Real World Shoot-Out: Snow Brawl! 140-horse steeds are a healthy herd.“If mid- to high-end speed is what you’re looking for, get yourself one of these machines!”Strong recommendation by „American Snowmobiler“ magazine in their Spring ’07 issue: “If mid- to high-end speed is what you’re looking for, get yourself one of these machines!”
For our Real World Shoot-Out this winter we put three 140-horse ruffians to the test. They didn't disappoint!
This year the Arctic Cat F8 Sno Pro, Polaris Dragon 700 and Ski-Doo Blizzard 800 went nose to nose to nose in our snow brawl in the Upper Peninsula. To give each a lot more grip, we studded them with model-specific stud packages from Stud Boy.
These three screamers were extremely close in their acceleration, elapsed time in the ¼-mile, actual speed at the end of the ¼-mile and top speed.
As with many tests, the winner is not always 100% clear.
In true ¼-mile style, the fastest ET is the winner. This year, the sled AmSnow named Best Sled of the Year in our premier issue, the Ski-Doo Blizzard 800, had the quickest ET. The Ski-Doo clicked off just 12.77 seconds before it crossed the ¼-mile tape. However, the new white machine was third in this group when considering top speed - a solid 101.13 mph.
Top speed honors went to Cat's F8 at a blistering 104.07 mph. The new Cat completed the ¼-mile in 13.18 seconds, making it second in the ET category.
Polaris' Dragon was working with fewer CCs, and arguably 2-5 less horsepower than its rivals, but still managed the best top speed of 103 mph on the radar. The Dragon's ¼-mile ET was 13.33 seconds, a close third to the Cat.
This class of sleds is brought even closer when you examine the speeds at the exact ¼-mile mark. The Dragon was fastest at 99.81 mph, the Blizzard was just a tick behind at 99.71 mph and the Cat was charging hard at 99.42 mph.
There's more to consider though, and our premium members can do just that by reading the whole story. Sign up below as a premium member or pick up the Spring issue, on newsstands shortly, to read more!
See that star? - The silver star on our test rider's back helps the radar gun pick him up when he's riding the F8 at nearly 105 mph for a ½-mile. Scott Stollberg photos |  |
