Arctic Cat Procross 2 stroke vs. 4 stroke

[alumacraft3]

Im looking into upgrading from my tourning sled to a procross series from arctic cat next winter. Ive already decided I want the most horse power they offer. Now im wondering if I should go with the 1100 turbo 4 stroke or the 800 2 stroke. Im pretty new to snowmobiling so can any of you that have either one of these sled give me some feedback. I would also like to hear the pros and cons of 2 stroke vs. 4 stroke in general also. Any information would be great. Thanks

[toughguy]

4 strokes in general will give you less power to weight ratio but will last longer and get better fuel economy. They also run quieter and will save you a lot on oil. I've heard some good things about the AC 4 stoke turbos. They were strong sellers this year. I heard AC sold more turbos then they made and were actually recalling them from dealers to redistribute to those that pre-ordered them last year. I have a 2010 F8 and I'd love get my hands on a new 4 stroke turbo. From what I've heard you won't be disappointed by it's get-up-and-go. I rarely ask for all the power by f8 has available. It think you'll be more than happy with the upgrade either way. Talk to your dealer and see what else they have to say. In my experience they're actually pretty good at finding what's best for you based on your wants and needs. Take a look at the other manufacturers too. You might be surprised and fall in love with another sled.

[MN Mike]

If you are looking for the most HP then you'll want the 4 stroke turbo @ 177hp factory. The 2 stroke 800 isn't far behind @ 160+.

Add a $800 controller plus a new set of head bolts, air tube and a exhaust pipe and you'll have a selection of 220 hp, 260 hp and 290 hp with a rotation of a dial this is for the 4 stroke turbo of course.

Weight is probably the biggest item you are going to have to decide on, the 4 stroke turbo is going to come in around 100+ lbs heavier all things considered. Weight isn't a bad thing when it comes to trail riding.

No recoil start on the 4 stroke so you'll want to have a new battery in there every few years.

Gas mileage is kick butt on the 4 strokes.

Mike

[toughguy]

Add a $800 controller plus a new set of head bolts, air tube and a exhaust pipe and you'll have a selection of 220 hp, 260 hp and 290 hp with a rotation of a dial this is for the 4 stroke turbo of course.

My God. I can't imagine 290HP

[Pinusbanksiana]

Don't get blinded by hp, the 600cc sleds are really the cream of the crop as far as light weight and handling. I am sure the big CC sleds nice too, but the weight to horse power equation is pretty important in terms of speed and handling.

There have been some reports of tunnels bending on the turbo and the 800, as well as reports of them catching fire. But by next year the bugs should be worked out.

[Macgyver55]

Weight is probably the biggest item you are going to have to decide on, the 4 stroke turbo is going to come in around 100+ lbs heavier all things considered. Weight isn't a bad thing when it comes to trail riding.

A little extra weight may be ok, depending on the distribution of it, but generally a lighter sled is easier to handle. The reason many guys have gone away from triples was due to the heavy feel of the front end which can be tiring after a long day of riding. That said the newer 4 strokes seem to be far better balanced than the triples of the past.

[alumacraft3]

Im looking at the crossover sled because I trail ride and ditch ride around home but I want to be able to take it out west to the mountains also. Would the procross with the 141 inch track be ok out in the mountains? If so would I need the turbo model or would the regular 1100 be enough for mountain riding? The dealer told me the 1100 without turbo is comparable to a 600cc 2 stroke sled. Im pretty new to this snowmobile stuff and have never been to the mountains to ride so any feedback is great.

[leech~~]

If you are looking for the most HP then you'll want the 4 stroke turbo @ 177hp factory. The 2 stroke 800 isn't far behind @ 160+.

Add a $800 controller plus a new set of head bolts, air tube and a exhaust pipe and you'll have a selection of 220 hp, 260 hp and 290 hp with a rotation of a dial this is for the 4 stroke turbo of course.

