Axys or m8000

[Braaap12]

Sorry if it's been asked lots but looking for honest opinions, coming off a 14 pro and looking at getting an axys 155 or a limited m8000 153. I've been told
Coming from my pro I won't like the size of the cat. But hearing about all the axys issues has me worried. Don't want to deal with electrical gremlins and torn tracks( just what I've read). Just wondering how your guys's sled have held up and after some opinions. Thanks guys!

 

[AKFULLTHROTTLE]

Axys.....

I have had zero issues

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

Axys.....

I have had zero issues

Ditto!

 

[sledheader]

Problems I've had:

Track isn't holding up for crap. Not so much on the wear, but ripping lugs. Maybe it's me, I don't know.
TPS was off. 2 hours at the dealer and it idles awesome


Exhaust fell off and a turbo fell on....This thing is awesome

 

[dude]

Haven't riden the new Cat, but as far as issues I have 2 Axys's and Zero problems except sore face muscles after every ride... Mine has 1,500 fairly hard miles, and my wife's has 700 miles. We both moved from 13 and 14 PRO's to the Axys and both have had nothing but smiles since

 

[Teth-Air]

Both brands can be made to fail. The Axys needs the tracks to be fully clipped or they wear and then can rip through. The A-arms need braces or you can bend them. The electrical problems are not common. Some lost spindles so they can fail too, but rare. Chaincase or belt drive option.

The Cats are tough and have had clutching issues on past models, this is supposed to be fixed now but we will see. I doubt the skinny a-arms are much tougher than on the Axys. They are harder on fuel and are heavy. The Cats also also have a chaincase only.

What is important to you?? How do you ride?

 

[CO 2.0]

Cats clutches are rock solid now. A-arms are solid. Cat definitely runs out of gas quicker than the axys. If I left both machines completely stock, I'd take the axys. For $2k in mods the Cat is an amazing machine, especially the 17 mountain cat. I have plenty of miles on both. I don't care for the axys shocks or bumpers, so I threw money in on those areas. I also think the Cat 3" powerclaw is a much better track than the axys 3". After putting $5k in mods on my axys and $2K into my Cat, I ride both about the same amount now and like them both equally. Both stock motors minus cans.

 

[aksledjunkie]

I have a friend with a Proclimb and he has been through so many A-Arms' it's ridiculous. If it was my sled I don't think I would have broken a single one though. He hasn't been able to overcome the magnets in the trees so like it's been said above, depending on your riding style both can made to fail. I like the powerclaw tracks more than any tracks to be honest.

 

[Braaap12]

Thanks for the replys, I want a sled that's good in the trees but I want to be able to just ride it and not worry, I always have that worry about my pro that the glue in my arms are going to fail, or the carbon rivers going to break. That being said I have 3 seasons on my pro zero issues and I love it. I love how solid the cats are they're just big and heavy

 

[Red Mtn]

My Axys has been AWESOME! I had been trading up every season, this is the first time in years I will ride a sled a second season. The a-arms are where I had issues but they are minor compared to horsing around one of those fat cats all day long. I rode the '16 Cat along side my '14 Pro and liked the Polaris much better. I like the Axys MUCH better than the Pro. You would have to be nuts to buy a different new sled IMO.

 

[DDECKER]

yea! down with those fat cats! wait..........what?! simply to each his own

 

[sno*jet]

the cats are def a little fat, lol.
the 17 mtn cat is a touch better, and has some cool features you wont get on other sleds. id get the polaris unless you can find a 17 mtn cat, then it would be a debate imo.
also i think the cat is a better mod sled platform whereas the polaris comes pretty maxed out in the lightweight and power department unless you just add a turbo.
the driver setup and track turned me away from polaris.

 

[Reg2view]

Ride both an Axys and 17 Mountain Cat (not the M) if you can wait, and you're seriously considering the option. The Axys is a known performer. The MC is an unknown in the market, could be a sleeper with a few mods, suke can build a 2S. If you're willing to ride it for a few years it could be a winner, but will cost you more upfront, and on resale. FWIW, it's time for AC to come out with a new chassis in 18, which usually does nothing good for resale, but a first year cat in a new chassis is a guess, and usually a bad one, so a 17 MC could hold some value for a season or two.


