Arctic Cat EXT vs. Crossfire?

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Yep talking about the 2011 EXT with the 144 inch track. Comes in either 800 HO two stroke engine or the 4 stroke with turbo. But the crossfire I'm looking at is 09 crossfire 1000 the standard, but am also looking at the 2011 crossfire as well.

That 09 Crossfire 1000 standard will be the closest to being ready out of the crate.(For trail riding setup) The 2011 Crossfires have gone to the M style skid, but can be set up to rock.
The EXT is solid. But it is not an off trail performer out of the box. It is not a real trail performer in the tight stuff without some tweaking. They put the rear skid back in the 09 Twin Spar mounting and raised the back of the sled. It will feel quite tippy compared to your ZR. Raising the skid into the tunnel will alleviate that issue. That also means pulling the limiter straps to get ski pressure.
The EXT was set up to be a straight line performer. Not sure why they did it that way, but in straight bumps it does shine. It is the flattest (front to back) sled I have ever seen. Hit the gas and it stays flat. Jam the brakes and you get nil nose dive. Jump a driveway and it is almost boringly stable.
The Crossfire has more fun factor. Throttle will give you ski lift. Brakes will drop the nose. It takes body english to get it turning good in the twisties. I had the Crossfires set up for mostly trail. It did take some time to get them dialed in but they are a pretty fun sled. Just keep in mind they do not like being pinned all day without a healthy diet of belts.

 

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I agree with the majority of the posts here especially from people that are owners. The guys in my group went from 1000's to 8's. They enjoyed the power of the 1000 but felt the 800 was more powerband friendly on the trails. No fun getting buried in the twistys and having to play catch up on the straight aways. I think the 800 would give you the best of both worlds but just my opinion.