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Last October a jet-black 153-in. M8 Sno Pro NightFire arrived out West, the first test sled the
AmSnow Mountain Team received for the season and because of its early arrival, it was the sled we got the most time on.
Arctic Cat M8 Sno Pro NightfireThe 2008 M8 Sno Pro Nightfire is a vastly improved chassis from the '07 Sno Pro. We appreciated the M8's reduced weight, 20-some refinements from '07 (which get even better for '09) and properly calibrated drive clutch. The '07 was a wuss out of the box until the clutches were properly dialed in, then… bingo! We found the FOX Float shocks a great upgrade, but they could be a little stiff for speed-bump mashing, as impact energy sometimes transmitted up the A-arms to the bulkhead and handlebars.
The 153x15-in. Camoplast Challenger track with 2.25-in. paddles hooked up well, and it pleasingly lifted the nose, but at times, the stiff-paddled track trenched a bit more than we like. We often thought of the old Attack 20 track in December/January bottomless fluff because it shined in super powdery conditions.
The M8 does not have tipped-up rails and when honking up a steep ascent, the nose stayed flat, giving the driver ski control while keeping tail walking to a minimum. The handlebars were too low for our liking and we corrected this by adding a 3-in. riserblock, which gave us easy leveraging for right- and left-hand pulls. Our M8 did not require the arm grunt our other mountain sleds required, and this was the easiest mountain snowmobile in our stall to whip around the peaks.
Another nit we have is with the seat. Like the bars, it too is low. Some think a low seat is easy to swing a foot around, but for most mountain riders, the M8's seating position feels easy-rider chopper-ish. We'd like a few inches added to the seat. Note that the '09 LE Sno Pro has a different seat as a Spring-buy option, but for the Sno Pro and standard M8, the low seat is what you get.
Handlebar swing, for the M8 and all M-sleds is more horizontal than vertical. This means the handlebars rotate more forward, which allows arm leverage to be more central to the driver's chest. Why is this? The steering post is under the motor. However, whoop jumping on your favorite trail is a tad more complicated with the M-sleds, so, it's a matter of tradeoffs.
The M8 is an effortless sidehiller and is a sweet ultra-technical boondocking sled. It makes great riders out of mediocre riders.
M8 had the fewest ponies of any motor in the 800 class last season. But it surprised many test riders as the Suzuki-built twin would pull lines equal too the higher-amped 800s. The M8's light chassis, balance and superb weight transfer seemed to make up the horsepower difference.
Nightfire never sat silent long. When test riders grabbed it, I nearly needed to bribe them to dismount. Its rugged chassis, crisp EFI-controlled motor and feathery feel made it a tester fave.
Arctic Cat M1000The M1000 is a bit heavier than the M8, and not as popular, but it's beefy and filled with man-sized torque. Like M8, it has Cat's low bars and low seat, other than that, the M1000 was all business.
Snow conditions in the Rockies provided a perfect playground for
AmSnow's 162-incher. The big Suzuki twin is silky when on the pipe and the Rs are spilling down to the drivers. The motor bounces the bars and hood at idle, yet its power is deceptive. The motor feels less snappy than the M8, as rolling out the rpm is smooth and linear. You don't really realize its tractor-pulling fashion until you get into serious hillclimbing.
The 1000 had an ailment the M8 did not though: motor shutdown from being snow-packed. When the 1000 was treading through mile-deep powder, the snow would shut down the exhaust pipe and slowly trim the motor down to 800-like power, then 600, then a 440, then a Mini-ZR, then grandma's rocking chair. With some encouragement, the pilot could restart the sled, roll the sled to its left lifting the pipe out of the snow and careen back down to a not-so-deep slope or flat.
The M1000 would have benefited from taller bars and we found the skis lacking in bite. With a monster 162-in. track churning the snow, the sled pushes the skis around more than we like. However, when going slow, we liked the improved turning radius over the '07 model.
The M1000 likes deep snow. It's a hardcore boondocker, and my all-time fave.
