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91 Formula Plus In Deep Snow

7K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  yourbigbin 
#1 ·
here's a call to the people that had/have some of these old prs body sleds

i know its made as a trail sled with barely any suspension travel, but how much of the fluffy stuff can it handle? my old sled a 72 polaris colt wasn't great in deep snow, but if you kept your speed up it was fine, and if you got stuck it was never hard to get out, the thing only weighed 300 pounds

so should i stick to groomed trails only and maybe play a bit on lakes and rivers, or can it take some heavier stuff?

i'm in northern manitoba so we're not talking about any kind of insane powder or mountains, but i'd still like to go off the beaten path a bit

of course i'll have a full snow shovel with me, i'm not tempting fate that bad
 
#2 ·
just keep her in the powerband, and you should be ok. i had an '89 mx and that thing kept the nose up pretty well and did good in the deep snow once you get it moving. when going through really deep stuff stand up near the back of the running boards, pull back and keep 'er in the powerband. Good luck!


SWRules
 
#5 ·
I had a 1991 Formula mx with a 467. It would take the powder but you had to be moving. It didn't really have the power to spin the 3/4 lug track in the deep snow. If i kept it to the bar it was ok. Like Russ said, the low front end dive in. I always had to stop when i was done and wipe out the filter for the air box, along with the snow that packed in the headlight.
 
#6 ·
I own that very sled. If you keep her moving, you should be OK. Don't let off the throttle or the nose will dive for the bottom! If you do get stuck, just mark the spot and come back in the spring!
 
#7 ·
Brutal isn't the word! :lol:
The PRS chassies were ok on the trail but off they were like trying to keep a rock afloat.
I.M.O. Skidoo never started making sleds until the F body arrived and it is now considered a tank to todays sleds.
Maybe if you keep a helicopter on call then I would dare to go off trail. :rolleyes:
 
#8 ·
As others have stated it is designed for trails, but with the 121"x16.1" track and a lower rear suspension it does have much more of a contact patch with the snow than todays 121's. That being said if you are a skilled rider and keeper pinned you should be able to do a bit of off trail stuff, just nothing too crazy. :)
 
#9 ·
thanks for the replies guys, i think i'm gonna stay away from the deep stuff

my steering boots are in rough shape and if the belt gets too wet, i'll be screwed

the track is in pretty rough shape too, lots of miles (2 projects for next summer)
 
#11 ·
i was talking to my parts store over the weekend and they said that they're dealer only items, and that they would cost a buttload

any sort of estimate as to the cost? are we talking 100 or 300 bones?

i'll get a price from the bombardier dealership as soon as i have a day off work
 
#14 ·
Originally posted by niscola@Nov 2 2004, 08:35 PM
thanks for the replies guys, i think i'm gonna stay away from the deep stuff

my steering boots are in rough shape and if the belt gets too wet, i'll be screwed

the track is in pretty rough shape too, lots of miles (2 projects for next summer)
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I had a '93 Mach 1. Does ok in deep powder, The good thing is those PRS sleds came with a 16.5" wide track stock, which helps a great deal. If you have the narrow 4.5" wide skis, that is not good. If you have the 5.5" wide skis, obviously thats much better. I had the factory S/D Flex skis, and it went great in powder. JUST HIT THE POWDER WITH GOOD 20+ MPH MOMENTUM, standing up. The PRS boots are not much money, just a real pain to change, The front end steering rods has to come apart, and you have to drill out all the retaining rivets. Good luck,
Rich
 
#15 ·
i still have a 88 formula mx as a guest sled. i do not agree with everything people say about these sleds. if they get stuck, they are fairly light to pull out...but no front bumper to grab makes it a dig n feel, for the ski handles. power 50% all the time in virgin deep powder. if you stop, be sure to be on a high point, pointing downward to get started again.the torque is not there for deep lug paddle tracks etc. i would go oem on the new track. i would throw 96 studs/points on the track immediately.there is a suspension adjustment for the skids front suspension arm that helps also. for best deep snow ops, tighten the nut all the way on the suspension limiter rod..the one that has a cotter pin in the end of the rod.you can get a hair more out of the front ,ski suspension springs. move the spring mounting bolt from the oem spot, back towards the motor,to the next closest hole in the two brackets that support the prs front spring itself. it takes a little gusto to compress the spring and move the mounting bolt about an inch. it will tighten up a tired old spring, and give you about an inch higher belly measure because of the stiffer suspension. i would also second a pair of used or new plastic skis.prs oem steel skis are very narrow and have poor flotation. have fun
 
#16 ·
the boots are only 25$ each, so i'll change them this winter, just gotta wait till there's enough snow so i can drive it to work and use the engine hoist there (nice heated hangar)

but does anyone know if the boots come with the rivets to replace the ones i'm gonna have to drill out? the idiots at the stealership couldn't tell me
 
#20 ·
I have a 91 Formula MX and I just completed a front suspension modification that took about 5 hours, cost nothing and gave me at least 10" of front end clearance. I will post pics this week as soon I get my hand on a digital camera. All required parts are already on the sled. Its almost like it was designed for this. Looks awesome and does it ride much better. Jumps will not bump you off the sled anymore. But the one downside(if you can call it that) is there is more spin off the line and for about 200 yrds. I guess a better track will solve this. The front will be a little stiff with the stock shocks but the advantage is that any front shock will now work. Unfortunately you lose the front stabilizer bar but with the stock shocks being so stiff you dont notice any body roll unless you in a high speed very tight corner. This is an awesome modification.
 
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