Is it ? Well thats interesting........
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- Thread starter SnoPro1000
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Cat vs Skidoo vs Polaris
For years skidoo & cat have been chasing that Pro chassis in the trees. Cat & skidoo always had the power and with a good rider we could usually run with or out climb. But every single one of us in the group could jump on a pro with zero seat time and do thing we couldn't do on our Cats & Skidoo with ease. Finally skidoo put out a chassis that I know I can out run & climb any Cat or AXYS. This year 2 of my buddies bought the new 18 cats and both say they are a game changer & out perform AXYS with ease. Finally Skidoo and Cat got it togeather in the handeling game. As soon as I get rid of that pos T-motion we will run the Cat & Skidoo side by side non bias non sponsored heads up run threw the trees and up the hills jumps & drops. Videos will come out some time mid - late January. I am really excited to ride the new cat tho both my buddies are cat guys but know when a sled works or doesn't work. Not just diehard ride cat or F You guys haha. They both say hands down cat smokes Polaris and they can't weight to run my 850 see how they stack up. Videos coming soon can't wait.
For years skidoo & cat have been chasing that Pro chassis in the trees. Cat & skidoo always had the power and with a good rider we could usually run with or out climb. But every single one of us in the group could jump on a pro with zero seat time and do thing we couldn't do on our Cats & Skidoo with ease. Finally skidoo put out a chassis that I know I can out run & climb any Cat or AXYS. This year 2 of my buddies bought the new 18 cats and both say they are a game changer & out perform AXYS with ease. Finally Skidoo and Cat got it togeather in the handeling game. As soon as I get rid of that pos T-motion we will run the Cat & Skidoo side by side non bias non sponsored heads up run threw the trees and up the hills jumps & drops. Videos will come out some time mid - late January. I am really excited to ride the new cat tho both my buddies are cat guys but know when a sled works or doesn't work. Not just diehard ride cat or F You guys haha. They both say hands down cat smokes Polaris and they can't weight to run my 850 see how they stack up. Videos coming soon can't wait.
I do think one reason the Proride and Axys handle so well is because of how ridgid the front end is and how centralized the steering post is. The rigid chassis lets the suspension work with out chassis flex. I'm impressed with how far Ski-doo has come. They just keep making their chassis better and better but there are a lot of band-aids to get there. Ever wonder why they had to go the route of T-motion, flex edge track, and the narrowest front end in the industry to get similar ability as the competition out of their chassis?
I need to get on one of those new cats. If it is a game changer over the Axys that is huge. I am just so comfortable on an Axys. Feel narrow like a bike.
New sleds
T-motion was made for hill climb racing to give the ski-doo's a little bit of an edge in the stock class over Cat & Polaris. You look at all the Polaris & Cats in the mod classes they all run T-motion or zmotion or kmotion some form of T-motion. It works really good on hard icy rough conditions like Jackson hole. The added benefit of T-motion is it helps beginner riders get there sleds on its side. But as fare as helping skidoo keep up in the trees it really works against you & slows you down. Get rid of T-motion = effortless sidhilling and a more planted less darty sled when your charging threw the trees keeping as much speed as possible. Don't get me stranded on those boat anchor skis so every1 can elevator and tern back up hill haha. Like you said a ridged sled is key to gliding through the snow. A soft grabby front end and flimsy rear skid gets you a classic skidoo washout. I will post pictures of my Ski-Cat rear skid soon. Love that new cat rear scissor arm and rear shock show all them diehard skidoo boys how a real rear skid is supposed to look & ride should bolt right up with some minor mods.
T-motion was made for hill climb racing to give the ski-doo's a little bit of an edge in the stock class over Cat & Polaris. You look at all the Polaris & Cats in the mod classes they all run T-motion or zmotion or kmotion some form of T-motion. It works really good on hard icy rough conditions like Jackson hole. The added benefit of T-motion is it helps beginner riders get there sleds on its side. But as fare as helping skidoo keep up in the trees it really works against you & slows you down. Get rid of T-motion = effortless sidhilling and a more planted less darty sled when your charging threw the trees keeping as much speed as possible. Don't get me stranded on those boat anchor skis so every1 can elevator and tern back up hill haha. Like you said a ridged sled is key to gliding through the snow. A soft grabby front end and flimsy rear skid gets you a classic skidoo washout. I will post pictures of my Ski-Cat rear skid soon. Love that new cat rear scissor arm and rear shock show all them diehard skidoo boys how a real rear skid is supposed to look & ride should bolt right up with some minor mods.
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HP
American Snowmobile magazine OCT edition.
They had a good read on Cats new engine and a dyno chart of all three versions of the 800. The C-tec produced just over 160 CHp. I read elsewhere 161.4 and the 850 was 165.6 not a lot of difference. The new C-tec is a contender with only the test of time left to prove. There has been no indications it wont pass that test with ease. Break in may end after 6 hours but full power wont be there until 400-500 miles, depending on how many heat cycles the engine has seen.
American Snowmobile magazine OCT edition.
They had a good read on Cats new engine and a dyno chart of all three versions of the 800. The C-tec produced just over 160 CHp. I read elsewhere 161.4 and the 850 was 165.6 not a lot of difference. The new C-tec is a contender with only the test of time left to prove. There has been no indications it wont pass that test with ease. Break in may end after 6 hours but full power wont be there until 400-500 miles, depending on how many heat cycles the engine has seen.
