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Very Slow xfire 600

2K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  toucharm9 
#1 ·
I was just wondering if any body had any ideas on how to make my xfire faster. i am only getting 80 to 84 out of it on hardpack. I put a sno stuff rumble pak on there. Any ideas on clutching as far as maybe changing weights what sizes and soforth. Very disappointed in this sled just cant seem to get anymore speed any advice is welcomed. thanks
 
#3 ·
First - What rpms are you pulling on the end of those runs ???

Yes 80-84mph on HARDPACK is terrible

I can honestly say , not one positive thing about the rumble pack - Other then its loud , switch it out for the stocker and see what happens


Lets get some rpms first and go from there

Scott
 
#6 ·
I too am having these problems this year. Bought mine new last year and could only get about 95 top, and it would use the entire lake to get there. this year it just runs right up to 80 and slowly and scarily creeps to about 85 where I then just give up. Another thing Ive noticed is when I hop into powder the damn thing vibrates somthing fierce, but bck onto the trail ande its just fine.
 
#7 ·
Well , was out playing yesterday with the wifes Crossfire 6 - Some local trails and fields , soft and hardpack

My clutching is ,as of a month ago

72 gram weights
Cats orange/white primary

Factory 46/40 helix
Goodwin Dk blue secondary with shift assist
Cat 044 belt

Would engage around 4600 - Little higher then i liked

Would pull awesome out of the hole up until about 88-89 mph - Problem was , only pulling about 7700 rpms on long runs - No lakes near me , so this was basically on hard trails running through hay fields by my house

Noticed the same thing on the hardpack trails a few weeks ago/Railroad bed trail - Couldnt pull the proper rpms on long runs , would just stay flat in the low to mid 90s on speed

(Last year stock , was in the 8100 rpm range on long runs)

Well that was a simple 5 minute fix - Had a Goodwin purple primary spring laying around and all i can say is simple but sweet

The few runs that i did in about 500-700 feet couldnt keep the skis on the ground , honestly reminded me of my Crossfire 700 down low - Was hooking up nice before , but just couldnt pull the rpms

Engagement is much smoother around 4400-4500 rpms - Out of the hole around 7700 rpms and was pulling to 7840-7880 on the end in that short distance - Its obvious these Crossfire 600s need to pull right around 7900 rpms on long runs to get any speed/power - What a difference on just 200 rpms up top

I have my Crossfire 700 dialed in at 7800 rpms - That sled is done as far as the simple mods that i have done

Heading north and will get a chance to play more and open them up on hopefully some long runs
Have a Goodwin Dk blue/yellow secondary spring i might throw in there also on her Crossfire 600 and see what that does

Nothing like testing and more testing

Scott
 
#8 ·
bee 1971,
I have basically the same setup as you on my 600 but I am running the 10.4" secondary and 72g weights. I also put in the Purple Goodwin (143/360) and got my top end R's up to about 7850 but found that I would bog out of the hole. This spring is shorter than the AC org/wht so the pressure must be less at the beginning. I have since put the org/wht back in.
I think I am going to mill out the holes for my primary spring because I am shifting 1/2" from the top of the primary! I read this will reduce RPM's on top so I will probably end up putting the 72g's in and have about the same setup as you.
I have also found my oil ratio to be 35:1 so i am going to adjust this before I ride again. I guess thats the one good thing about this upcoming thaw in Michigan...I will have time to do this.
Mine loads up so bad when its cold it will not hardly run until the engine gets nice and warm. Seems like a plug is fouling and is worse sometimes than others. I'm hoping the oil reduction helps.
I have not ran mine past about 1000ft but I was getting 80MPH in fairly loose snow. I do see potential but it will probably be the end of the year before I have it running good.
 
#9 ·
One more thing...has anybody did anything to improve fuel milage on these 600's. Mine got just below 10MPG and I rode it pretty easy with exception to a few drag races. I don't think they can be reduced much on top so i think we may be stuck! This milage is rediculous. I guess I was spoiled with my F7 that got 13-16MPG.
 