Weight is probably the biggest item you are going to have to decide on, the 4 stroke turbo is going to come in around 100+ lbs heavier all things considered. Weight isn't a bad thing when it comes to trail riding.

No recoil start on the 4 stroke so you'll want to have a new battery in there every few years.

Gas mileage is kick butt on the 4 strokes.

Mike

Mike, you are my man! They guy wants to do some ditch banging and you are building him a highmarking cornice runner!

[MN Mike]

LOL Leech! When he says he wants HP, I'm here to help

That being said....... Aluma, you almost have to drive the 800 and compare it to the 1100t and see what you prefer as far as weight goes, ditch bangin and the mountain riding I would lean towards the 800 ( that's what I have ), it's going to be easier to maneuver as Macgyver said.

One of the guys bought a non turbo 1100 this year, he rides a lot of sleds and he says you can definitely feel the 4 stroke in the sled, he likes the sled but it's definitely got a different attitude. It won't be going to the mountains, performance wise it's similar to a 600 2 stroke but weight wise, they are worlds apart.

141" track should be alright in the mountains, especially if you get the 4 stroke turbo. I don't think a person would be happy with a non turbo out west, then I would consider the 800 2 stroke for sure.

Next week we will be in Cooke City, unfortunately we won't have that ProCross XF High Country 1100t with, he's going out in early March but I would love to ride that 1100t with the ' dial ' or as he tells his buddies when they ask him what that dial is, he says, that's nothing that sled sounds AWESOME!!!!

We will have a 1100t 162 with, that one is stock, I want to see how that 4 stroke handles, some guys didn't like it when they had it out there a few weeks ago, they said it was front heavy, I guess we will find out.

Mike

[Moe Szyslak]

Take some time to research the how the new 1100 turbo cats are performing. In short I can tell you that some guys are going as far as strapping a fire extinguisher to their handlbars..

Yes, you heard me right!

[alumacraft3]

Thanks for all in information guys. So what about the procross 800cc 2 stroke sleds with the 141 inch track? How would that sled stock off the show room floor handle in the mountains and here at home in the ditches and trails? I was told when you head out west you have to make some adjustments on the 2 strokes so they run properly? Can anyone shed some light on that? Thanks

[MN Mike]

You're going to have to find out what its clutched for, the M's we run are clutched for the Mtn's from the factory, we run them down here and we don't touch a thing, never had any issues.

Worst case, you'll probably have to get a set of clutch weights, spring and maybe a helix for you're secondary clutch. Engine wise, it's fuel injected, you won't have to touch a thing when you take it out west.

Off the showroom floor, the sled should handle fine where ever you are, we hardly ever mess with our factory setup.

Mike

[minneman]

With a season under the belt with these sleds, anything to look out for in a used one? I've seen several with very low miles and some with close to 2000 mi.

[minneman]

Happy Birthday Mike!

[MN Mike]

Thanks!

Mike

[CaptainMusky]

If you ride in the Mtns very much the turbo would give you the most consistent performance since it will not lose HP at altitude like the 800. So you will consistently have your 177hp (or 290 LOL) where ever you ride.

There were a few issues with the new cats last year which are being resolved or have already been via a service bulletin.

The fire issue was causes because some fuel filters were not properly installed.

Tunnel issue was caused by ice buildup. These are coming out in Sept I believe in the form of changes for 2012 models and the 2013 have already been redesigned.

To the comments about a 600 being the cream of the crop, well, I played that game most of my life. Lighter? yes, but those little engines work so hard to do what comes easy to their big brothers. They actually tend to use MORE gas because of having to use more power to maintain the same speeds as someone on a larger machine. Nimbleness would be better though because they are lighter.

Weight wise the 1100 turbo is about 80 pounds heavier than the 800 2 stroke. Much of this weight is due to things you do not need on a two stroke, electric start, battery, reverse gears and hardware (engine reverse on 2 stroke).