Also, AC's financial performance is lagging and declining, more than it has since they revived the co. in 85. They can't pump the stock price up much more with buybacks, have lost market share outside of the Y partnership, have dealer issues, and had negative cash flow for the first time in decades - this could delay new models, and make them a buyout target by another PS company, or private equity. More unknowns. But you won't know about the sled until you ride. The MC is probably 3 or 4 years late for them.

 

[Teth-Air]

Ride both an Axys and 17 Mountain Cat (not the M) if you can wait, and you're seriously considering the option. The Axys is a known performer. The MC is an unknown in the market, could be a sleeper with a few mods, suke can build a 2S. If you're willing to ride it for a few years it could be a winner, but will cost you more upfront, and on resale. FWIW, it's time for AC to come out with a new chassis in 18, which usually does nothing good for resale, but a first year cat in a new chassis is a guess, and usually a bad one, so a 17 MC could hold some value for a season or two.


Also, AC's financial performance is lagging and declining, more than it has since they revived the co. in 85. They can't pump the stock price up much more with buybacks, have lost market share outside of the Y partnership, have dealer issues, and had negative cash flow for the first time in decades - this could delay new models, and make them a buyout target by another PS company, or private equity. More unknowns. But you won't know about the sled until you ride. The MC is probably 3 or 4 years late for them.

Wow, I bet that isn't going to cheer up any of those guys who put their money down on a 17 MC and are not sure about their decision.

 

[CO 2.0]

The MC is not unknown. I have a ton of miles on my shops 17. It performs much better than my 16, all because of the dropped chain case. We also narrowed the plastics up more on it than Cat's crappy job from the factory and have BM fab skinny boards on it. Have it clutched the same as my 16, and it will jump out of the hole in powder by 2 sled lengths every time over my 16 and then stay 2 sled length ahead pinned out the rest of the time. I literally switched off between the axys and 16 cat all season long (thus why I went to the 3" powerclaw on my axys), then rode the 17 that we put a bit of money into this spring. If you don't have sufficient time on both sleds then take the time to do so. The cat doesn't feel as fat on the snow as everyone thinks it is. After some minor skinny of the plastics, boards, and some increased steering with Wyo's/Kmod steering mod it is a true contender for not much money in mods. After these minor mods the 16/17 Cat can hold a steep sidehill with ease.

Doesn't sound like Cat is coming out with a new chassis next year either, which sucks, but are going to put their new motor in the current chassis. Seems like a waste of time to me. I'd just concentrate on a new chassis and put the new motor in it. Only time will tell though.

 

[tuneman]

Judging by the posts so far, there appears to be only non-concerning, easily fixable issues with the Axys, and if you put another $5k-$10k into the cat, it'll perform similar to the Axys....

Kind of a no-brainer. Also keep in mind that the Poo issues are always waaay overblown on the internet. Heck, there's like at least 10 Poo riders to every Cat rider. So, you'll always see more Poo issues online.

 

[RMK935VA]

I LOVE my Axys 163 by 2.6. The track has known wear issues but I am not there yet. I may consider the new Camso 2.8 track if I replace the stock one. However, the stock 2.6 works very well in all snow conditions. I have an SLP pipe with a Diamond S Titanium Quiet muffler on my sled. That combination drops about 18 lbs. off the right side and you get more power to boot. I have the Carl's helix and the shocks were revalved by Carl's. I also have the middle of the line heavier spring on the rear track shock (230 vs 250). Finally, I am running the KMod 37" A Arm kit. It narrows the stance and the A Arms are far stronger than stock. So yeah, a couple grand and you have a very nice light sled that excels in the trees. Of course, they are darn good in stock form too.

 

[CO 2.0]

Judging by the posts so far, there appears to be only non-concerning, easily fixable issues with the Axys, and if you put another $5k-$10k into the cat, it'll perform similar to the Axys....

Kind of a no-brainer. Also keep in mind that the Poo issues are always waaay overblown on the internet. Heck, there's like at least 10 Poo riders to every Cat rider. So, you'll always see more Poo issues online.

More like $1k into the 17 Cat

 

[Motorbreath_]

I'm not sure about the new Polaris 800.. but in previous years the Cat had about 10-15 more horsepower.. is this still the case?

 

[CO 2.0]

Not really, but having both sleds side by side all winter long at 11K. The Cat still feels like it has more torque than the Axys. But my Axys is the chaincase model, which is not as peppy as the belt drive. Both sleds clutched well. Still get higher track speed on my Cat.