Arctic Cat has wasted no time getting its new 800 DSI mill in as many models as possible.
Certainly, Cat’s new mountain sleds on the fresh Ascender platform will benefit greatly from the new 800’s quick spool-up and excellent throttle response.
Trail sleds like the 129 and 137-inch ZR 8000s act completely different with the slot-injected 800 under the hood, too.
We’ve ridden them and the level of smoothness and responsiveness is unlike any other big-inch Cat ever.
We were surprised to learn that Arctic Cat has included the new engine in several other models for MY2018.
Usually there’s a lag in introducing a new engine all across the model line-up and new intros are limited to the most popular models only. Case in point is Ski-Doo’s 2017 intro of the G4 with a brand new 850.
However, Cat has included the new 800 C-TEC2 in every model that had an 800 in 2017. At first you’d be thinking: Why wouldn’t they do that – after all it’s just a swap-over from the former 800 to a new one, right?
Honestly, it’s not that simple. Because of the new engine’s different power characteristics, every model needs to be calibrated to match its output.
This involves clutching, gearing and distinctive fuel mapping differences for altitude sleds, powder-specific riding and trail use. It’s a huge undertaking and something most snowmobilers take for granted.
Here are some of the models equipped with the new DSI 800: The XF8000 High Country and HC Limited ES, CrossTrek 8000, Cross Country 8000, ZR 8000RR Series plus all the aforementioned 8000 129 and 137-inch models and the M-sleds for a total of 13 specific upgrades to the new engine.
This commitment to change pretty much leaves the old Suzuki-built 800 in the memory banks.