#10 ·
Well , was out playing yesterday with the wifes Crossfire 6 - Some local trails and fields , soft and hardpack

My clutching is ,as of a month ago

72 gram weights
Cats orange/white primary

Factory 46/40 helix
Goodwin Dk blue secondary with shift assist
Cat 044 belt

Would engage around 4600 - Little higher then i liked

Would pull awesome out of the hole up until about 88-89 mph - Problem was , only pulling about 7700 rpms on long runs - No lakes near me , so this was basically on hard trails running through hay fields by my house

Noticed the same thing on the hardpack trails a few weeks ago/Railroad bed trail - Couldnt pull the proper rpms on long runs , would just stay flat in the low to mid 90s on speed

(Last year stock , was in the 8100 rpm range on long runs)

Well that was a simple 5 minute fix - Had a Goodwin purple primary spring laying around and all i can say is simple but sweet

The few runs that i did in about 500-700 feet couldnt keep the skis on the ground , honestly reminded me of my Crossfire 700 down low - Was hooking up nice before , but just couldnt pull the rpms

Engagement is much smoother around 4400-4500 rpms - Out of the hole around 7700 rpms and was pulling to 7840-7880 on the end in that short distance - Its obvious these Crossfire 600s need to pull right around 7900 rpms on long runs to get any speed/power - What a difference on just 200 rpms up top

I have my Crossfire 700 dialed in at 7800 rpms - That sled is done as far as the simple mods that i have done

Heading north and will get a chance to play more and open them up on hopefully some long runs
Have a Goodwin Dk blue/yellow secondary spring i might throw in there also on her Crossfire 600 and see what that does

Nothing like testing and more testing

Scott[/b]
Another testimony as to these CROSSFIRES needing some OVER REV
 
#11 ·
I forgot to mention that I was riding with a new TNT (unstudded) and we ran about equal in 1000ft. The one who got the best traction or line in the snow would win. I thought this was pretty good considering their weight and the fact that my 600 is currently set up pretty poor!
 
#13 ·
My '06 X-fire 600 would only get between 80-85 mph on top. Pulled like hell to 75 mph then it really started to give up after that. When I lined it up against my '07 F6 it would beat it out of the hole by a couple lengths but by about 60-65 the F6 had caught it and then the F6 would slowly walk away. The F6 only did low to mid 90's for top end. Not the same kind of power I seen out of my Firecat chassis 600's as they would do from 100-105mph. But with the ride and handling advantage of the F Series & X-Fire over the Firecat chassis.... it's still a great trade off!
 
#15 ·
When I was out on sunday i would engage at 4000 and top end would be 7900. Like all the others it pulls hard up to 70 to 73 and slowly creaps up to 80 to 83. I had the dealership adjust my track this summer so that is running good now. I havent checked where the belt sits in the secondary clutch for a while but the last time i did it was even with the clutch. I need to adjust that. Then check the set back.
Out of the hole this sled pulls hard. Whoops up on alot of the big sleds up to about 40 to 50 then its goodbye to me. Its fun on the low end and mid range. But i like fast to. Thanks to all for the replys
 
#16 ·
I've been lurking here over the past few months. No time to get heavy into the forums any more and only been out riding once this year (sigh). Some good info as of late though. Before getting into the cltuching one thing I see happening a lot is the mix of people with 700's and 600's offering opinions in the same thread. What a mess that makes of these CF clutching posts. Both are close, but different from my experience. SHOOT2KILL made a very valid comment about the 600's needing a slight over rev. I prefer a very short over rev off the line. Without it I have had a heck of time achieving the shift I desire. This year I am testing out a different secondary setup all together and will report more on that later as I test further. Some common items amongst us all are that I too am running 72g Cat FULL TIP weghts. That needs to be made very clear in these posts as some are still running light tips. That will change the performance a lot! My primary spring right now is a Speedwerx H5 Alloy at 165/310. Engagement is too high for my liking but finish rate seems good with the 72's. I'm running a 48/38 progressive helix. It hits out the hole hard....maybe too hard. I trench bad in some conditions. I also have another issue to deal with. Out of the hole my rpms will come up to peak just fine but when on the throttle trail riding and punch it, my rpm's won't come to peak. I'm running the stock 036 and clutch temps were just fine last time out. Going to throw in a 46/38 helix with the secondary setup I am testing and see if rpm's will be more consistant. Also want to run a lower engagement primary. I have a box full of springs and will gauge the wire diameters for interest.

bee, I know you have been doing a lot of good work testing and reporting. I was surprised to see you run the Cat orange/white withthe 72's. Not enough finish rate in my opinion, and that Goodwin purple has waaay too much. Still I like the info as it gives more to think about. To date my favourite primary spring has been a Culter gold/white. It's a 135/305 but too light on the finish for the 72's running the secondary setup I am testing. Worked great with about 69's though.

So much to say, so much to test, so little time to ride. Going out this weekend and will report back.
 
#17 ·
I wonder how accurate and consistant these digital speedometers are.

