Ski doo engine pick

Help me pick between 850 e tech or 900 turbo r for a ski doo expedition se.

What are your thoughts? Do you notice the extra weight with the 900 ?

With subpar gas in the villages, and expensive to boot, most people out here go with ACE engines. The 900 is as tough as nails too.

What will you be using it for?

The 900 ACE and 850 ETEC are real close in weight. But the 900 ACE turbo weighs a good bit more than a non turbo 850 etec. Turbo to turbo is comparable in weight.

I have the the 900 turbo in the expedition. My brother has the two stroke. You can feel the difference in weight when trying to maneuver the two through snow. The two stroke being a little lighter is easier to throw around. Gas consumption is the same.

Interesting comment. Can you expand on your thinking concerning "subpar" gas ?

We can only get 87 octane, the etecs I've had call for 91 octane. Add to that lots of water in the gas. Most people don't use filter funnels like I do.

The etecs do call for 91 but they will self adjust the timing when lower octane fuel is used. I know the new turbo 4 strokes also call for 91 but I don't know if they self adjust the timing to run lower octane fuel?

The 4 stroke engines weigh the same as their 2 stroke counter parts 600 vs 600 and 900 vs 800/850. Turbos on either 2 stroke or 4 stroke add 15-20 lbs.

I have a nonturbo 900 ACE and love the quietness, never felt the need for more power than it already has, but then I've never drove a turboed one to know what I am missing. The turbos are a lot louder, I've heard. Frankly if you are going with a wide track or a super wide track, I don't know that 15-20 lbs is going to matter, the machines are a tank that already weigh so much. I am amazed by the 250 lb guys with a beer belly that are spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for aftermarket parts for their hotrod snowmachine to shave a few pounds, and would never have an electric start because that battery is too heavy. If they are that worried about weight on their snowmachine, maybe they should lay off the Krispy Cremes.

bearcat you bring up some great points about weight!

Thanks for the response.
I have never heard anyone around here complain about the quality of the gas. But you are right that folks can be careless about water and ice crystals. Every drop of fuel that goes in my snowmachines and my outboard goes through a water-block filter first and then through a chamois before it goes into the machine. Condensation can still be an issue but a little alcohol takes care of that.

A lot of guys here mix 87 UNL and 100 LL avgas for both snogo's and some airplanes. Adds a bit of expense on the snogo fuel but apparently they think it helps performance on some machines.

I think when you factor in the cost of the oil for the E-tech the 900 ACE makes more sense?

Not to mention the noise and smell. I run ACE engine in my utility sleds and 2 stroke in the play sleds. Last winter I was on a winter hunt with 3 friends, 3 of us had 4 stroke sleds and 1 was running an etec. Needless to say I made sure I wasn't riding behind him and you sure heard his sled over all of ours. When I converted to 4 stroke I started hearing all sorts of noises on my sleds I had never heard before, crazy how quiet they are.

900 ACE for sure!