRT and the XCR SP, and I don't think you would be pleased with any of those.

I HAD A FORMULAS 3 WITH OVER 8000MILES ON IT, NEVER A PROBLEM, ITS A FAST MACHINE FASTER THAN THE XLT AND ABOUT THE SAME AS THE ZRT, ITS FIT AND FINISH IS WAY BETTER THAN THE POLARIS OR CATS, EVEN THE RODE REPORT IN 96 FROM SNOWGOER GAVE IT THE EDGE OVER THE XCR & ZRT. I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM ANY FORMULAS 3'S IN THE CK3 CHASSIS THEY HAD A LOT OF CRANK PROBLEMS, THE THING THAT IMPROVED HANDLING FOR MY EX MACHINE WAS A PAIR OF FLEX SKIS.STAY AWAY FROM A ZR 580, WHY WOULD YOU WANT A MACHINE THAT PUTS OUT 95HP WHEN YOU COULD GET A F111 AT AROUND 120HP OR A ZRT, THE XCR HAD ABOUT 110HP.MY EX F111 WOULD BE A LITTLE BEHIND MY 2000 XC 700 AND THEN WOULD PULL AWAY AT 90MPH.

Quebec#1,
In another thread he talked more about what he was looking for in a sled, which is why I said that teh F3 was not for him. Yes they put out good hp for a 600, but in tight trails they would never keep up with an XCR or a ZR 580.

If you're talking about an XCR that puts out 110hp, then you must be talking about the SP, which became just an XCR in 97 when the designation on the monoblock triple was changed to XC. The SP triple-triple put out closer to 120 hp, whereas the mono block made about 95, similar to the twins of the day.

I'm sure the F-3's were very reliable, but anything in that CK-3 chassis was a big fat pig of a machine, and was no fun to play on.

in my area there were a lot of problmes with both of these sleds engines. more in the xlt than the f-3. i would not take eather of sleds and go with a 600 zrt. cat produced one bullet proof engine when they built these babys. i had 2 of them and never laid did anything to them but fine tune the clutches.

I'm not a Polaris guy, but I have a friend that has 10,000 miles+ on his stock XLT with no problems. The HP on the XLT isn't anywhere close to 110 or that of the F3 but it is very reliable. Something I've always heard is that in stock form, the XLT motor is very reliable. I would bet that the greater percentage of rebuilt XLT's were modified to some point or just not maintained. I don't know if that's true but...

Between the two, my choice would be the XLT.

If you still want a triple/triple, the ZRT600 is probably the better gamble (yes, I have one).

If you want performance and speed go with the FIII, otherwise if you are looking for more of a trail ride go with the XLT. My friends have had both of these sleds and I've rode both and like them. They are two completely different sleds when riding though. Go ride each and whichever you like more get. Also make sure you have a good dealer for that brand nearby because they'll both need repairs at one time or another and the dealer makes a world of difference! :D

I would look for a xlt with the extra-10 skid or an xcr with the fox shock package. SWRules

I know a dealer that has a brand new 97 Flll 600 LT with full 1 year factory warrenty if your interested in Michigan.

FYI...96 FIII 600 - 126hp ;)

the FIII is more of a screamer..the XLT will ride nicer, but not near the power.


AND...the CK3 chassis isn't all that bad ;)

I have a 1996 XLT and that thing rides like a charm but i can only get it going about 95 on a long straight away i have no clue how fast the skidoo will go but polaris is ten times better of a ride

Whoa!

Thats like comparing apples to oranges. Both these sleds have different characteristics. They are not intended to compete in the same catagory.

The Formula 3 is an old race catagory. 600cc 3 cylinder triple piped. Otherwise known as a baby triple.
These are a very aggressive fast pace groomed trail racer. Basically a high horsepower screamer. Lots of high RPM horsepower. Basically disigned to be run real hard on nice trails. Like most triple piped sleds, they really don't like to be gently cruising down an off trail area. They are clutched very high and if I recall they engage at near 5000 rpm.

I read a post somewhere where the guy thought it was a CK3 chassis - It's not. IT's the older F-chassis.

This sled would be in the same catagory as the 97/98 XCR triple pipes. The Arctic cat ZRT line, the Yamaha SRX line.

As for the other Polaris sleds on your list. These are more trail forgiving. Single piped triples have a much broader power band and can be clutched for good power at lower speeds. Not quite as much grunt as a twin, but plenty of power none the less with a better power delivery. Much smoother.

As for the Mono block XCR with a single pipe. It is much perkier than the XLT's. Porting differences, jetting, etc. Basically a more aggresive single pipe triple than the rest.

Determine what tye of rider you are, then find a sled that suits your needs.

:D I have had a 96 f iii and a 98 fiii 700 for several yaers. The 600 with clutch work is very hard to beat by any pol. xcr600. It was good in well groomed trails. The 700 was an under rated sled. I could ride it through the trails hard with the rear coupler kit from ad boivin. It had excellant fuel economy.If you want ride quality go with the xlt. but if you want power for good trails go with the f iii. All my fiii have had zero problems. I would go for the newer fiii 700! Just my 2 cents ;)

Hi guys, i'm starting to lean towards the XCR or XLT. Now you say the XLT's, XCR's are single piped? And the F 3 is tripple piped?

Heres a few more questions:

Is the F 3 heavier?

What would be better in deep snow? Hitting drifts?

Do they come with electric start, hand/thumb, etc..

and

Would the XLT or XCR still keep up with the F 3 for a little while? Does the XLT or F 3 have good power and pull throughout the whole power band?

Thanks for the help you guys are great. SWRules

I have a 96 FIII 600, and unless you get th LT with a 1.25 you wont go far in deep snow ???

