Install the app
How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

  • Don't miss out on all the fun! Register on our forums to post and have added features! Membership levels include a FREE membership tier.

800 vs 850 - no power difference

bobback

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Short story - I have a 20' 850 and a buddy has a 20' 800, both 155 tracks. Yesterday was a good pow day and I rode his sled for a bit, I couldn't really notice any difference in power. I wasn't going to say anything but he said the same thing.

My sled seems to be running strong, he thought it's running slightly rich; but he's pretty easy on the throttle.

My sled as an SLP quiet can and I added the Polaris gear down kit this year. His sled has an SPI can.

Thoughts on why neither one of us noticed any difference? My guess is the 850 really shines when you need that low end, I don't want to get stuck power. And neither one of us tested this aspect.
 
I know this is a polaris topic but Im commenting on the engines in general.

Same as the 850 doo, are you really going to notice a extra 50cc. Imo the only difference I feel is better between the doo 850, and the 800 is the bottom end torque. I actually think the 800 has a better top end power curve when all things are equal like clutching.


Look at cats 800 engine. That is claimed at 165hp and is a very strong engine.
 
I honestly dont really notice much of a difference when there is more snow, the 850 has more grunt on trails i feel. but Ive never been one to notice things like clutching changes or small power changes either.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
 
Short story - I have a 20' 850 and a buddy has a 20' 800, both 155 tracks. Yesterday was a good pow day and I rode his sled for a bit, I couldn't really notice any difference in power. I wasn't going to say anything but he said the same thing.

My sled seems to be running strong, he thought it's running slightly rich; but he's pretty easy on the throttle.

My sled as an SLP quiet can and I added the Polaris gear down kit this year. His sled has an SPI can.

Thoughts on why neither one of us noticed any difference? My guess is the 850 really shines when you need that low end, I don't want to get stuck power. And neither one of us tested this aspect.
Have you lined them up side by side uphill in some fresh?

In 2019 my buddy and I switched back and forth and kind of thought the same, until we dragged up a hill a few times in about 18” of fresh. The 850 absolutely smoked the 800 every time.

A louder can can also play tricks on the mind.
 
Last edited:
I honestly dont really notice much of a difference when there is more snow, the 850 has more grunt on trails i feel. but Ive never been one to notice things like clutching changes or small power changes either.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
I would agree with this as well. The 850 can feel just like an 800 on a deep pow day. Hit somewhere a few days after a storm in mid march when its a little more setup and the 850 feels like an animal.

Also keep in mind its like a 15hp difference, not 50... and the higher you go the smaller the HP difference becomes.
 
Deep-ish snow and a bigger/longer hill....the 850 gains speed, whereas the 800 more finds a speed and sets in. That's the most noticeable difference to me. General goofing around you probably wouldn't notice much. Overall tho - I definitely notice there is more total power available, and the 850 really comes alive when you can let it sing a bit. The 800's do have a really rippy/responsive bottom end on/off throttle, so they definitely have their merits as well.
 
Having owned both and put thousands of miles on both the current bozeman snowpack wont show you much. Its deep with no bottom. The 850 really shines when there is some traction and it can keep chugging and finding the way where the 800's sort of just sign off and get stuck more.

Also i know the 19 850s run good but the 20's run better and the 21's just a bit crisper yet as they keep refining mapping etc.
 
Realisticly on the seat of pants the 850 is not going to feel that much stronger In average snow. But bear in mind stock to stock it is pulling 4 grams more weight so in deeper snow it will pull more track speed.
 
It also may come down to traction. I too ride a 155 and there have been times when I feel the motor is working hard but the track is just spinning and not putting a lot to the snow like a 163+.
 
Carl’s 900 must be making more power then I thought riding it back to back with a stage 4 800 honestly felt like the difference between a 600 and 800. The 2 motors felt the same up to about 75% of the rev range then the difference was huge.
 
The more you ride them the more you see the difference. The 850 has more low end torque and gets to the sweet RPM's much easier. The 800 needs to get the track moving more to get that to happen. There are so many variables between two sleds to compare (never mind two people), that it is really hard to know the difference. Riding a piped 800 Axys for a few years and now a 850, there is certainly a difference.
 
Riding buddy has a 163 800 with 3" track we geared down and an SLP pipe. My 21 Khaos QD2 165 walks away from him every time from start thru top end..
 
Short story - I have a 20' 850 and a buddy has a 20' 800, both 155 tracks. Yesterday was a good pow day and I rode his sled for a bit, I couldn't really notice any difference in power. I wasn't going to say anything but he said the same thing.

My sled seems to be running strong, he thought it's running slightly rich; but he's pretty easy on the throttle.

My sled as an SLP quiet can and I added the Polaris gear down kit this year. His sled has an SPI can.

Thoughts on why neither one of us noticed any difference? My guess is the 850 really shines when you need that low end, I don't want to get stuck power. And neither one of us tested this aspect.
it is still running rich race you for titles
 
The biggest difference I've noticed that makes the 850 a much better overall sled is the launch. A well clutched 850 will out launch a well clutched 800 everytime from 0-45 MPH. The other difference is an additional 1 to 2 MPH in track speed making the same pulls. It doesn't sound like much but the additional launch and 2 MPH will pack you around the mountain much better than an 800.
 
Premium Features



Back
Top