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Sat on one at my dealer yesterday. You can tell they are narrower. The seat almost seems to short front to back. Felt like I was sitting on the very back edge of it. Not that we sit down often but just something I noticed. Can't wait to try one.
When I first tried the Proclimb I found the same thing with the seat. I am used to it now and don't have issues but it is something I needed to adjust to.
was first thing that i noticed...or anyone that rode my sled said. went to sit down and almost fell on tunnel.
yeah they made the seat a little too short.
if you can handle the weight penalty the ES is a honey of a seat. comfy, taller, feels more natural with a taller bar riser also. A non-ES feels like an older machine when you sit on them side by side. But thats just sitting on them. I woldnt like it for real riding, jumping side to side. but really tall guys probably wont mind that as much.
if you can handle the weight penalty the ES is a honey of a seat. comfy, taller, feels more natural with a taller bar riser also. A non-ES feels like an older machine when you sit on them side by side. But thats just sitting on them. I woldnt like it for real riding, jumping side to side. but really tall guys probably wont mind that as much.
I switched to Cat in 2015 to go against the grain, so far it's the best decision I've made. The 2018 will definitely get poo and doo riders attention but I'm not sure that Arctic Cats marketing will be enough to catch the others. I mean, look at the pro riders promoting the other two brands, their following is HUGE!
That being said, Arctic Cat ruled the mountains in the m-series days and I believe it'll only be time before they're back on top.
That being said, Arctic Cat ruled the mountains in the m-series days and I believe it'll only be time before they're back on top.
Well obviously cats reputation hit the toilet in 2012 with a chassis they hadn't verified. It takes a while to regain confidence after something like that. They fixed things, really fairly small adjustments but took too long to get there and never did address the weight issue which is a marketing albatross. I felt like they caught the others in '14 but in '16 the Axys was clearly a step ahead stock for stock. The 18 closes the gap but it really doesn't offer a superior product in my opinion and I've ridden them all. At least now they're clearly in the hunt again. You can't go wrong going with any of the 800s this year.
Since the Mseries(except 2007/2012/2013), cat has been the best overall mountain sled.
Polaris looks better to the masses because of marketing only. Yes people may prefer Polaris or ski-doo which is fine. But to say either one is a better overall package than cat, is just ignorance. Oh yes, i am going to offend the brand loyal and band wagon riders, That is ok. Ignorance is bliss, joy to RMK riders lol.
I am far from brand loyal, i ride what is best and that has been cat for better than 10 yrs.
Mountain Cat
Polaris looks better to the masses because of marketing only. Yes people may prefer Polaris or ski-doo which is fine. But to say either one is a better overall package than cat, is just ignorance. Oh yes, i am going to offend the brand loyal and band wagon riders, That is ok. Ignorance is bliss, joy to RMK riders lol.
I am far from brand loyal, i ride what is best and that has been cat for better than 10 yrs.
Mountain Cat
I don't think Polaris looks better to the Masses due to marketing alone. Have you ridden an Axys? Have you seen the changes to the 2018 Cat? Narrower body, narrower running boards, less weight. oh to make it more like the Axys. Ski-doo had to do the same thing with the gen 4. In 2016 when the Axys came out I took a tape measure to the widest part of the sled and it was several inches narrower than the competition. You say you are not brand loyal but you have been on Cat for 10 years. I am sure all the changes they did this year had nothing to do with making the sled better or keeping up to the competition but they did it for Marketing hype.
It’s going to take time, and after the peak of the 2010 M8 it has been a very slow climb out of the valley of 12-13. Textron is doing some things differently and will have better financial backing for innovation R&D, as well as marketing. Time will tell, but looks to be headed in the right direction. I thinks Cats lineup for 2018 is the strongest it’s been in a pretty long time, and Textron is putting a lot of $$ into moving that carryover inventory to position themselves, and the dealers, for a successful future.
-Stack
-Stack
I ride them all. summ8rmk= summit/m8/rmk. They are all awesome mountain sleds!
They each have their strengths and weaknesses.
Cat has had the best 'ALL AROUND MOUNTAIN SLED' since the Mseries which the pro rmk was built very similar to. I had both on my sled deck so, very easy to compare!
Mountain Cat
Yeah,
I'm a doo guy lately, but I really like the RMK and tried.....so far...one 17M 800. My only issue was it would benefit from a wider powerband (not so much peak power) and MAYBE a bit narrower stance.
Voila the 18 Cat! Its the mtn sleeper IMO....
You'd be an idiot to say there is huge difference between the brands these days. Cat, Poo, Doo.....and even Yami make great product......but it boils down to "personal" fit and dealer support.
I'd like to be the guy that rides enough to split hairs between them....something I should add to my bucket list!!!
Cheers....
OTM
I'm a doo guy lately, but I really like the RMK and tried.....so far...one 17M 800. My only issue was it would benefit from a wider powerband (not so much peak power) and MAYBE a bit narrower stance.
Voila the 18 Cat! Its the mtn sleeper IMO....
You'd be an idiot to say there is huge difference between the brands these days. Cat, Poo, Doo.....and even Yami make great product......but it boils down to "personal" fit and dealer support.
I'd like to be the guy that rides enough to split hairs between them....something I should add to my bucket list!!!
Cheers....
OTM
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