Arctic Cat builds on its racing reputation with a new Z1 Turbo that kicks out a reported 177 horses in the tipped Twin-Spar chassis (introduced last year).
That makes this snowmobile the highest-horse production sled on the market for 2009. Cat claims it'll do 112+ mph. Plus, Arctic adds ACER, the same type of engine reversal system used in Ski-Doo and Polaris models to give the sled push-button reverse. That allows Cat to eliminate 49 parts and cut 10 lbs. from the sled.
ACER also is used in Crossfire models to cut poundage.
More complete info on the Z1 Turbo and full 2009 Arctic Cat lineup is
now available here for our premium members.
Arctic's other performance models in the tipped Twin-Spar chassis also see some improvements that help them handle and ride better.
The front end's spindle angle is tweaked forward 1.5 degrees and the single 4-in. runners on the skis have been adjusted to give them more bite in turns. Test runs on fairly hard trails with a light dusting of fresh snow found the F-Series sleds much more grippy in the turns.
The model breakdown shows a 570 fan, plus 500 and 800cc liquids in the standard F models, continuing in green, black and white trim. Their 128-in. tracks come with 1-in. lugs.
SnoPro models are available with 600, 800 and 1000cc liquids and Cat's performance shock package. Moving up to the SnoPro also gets you 1.25-in. lugs.
Cat engineers have retooled the Crossfire considerably, including adding a racy short-track version that's still built off the mountain chassis.
The Crossfires (and M Series) get the ACER engine reverse system and the SnoPro models get an awesome new telescoping steering column that extends 4 additional inches.
But the big deal here is moving the Crossfire to a 141-in. track and skid frame, up from the previous 136. All the new skids have 8-in. rear idler wheels now and the tunnel is 6 in. shorter than last year. To further help the Crossfire in powder, Arctic adds a new Cobra track with softer 1.25-in. lugs on the standard model, with 1.5-in. lugs on the SnoPro.
There's also a racier Crossfire, the Crossfire R, which features a 128-in. track. This goes after the former Firecat owners and comes in 800 and 1000cc versions, both models with 14-in. wide tracks.
Cat also puts some zing in the touring segment with a TZ1 Turbo Touring model, using that same 177-horse hummer from the short-track model. Plus, it adds heated seats. Also, look for a better Bearcat, which moves to the Twin-Spar chassis and gets the Z1 4-stroke engine.
Note too that there are some awesome Spring-order paint jobs in black and copper and a gray camo look too.