We may as well state at the outset, this is the maximum the market offers in a 4-stroke for 2012.
This all-new chassis envelops an incredibly powerful 1056cc turbocharged twin, independently dynoed at 177-horsepower.
Is this more power than the average red-blooded snowmobiler needs? Absolutely! Is it an incredible blast to ride it? You betcha!
The absurd power output of this sled may completely overshadow the fact Arctic Cat has done a fabulous job in designing its new Procross chassis.
The new Cat platform is every bit capable of handling the power this 4-stroke makes and it does it with precise handling, excellent weight distribution and top-of-the-segment suspension compliance.
A big challenge in the sled’s design was literally harnessing the gargantuan power of a 175-plus-horse engine as it spools up its power under acceleration.
Former Cat Turbos have been notorious for belt-wear issues simply because the engine moved so much on its mounts as the rider applied maximum thumb pressure. This problem has been cured with a device called the “Torque Control Link”.
The idea behind it is to create an integrated link between the engine, the secondary clutch and the jackshaft so that under acceleration, everything moves uniformly.
Long ago, chassis designers gave up on trying to stop the engine from moving on its mounts. Lashing the motor down so securely it couldn’t move created incredible vibration problems and even premature wear of bulkhead and chassis components to the point of popping rivets and breaking welds.
With TSL, the motor can move around and not put stress on the chassis or the drivebelt. In the case of this giant-killer Turbo, it completely changes the way the sled feels and makes it downright pleasant to operate.
Furthermore, since no power is lost to excess belt deflection, you can be sure all the power is getting down to the snow, all the time. Hey, you may as well get everything you’re paying for, right?
You can read more about this chassis in Supertrax, but dare we say, its ride quality and especially, its handling are unprecedented in the 4-stroke world thus far.
We would go as far as to say you really can have it all with this snowmobile. Although it does weigh more than a mega-performance 2-stroke, its balance and agility are unlike any other 4-stroke we’ve ridden – extremely close to a 2-stroke.
The 4-stroke mass is slightly more obvious with this sled than its non-turbocharged sibling, particularly on tight trails, but without any reservations we’d accept the claim this engine and chassis combo nails the definition of what a 4-stroke hypersled should be.