My 2007 Crossfire will run 84 to 86 on the speedo on a hard packed road with the 84 horse non-APV engine. It is very quick to 70+. The only place that I can tell I don't have 600 power under the hood is higher speed throttle response. While it jumps instantly at say 20-40 mph, the speed builds more slowly if pinned from a 50+ cruise. I have sometimes thought a 600 might have been worth the extra, but I am happy with the 500. Fuel milage is so-so at 13-14, about what my 580 and 600 got.

Les in MI.
 
#18 ·
bee, I know you have been doing a lot of good work testing and reporting. I was surprised to see you run the Cat orange/white withthe 72's. Not enough finish rate in my opinion, and that Goodwin purple has waaay too much. Still I like the info as it gives more to think about. To date my favourite primary spring has been a Culter gold/white. It's a 135/305 but too light on the finish for the 72's running the secondary setup I am testing. Worked great with about 69's though.

So much to say, so much to test, so little time to ride. Going out this weekend and will report back.



Yep , i would think a primary spring with a finish rate of around 320/330 would bee around perfect - The goodwin purple i already had - Like you , i dont have an assortment of clutch springs/weights/helixes laying around

And the cat orange/white primary just doesnt work in this setup like you mentioned , and from my testing on a few trips - The goodwin purple was a huge improvement over that

I also like the start rate of the goodwin purple at 140#s - I also like the factory 46/40 helix - Works great on and off the trails in all conditions

I think the 044 belt that i am running is also bringing her rpms down a notch - On my Crossfire 700 it was good for lowering around 100-150 rpms on top


With that said - Her sled ran pretty damn good this past three days - Lot of railroad beds up in the U.P. (Ishpeming/Marquette) had 12"-18"s of freshly groomed lake effect - Even groomed and hard its still lake effect snow on a base - So its still loose snow because it doesnt have any moisture content - Some of the best riding i have done in years - Zero traffic - Her sled was pulling low to mid 90s on speed around 7840-7880 rpms - We found some plowed fields and seasonal roads to play in/on off the beaten path (Big Bay MI) - With her light ass on there she pulls out of the hole right along my Crossfire 700 until we have to let up

Honestly , not much more testing i can do until we get on some hard packed lakes and are able to pin the throttle side by side - Hard pack , and then watch the mph/rpms

So yes , probably a different primary spring and i have goodwins dk blue/yellow secondary spring also i would like to throw in there


Guess what though - Mid 40s all week for temps - Can you believe this shit !!!!!!!!!

Enjoy these - The last few days
 
#19 ·
I wonder how accurate and consistant these digital speedometers are.

My 2007 Crossfire will run 84 to 86 on the speedo on a hard packed road with the 84 horse non-APV engine. It is very quick to 70+. The only place that I can tell I don't have 600 power under the hood is higher speed throttle response. While it jumps instantly at say 20-40 mph, the speed builds more slowly if pinned from a 50+ cruise. I have sometimes thought a 600 might have been worth the extra, but I am happy with the 500. Fuel milage is so-so at 13-14, about what my 580 and 600 got.

Les in MI.[/b]

Thats just it - We all talk about speed blah blah blah , but it just shows how tempermental these DD secondary sleds are - Honestly conditions are everything - I mean that can bee said about chaincase sleds also , but personally i think it shows up more on the kevlar belt DD secondary Arctic Cat sleds that we run

You said you can do 84-86 on a hardpack road (These digital speedos from Cat over the past five years are dead nuts - Within 1 - 2 mph on GPS) and i believe it - But take that same sled on a hardpack trail in the U.P. - Lake effect snow - Probably drops off 7 - 10 mph on top - Lake effect is very loose loose granual snow even though it looks hard and fast

And typically trails in Wisconsin are faster - More moisture content in the snow equals a harder freeze base equals faster speeds


CONDITIONS ARE EVERYTHING FOR RPMS/AND TOP SPEED - More so i think on these sleds

My two cents - Scott
 
#20 ·
bee, I know you have been doing a lot of good work testing and reporting. I was surprised to see you run the Cat orange/white withthe 72's. Not enough finish rate in my opinion, and that Goodwin purple has waaay too much. Still I like the info as it gives more to think about. To date my favourite primary spring has been a Culter gold/white. It's a 135/305 but too light on the finish for the 72's running the secondary setup I am testing. Worked great with about 69's though.

