Etec is great on gas but even better on oil 18mpg+ rode 73 miles on 3.4 gallons of gas. 500 miles and 1/2 of oil.

 

I have both and the etec is much better on oil and gas.

 

Wife's 550 fan was lucky to get 12mpg and a gallon of oil every 500mi.. Her new etec ? double the mpg and half the oil consumption.. Well worth the extra $$$ IMHO.. She never had any complaints about the 550f motor though. it's a great trail motor, power wise IMHO

 

Our 550f gets the same mileage as my 700, but ya gotta love it ,it is a blast to throw around only way we will get rid of it is we crash it......haha

 

Look at the price difference of the sleds even though the gas and oil ratios might not be close. The 550 is super cheap. I saw a dealer up the street selling 2010 550 gades for in the 5's. Etecs are like 3 grand more. That's alot of oil and gas.

 

Thanks guys, now what is the top end mph on those new 550 fans, I see in another thread on the fanners, there might be a problem, hopefully a fix is in for 2010, want this as light a sled as we can, whis it was as light as a Freestley but a bit more lbs is on, just for fun for the ladies
Even if it's a 2 year old ski-doo with little miles on it, as long as the engine is reliable for years to come

If they want a rocket they can take out the mach 1000, or the BIG Poos and Cats

Right now, down between the Poo and doo leaf blowers, looking at pros and cons of REAL riders like yourselves, not mag propeganda

 

To add to Brutus503 's comments, I have the T'NT 550 version for 2010. I am a former Polaris rider but there is just no comparison between the XP fan and the Polaris fan. Better features, MUCH lighter, better handling, and until this years calibration issue, the Doo 550 was way more reliable and faster too. Just the flatter cornering and lighter weight which you notice, are a plus over the Polaris fan.
Even the REV version of the 550 fan is alot nicer and better all round sled than the Polaris 550 fan. If you can find a leftover Rev 550 that might be a great money saving deal and still get an awesome sled imo.

 

Our 05 550f Rev mxz will run 80/85 mph anytime. I am tossing around the idea of getting a new sled and I really like the 550f. I have researched it along time.I believe Doo has really leaned out the midrange and the top end to meet emissions. It seems people who are running them way north are having the most problems because they are WAY to lean for the subzero temps. If I get one I will be jetting it to our 05 specs,our 05 has run great from-20F to 40f with no problems that is good all around jetting for me. As above the difference in cost and how much fuel and oil that savings will buy is a reason I will but a 550f.( I was just talking to Big John yesterday and he said the 550f mxz you can add 1 tooth on top and get a little better fuel mileage,stock they are geared way to deep his words )

 

I have just shy of 900km on my 2010 GSX 550f so far. Last run of the day on Saturday was 140km (311km total trip) and it used 23.6L, which works out to 14mpg US (or about 16L/100km). I was running it pretty hard during this run, and it was -12ºC when we got back to the truck. In comparison, my dad's '07 GSX 550f took 25L for the same run.

The XP 550 so far tops out around 125 km/h, versus 85mph on the REV 550 (sorry, gauges are set up differently!). We did a short rolling race on a lake on Saturday. Rolling start from about 30 km/h, I took off quicker, but then around 80 km/h the REV went by (mind you I was spinning a lot and never hit full top end...gained 10 km/h on another stretch on the same lake a few minutes later).

Interesting to see about adding a tooth, but I can believe it. The XP is definitely faster than the REV at low end, which makes it a lot of fun corner to corner!

Supertrax had the GSX 550 listed as 510 lbs wet. It's definitely very nimble to toss around!

 

well, take a look at the 500ss/600, just a shade off the power of an etec, still gets great mileage and good on oil, and alot cheaper then the etec, and not a whole lot more then the 550's, the gsx sport, mxz sport and mxz tnt all come in the 500ss/600cc motor, same 600 in the zx chassie 99-02 and rev chassie named the 500ss in the us 04-07, best bang for the buck in my opinion

 

The 550 Fan is the thirstiest motor BRP makes.

 

Not necessarily. I was getting 14 mpg (US) last weekend and I was giving it a good workout. I see lots of reports on here of 800Rs getting only 11-12 mpg. Based on my mileage last weekend, I could've been getting up to 235km on a tank of gas, which is really good range for a fan. Unless you're way up north in the middle of nowhere, you should be able to find gas somewhere along the way long before then!

When I was looking at prices, the carbed 600 version of the GSX was another $1,900 over the price of the 550f. Throw in higher insurance costs for the 600, and it soon adds up. That's a lot of gas and oil!

Also, the 550s aren't the only ones with meltdown issues. The 600s have been burning up a lot lately too. My buddy's 600 TNT quit on him last weekend with less than 600km on it. I haven't heard back what the cause was, but it sounded like typical overheat and temporary seizure (he was able to drive it home after letting it sit for awhile).

The dealership dropped the pins back down to stock setting on mine at the "10-hour" check (brought it in with 575 km on it). The cold seizure issues seem to be when the 550s are new and not broken in yet. Once broken in, BRP said the pins can drop back down. I haven't heard anything about the jetting TSB though, so I'll have to check it out.

All in all, the 550 is good bang for the buck. If you're not planning on winning races down the lake and mostly trail ride, the 550 is more than adequate. No overheating issues to worry about either!

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I and my 'group' ride with all makes and models. I was in a 60 sled group last weekend for 120 miles. I always take the most. One buddy had an Etec and a 500ss (wife), I took more than both of them put together. Mine worked out to 14mpg (Can) that day. Mine is a 2005.

Completely agree with your last paragraph though.

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I and my 'group' ride with all makes and models. I was in a 60 sled group last weekend for 120 miles. I always take the most. One buddy had an Etec and a 500ss (wife), I took more than both of them put together. Mine worked out to 14mpg (Can) that day. Mine is a 2005.

Completely agree with your last paragraph though.

My dad's '07 GSX 550 uses a little more than my XP version. Last run: 23.6L (XP) vs. 25.2L (REV) over 140km. I think the smaller carbs on the XP help with the mileage and low end torque, but hurt it on the top end.

The 550's mileage is very dependent on temperature and trail conditions though. As far as emissions go, there was only 0.1 difference between the 550 and the carbed 600. Thought that was kind of interesting.

ns503...I'm assuming you had an old 500 fan at one time (i.e. a "503")? That's where the 503 in my user name came from.

Now THAT was a thirsty fan!