Ski-Doo XP Summit XIt did not take us long to learn the XP Summit 8 is a mogul masher. Summit's confident front suspension, rear skid, sweet shock package, race-inspired handling and bar swing made it the vehicle for us when trail bashing.
When the snow was deep, the Summit's 154x16-in. Challenger track with 2.25-in. paddles, snapped the Summit's chin up and accelerated the vehicle to float atop the fluff. In extremely deep snow, when throwing down an off-camber uphill sidehill cut, Summit rolled up on its rear axle and trenched in.
Like many Ski-Doo owners in 2008, after about the second ride we noticed the handlebar heaters had taken a lunch break, which helped us realize how little wind protection the windshield gives your hands. Our dealer, Rexburg Motor Sports in Rexburg, Idaho, fixed this on a service/warranty bulletin.
The Rotax 800R PowerTEK twin obediently reacted to driver input; the motor quickly responded to throttle input. Likewise the ultra-light XP chassis made getting unstuck effortless compared to other 800s.
Summit's superb power-to-weight ratio gives it arm-stretching acceleration, evident when pointing the Summit up a steep, angled draw and pulling the trigger.
We had heard from naysayers that Summit's light weight would mean weakness and inability to handle drops and jumps. Not true. We punished our Summit hard and it held strong all winter.
However, at 200 miles, it blew its belt. We prevented this recurrence by installing Doo's new longer and wider belt that also is stiffer. We also knocked down the top drive gear two teeth.
Handling the Summit was sometimes dicey when descending a hill, and stabbing a ski's edge into the snow and pulling a hard turn back up a hill was tougher than on a few other sleds. Additionally, when turning out from a highmark on hard-pack snow, the nose wanted to dive quickly. We rectified this by adding sway bar quick-disconnects, pulling the handlebars back to a 45-degree angle, moving one foot partially out from its toe hole and placing the opposite foot about 2 feet behind the front foot.
Just a couple times, when sticky powder covered the hood, or when a driver stuffed the pipe into waist deep snow, the motor choked. This is corrected for '09.
Our only real concern was a sticky throttle. It happened numerous times without any recurring conditions, so it was fully unexpected. We're told this has been taken care of for 2009 as well.
To masterfully handle the XP Summit X there's a learning curve, which takes a little time before confidence builds. Those who jumped to the REV XP Summit from ZX Summits or Vertical Edge RMKs seemed much more adept at learning the XP's handling characteristics.
Finally, Summit is the best-looking mountain sled on the snow. Its ergos are great - tall seat and tall bars. Plus, the instrument cluster gives all vitals (including elevation) cleanly and easily.
Yamaha Nytro MTXFor being a relatively heavy mountain sled, the Nytro felt relatively light. In fact, some of our riders felt it handled as well as the lighter 2-strokes.
However, when chasing the lighter 800s up a bodaciously steep powder chute, Nytro fell out of its comfort zone. Yet, when the Nytro hung in its element, it was a good ride. When it needed to float on top of the powder, it did so without blowing out its track.
Though the Nytro MTX was the lowest horsepower and heaviest mountain snowmobile in our mountain fleet, we liked its ability to keep chugging. Like the Energizer Bunny, it kept going and going.
Nytro is not an 8, but it earned a lot of driver respect as its ergos were great. Plus, standup riding, leaning and pulling were sweet. When under power, it felt much lighter than the scales indicate. However, its reverse lever is archaic. We prefer push-button reverse.
With its tail-dumped exhaust and superb intake, the Nytro never died in the deep snow, and few of our sleds could claim that this season.
Unfortunately, the running boards load up with snow and do not clean off, and the ultra-wide boards can hold up the chassis when the track needs to dig down and claw. Odd as it seems, we may have reached a point where running boards are too wide. So, when pulling steep-angled turns, the Nytro would roll over on a side panel and the track would wash out. Finally, Nytro's throttle is stiff, and its stubby windshield drives powder into a driver's face. That needs attention.