So much to say, so much to test, so little time to ride. Going out this weekend and will report back.
Yep , i would think a primary spring with a finish rate of around 320/330 would bee around perfect - The goodwin purple i already had - Like you , i dont have an assortment of clutch springs/weights/helixes laying around

And the cat orange/white primary just doesnt work in this setup like you mentioned , and from my testing on a few trips - The goodwin purple was a huge improvement over that

I also like the start rate of the goodwin purple at 140#s - I also like the factory 46/40 helix - Works great on and off the trails in all conditions

I think the 044 belt that i am running is also bringing her rpms down a notch - On my Crossfire 700 it was good for lowering around 100-150 rpms on top
With that said - Her sled ran pretty damn good this past three days - Lot of railroad beds up in the U.P. (Ishpeming/Marquette) had 12"-18"s of freshly groomed lake effect - Even groomed and hard its still lake effect snow on a base - So its still loose snow because it doesnt have any moisture content - Some of the best riding i have done in years - Zero traffic - Her sled was pulling low to mid 90s on speed around 7840-7880 rpms - We found some plowed fields and seasonal roads to play in/on off the beaten path (Big Bay MI) - With her light ass on there she pulls out of the hole right along my Crossfire 700 until we have to let up

Honestly , not much more testing i can do until we get on some hard packed lakes and are able to pin the throttle side by side - Hard pack , and then watch the mph/rpms

So yes , probably a different primary spring and i have goodwins dk blue/yellow secondary spring also i would like to throw in there
Guess what though - Mid 40s all week for temps - Can you believe this shit !!!!!!!!!

Enjoy these - The last few days[/b]

Great photos Scott. But, check your tail light. Those trails look awesome, this weather sucks!
 
#21 ·
Great photos Scott. But, check your tail light. Those trails look awesome, this weather sucks![/b]

Frank, was an awesome three days - What taillight , i dont see it HA HA HA - At least the wife kept her distance in the fluff , and that actually was a trail (Trail #14 leaving the 310 loop back to Marquette from Big Bay) that we saw no one for at least 50 miles - Glad i did it knowing what this week held - Its amazing, just in the last twelve hours how much snow has melted off my deck

And this is supposed to last thru wednesday - Pretty pathetic again !!!!!
 
#22 ·
Frank, was an awesome three days - What taillight , i dont see it HA HA HA - At least the wife kept her distance in the fluff , and that actually was a trail (Trail #14 leaving the 310 loop back to Marquette from Big Bay) that we saw no one for at least 50 miles - Glad i did it knowing what this week held - Its amazing, just in the last twelve hours how much snow has melted off my deck

And this is supposed to last thru wednesday - Pretty pathetic again !!!!![/b]

Yes, great move those trails looked great! And what a sick week ahead of us. I sure hope after this warm up we get dumped on with SNOW! I need to get back out riding, we already cancelled our trip for next weekend, and hopefully we can do the next two weekends. we have the 25th weekend set back in the UP so we need cold!
 
#23 ·
Small note on my set up. It is close to these as well but the difference is I have three pitch drivers eight tooth and F6 gears 62/58's.

CPC primary purple/white 180/320
Dalton pro 72's.

Two secondary set ups that both work great.

44/40 helix goodwin dark blue
and
48/38 helix goodwin Dark blue/yellow.

Both secondarys are cut 10" with 046 belt. I can hit 78mph in 400feet with both set ups.
 
#24 ·
Small note on my set up. It is close to these as well but the difference is I have three pitch drivers eight tooth and F6 gears 62/58's.

CPC primary purple/white 180/320
Dalton pro 72's.

Two secondary set ups that both work great.

44/40 helix goodwin dark blue
and
48/38 helix goodwin Dark blue/yellow.

Both secondarys are cut 10" with 046 belt. I can hit 78mph in 400feet with both set ups.[/b]

Don whats your engagement rpm with that primary spring ???

Also your two secondary setups - What are you pulling for rpms on top between the two setups ??? - I take it you have tried both on the same sled
I need to swap secondaries between my two Crossfires and do some testing and playing - Honestly just to busy riding when i have the time off work - Not enough testing

And how do you like the upshift/backshift differences between the two helixes on the Crossfire 600 in the fluff and hardpack - I am very familiar with the goodwin secondary springs on my Crossfires

Thanx for any info


Scott
 
#25 ·
I have been having similar problems. I love the crossfire 6, it's a great sled. I bought this sled new last year. I have about 500miles on it this year. My sled gets up to 75 real fast but seems like it takes time to creep higher. I'm still waiting till the sled breaks in before I really start playing around with clutching and other toys for it. The only other complaint i have is the steering, Riding hard packed trails and some powder, the sled def needs new skis and carbides. Any suggestions?? I"ll try to give more feedback next 500miles.
 
#26 ·
Cutler rates the Purple/White at 175/305 but their finish measurement is at 1.3712". I had my best success last year with the Gold/White at 135/305 and have the Purple/White ready for drag racing. Gold/White finish is measured at 1.312" however the Purple/White is a longer spring.
 
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