1993 arctic cat 440 zr

Cat people have had enough of the Indy XCR and its winning ways. Enter a new limited-build ZR 440 racing sled from Arctic Cat. The new sled is a qualified production 440 stock class snowmobile that replaces the Prowler Z 440 previously announced. It will be available to "qualified buyers" (meaning serious racers with a good chance of winning) in November.

The new Cat is a hybrid of sorts as it is designed for stock class oval, cross-country, hillclimb and snocross racing circuits. The 440cc twin is housed in a redesigned chassis with an extended forward bulkhead and features a new 40-inch stance AWS-III ski suspension. This new front suspension features "lay down" shocks and elimination of the underhood shock towers. It also has new steering and wishbone geometry for added stability, control and durability at racing speeds and in rough track and trail use. Cat engineers use chromoly wishbones and steel spindles along with the adjustable lay-down reservoir Fox gas shocks. The suspension also features adjustable steering shaft angles allowing easier set-up for the varying demands of track or trail events.

Aggressive, deep-profile skis, racing style carbide ski runners plus a full bellypan and front bumper are other competition-oriented details standard on this stock class production snowmobile from Arctic Cat. Since Cat is serious about unseating the Indy as the cross country champion, the new bumper has not-so-jokingly been called and "Indy remover."

The chassis, based loosely on the Thundercat, features an extended bulkhead design which provides underhood space for a longer 12.2-inch clutch center distance. The extension- about two inches longer than a Wildcat bulkhead- permits use of a longer drive belt which lowers belt speed and reduces power-robbing heat which can build-up in long competitions-like the I-500 among others.

Other competition-oriented details under the ZR 440 hood include gun-drilled drive and hidden shafts plus low profile motor mounts for lower forward center of gravity.

Driver control and comfort details include a deeper tunnel profile to enhance driver position by extending the seat/stirrup relationship and increasing driver mobility. A new sculpted, low-profile nine-gallon fuel tank holds adequate fuel for long races while carrying fuel low and forward to improve weight distribution. The track suspension is based on the newer FasTrack skidframe used in many other Arctic Cat models for 1993. The ZR 440 features dual Fox adjustable reservoir gas shocks plus revised spring and damping rates together with two position, quick-adjust preload and other detail suspension changes.

The 440cc engine in the ZR 440 is a compact and lightweight piston-port design with twin 38mm Mikuni slide valve carburetors and a single "Y"-pipe scavenged expansion chamber exhaust. It is designed to produce "legal" qualified output for stock class circuit racing rules. Cat looked into using the "lightweight" 440 engine used in the Prowler, but found that the slightly heavier Prowler Z engine was more durable when modified.

The new Cat will be readily identified by its unique aerodynamic hood, cowl and seat styling. The ZR 440 uses an all-new hydraulic disc brake design based on proven components from stock and formula car racing that greatly improves brake life, effectiveness and feel in demanding, high-speed uses. Cat had used hydraulic brakes in its previous life, but this is the first application on a production sled under Arctco.

Team Arctic Manager, Joey Hallstrom, stated, "The new ZR 440 represents an additional step toward competition usage by stock production snowmobiles designed and built by Arctco. The competitive demands in stock racing today mandated this type of design and engineering and we expect the ZR 440 as well as future qualified production Arctic Cats to meet this tough challenge."

Other Arctic Cat production snowmobiles competing in stock and modified racing events during the 1993 season include the new three-cylinder Thundercat, the carburetted and EFI-equipped Wildcat and EXT models and the Jag Z 440. While this ZR is a 440, don't be surprised if racing success (or need) begets other versions. Under Formula III racing rules, we believe that the new chassis could qualify for that class and that racers could well place their F-III 600cc limit engines in it. If we ran F-III, we'd look long and hard at this chassis as a place to deposit our larger displacement racing motors.

While the chassis can fit oval racers, it was designed by a trio of cross country veterans. This trio is not your everyday group of snowmobilers. Brian Nelson, Kirk Hibbert and Hubert Fixsen have accumulated a solid reputation in major league distance events. Hibbert won the St. Paul to Thunder Bay, Ontario, 500-miler in 1990. Nelson and ace technician Hubert Fixsen teamed up twice to win the now-discontinued Winnipeg-to-St. Paul endurance run in 1976 and 1978. The first time, Nelson rode an old bridge-buster John Deere, proving that he could flog anything to victory. The second time he rode a much lighter Arctic Cat. Hubert Fixsen was always the quiet, unassuming "wrench" behind the scenes.

In a "handshake" deal with Cat's veteran V.P. of engineering, Roger Skime, the three men worked out a prototype of the ZR about two seasons back. Before the final version was readied for production, three prototype versions were built, but it was the first design that had the most promise. Said Nelson, "We tried about everything, but we had to make the sled suitable for winning on ovals and cross country."

Nelson, who is a Minnesota snowmobile dealer and familiar with customer demand, seemed very satisfied with the end result. Hibbert, a veteran western racing star, was all smiles when the ZR 440 was introduced at the Hay Day Races in Forest Lake, Minnesota, this past month.

The front end and new Thundercat-style chassis are the keys to the new sled. The rear suspension is pretty standard Cat for 1993. In fact, the new front end with its seven inches of travel may be too good suggested some observers when the Cat was unveiled. The challenge- and a fun one for Cat riders-will be getting the rear end to handle as well as the new front suspension. Hibbert didn't think it would be much of a problem and liked the positive reaction of the new front set-up.

Another change is the hydraulic disc brake, which Cat spokesmen claimed tested outlasting four times longer than a comparable Indy disc. According to our sources, the new Cat will have three types of pad materials available-hard, medium and soft. The original brake was a dual piston design but it was dropped as the design team felt it was too heavy. The brake disc is a quarter-inch thick and made of special alloys which disperse heat quickly.

The new ZR comes with a fiberglass hood, but future production calls for a thermoplastic version that will be lighter and more durable.

The arrival of the ZR recalls Cat's past when special stock racers like the original EXTs, Z's and Formula II models were developed for racing. In those cases consumers saw an immediate "trickling down" of technology. Don't be surprised if the new ZR designs don't show up in some form or other in Cat's production mix in a year or so.