On the other hand my nieghbor has a xlt 600 and my FIII has way more power, and is smother. But the polaris is lighter ! Both my FIII and neighbors XLT have elect start, reverse, hand warmers, etc.... ! Good Luck !

DanR: So if the F3 is not the "LT" model, its no good for deep snow?

And, how does the Polaris ride? Does it have vent covers? Nice suspension? Does it have speedo, tach? nice looking machine?

My FIII is a 121, .75 track, so its good for trails and hight speed, not enough traction for deep snow

here she is

The XLT has a smooth suspension, has tach and speedo.

Here it is

Hey, as long as we are comparing '96 models, here is a picture of my XCR600.

Snow-Drift

I had a 94 XLT and i loved it and it had lots of power for the time period, decent suspension but nothing compaired to todays sleds, but i had plenty of fun with it, and it sounded real intimidating with a B&B Can on it. And not to mention it was a sharp looking sled too. I had the low black sportec windshield and every purple add on i could buy and it looked real good. here is a plain out of the box XLT with no add ons.

You could always buy extensions to long track it. You can find the tracks on Ebay cheap if you have the patiance to look for one.

Hey Snowdrift. How does yuor Polaris XCR 600 perform? Whats the top end speed? Good accelartion? How is it in the deep stuff? Have you ever had any problems with it??

And Jwheeler, did u have to put a beefier crankshaft on when you added the B&B can? Did you have to re-jet? Are they expensive?

Thanks, SWRules

Mx no i didint have to change the Crankshaft?? But the can was around 300 bucks canadian thru royal dist. and i never had to do any jetting changes because i was already a bit rich with stock can, and the B&B set me just nice actually. But every sled will be different depending on who and where it came from and how the tempreture was and stuff so watch that for sure. And my buddy had a form III 600 at the time and he was no faster than me, and mine was eaiser to handle in the rough stuff by far.

As long as we're posting pictures of Polaris lightweight triples...

The performance is very good. On a plowed road you can see over 100mph on the speedo. On a lake or trail about 90-95.

Acceleration to 70 mph is very quick. On the trails around here I can cruise comfortablely at 70-80mph.

In the twisties this thing is untouchable. It handles better than anything I've ever ridden, though I've never tried the old ZR 700's and 580's.

Originally posted by mx_462@Mar 12 2003, 09:53 AM
Hey Snowdrift. How does yuor Polaris XCR 600 perform? Whats the top end speed? Good accelartion? How is it in the deep stuff? Have you ever had any problems with it??

And Jwheeler, did u have to put a beefier crankshaft on when you added the B&B can? Did you have to re-jet? Are they expensive?

Thanks, SWRules
In the area of performance, it performs better than what I need. I haven't ridden in a really long time, so it has more potential than what I use it for.

Top end speed. The fastest I've taken it is 55-60 mph (pansie). I've only been out a handful of times this year, bad snow, finished welding my trailer late, I'm in college (not enough time to play with all the studying), new to sledding, not enough seat time on the sled to feel comfortable with it........(I better stop with the excuses :D ).

In the powder: It's fine as long as you stay in the throttle. I'm a newbie in the fluff, so I haven't really gotten into a deep situation really. I have the 133.5" track with the 1.5" lugs on it.

Problems: No problems. I've only had to replace the starter rope, and a worm clamp on the coolant line.

Acceleration: This thing accelerates quite impressively. Rounding out of the corners on the trail, nail the throttle, and I litteraly half to hang on. It's like there is a turbo charger under the hood (power to weight ratio, as I'm sure the newer sleds are even "snapier" than this one). Most of the time while going uphill, I have to back-off on the throttle as this thing just bites in and runs.

I'll post some action shots of me riding it if you would like. I'm getting my roll of film developed tomorrow. The only pictures I have are without snow :( Not for long though.

Snow-Drift

Good ole polaris triples!!!!

HEY SNow-drift, that sounds great! Post those pics!

Power....FIII
Durability......Toss-Up, both have their problems with crank bearings
Handling.........XLT
Coolness Factor.......FIII

Originally posted by slarson@Mar 13 2003, 09:40 PM
Handling.........XLT
Coolness Factor.......FIII
:p
Well, if you go with the XCR it has both of them beat in handling and coolness.

Hey, what do you guys think of this: 1997 Polaris XCR 600 triple/triple?

THat would have around 110 or more hp wouldnt it??
And, its got the xtra-10 suspension so that would be good for deep snow with lots of power for trails rite?

Nope, stay away from it. It's a totally different animal, and I wouldn't recommend for anything other than lake running, or nice groomed trails.
It's not at all what you're looking for.

How about a 1996 Formula STX 583, or '96 Formula Z? They look pretty nice? NewfieBullet, are there any good SKI-DOO snowmobiles that would be good for his requirments?? That are between 1996-1998??

I'm far from an expert on Ski-doo products from the mid 90's, but I think an MXZ, an STX or a Summit would be the most likely choices.

Hey NewfieBullet, have you ever ridden a 97 XCR SP? My dad has that exact sled, I have ridden it in Upstate NY and you know how tight and narrow those trails are...and I'd say it handled excellently. It took a while to get the jetting right, we went from the stock 360, 380, 360 jetting, all the way down to 220, 210, 220, then we figured out that we were jetting the wrong way, and brought it all the way back up to 420, 430,420, and now it runs like a raped ape! It is a little slow off the line, my 500 fan can beat it off the line, but once you get up to around 40mph, it screams! I had the speedo reading 110, and I was only about 3/4 throttle. We have had no problems what so ever with reliabilty issues, and it gets decent gas mileage. Here are some pics..

Thats all for now...and mx_462 if you want to talk to me, Instant Message me at the screen name emb531.