with the turbo Z1 coming in 09 (i heard its going to be listed at 177hp) i cant help but think that within the next few years, rather i am willing to bet, that someone is going to cross the 200hp mark with a factory sled? dont get me wrong, i will be first in line to buy one of these bad boys, but at the same time i cant help but think...when the hell would i ever use it? doing 120 across a lake on my f7 is a huge rush, but the other 99% of the time when i am on trails i dont even come close to using the power it has, and consider myself a pretty aggressive rider.
i know this will get responses from the high and mighty who will say when they are flying through the woods in northern wisconsin they need more than 140 or so hp, but lets get realistic, any good driver on his 500 has a pretty good shot of keeping up with any other sled made with twice the power on most trails, until the every so often straightaway.
we are not there yet, but be sure it will be here soon. Guess i am wondering if im just in the wrong part of the country to need this kind of power, or if my opinion makes sense...
thoughts?

I went from my 800 top end at 180+hp strong to a "stock" 600 top end. lost close to 60 hp, but did a lot of work on the chassis and other stuff. i am in the process of building a 1050 trip for this chassis. or was in the process, after riding with a several groups of friends, I think i am going to keep this 600 sled as is, I will loose some lake races, but who cares, it does what i built it to do off trail very very well. and I cant believe how much i like this little engine. for the most part it runs right with the pack of friends. I am just going to use the big motor for a lake racer. the 60 lbs i took off the sled work better than stock body and tons of power.

I have owned everything from 440-1000cc sleds. Ill stick with the smaller motors on the trails any Day. They are quicker and lighter. When I get on an F7 it feels like an anchor is in the front of it.

ive ridden most sleds and 600 is my choice,hard to beat a big sled on "lake" and its tough to get away from a small sled in the trees,but 90% of the rest of my riding you can make them look silly,,

200 HP is for wimps and 12 year olds. LOL

Don

Hp sells sleds, cars, trucks. Or use to. Now, it's also efficiency. MPG, light weight, durability. But, the more versatile a vehicle is, the better value it is.

So, TURBOCHARGING a smaller sized engine is ONCE AGAIN becoming the best choice. Adjustable hp with maximum being determined by engine strength and fuel quality. The Polaris FST is a great example. Not so sure about the "light weight" though. LOL! But, imagine a Polaris 700 VES engine with that setup in a Edge/IQ chassis. And, they are the best option for mountain climbing at higher elevations.

Turbo Phil

Redcat03, achotrod and Phil all have merit in their posts,, where other than wide open lakes (that have been scanned over for smoothness) and seasonal roads (same applies here somewhat as lakes) do you really get the chance to air one out without putting others in danger??

Uhhh... HILL CLIMBS!

the first one to build a 1000+cc triple 2 stroke will be the first one to do it. and will be the king of the lakes for many years to come.

I happen to be that guy! I'm adding the turbo right now. 1000 cc T-Cat triple w/turbo. ASPHALT right now, but, can be converted for "TRAIL, SAND or HILLCLIMB". Xskier is shaking in his boots. LOL!!!!!

All things considered (within "normal usage" to most sledders),, excuuuuuuuuuuuuussse me! Lol

Hey, where ya' been this season? phones still do exist

Yeah a 500 on a trail with tight corners , but up here in michigan (gaylord Mi) a 500 would not even come close to hanging with us...


PS i ran a d&d f9 twin pipes 190hp last winter and was wishing i had more (setup by jason price ) 5 to 6 sled from 40mph to 100mph on a very good running f7..

if your a really good rider, a 600 will keep up with anything no problem except on those very few mile long straight streches

Am also waiting to see what becomes of the new doo 3 cylinder. 200 horse should not be an issue with this motor.

I really liked having way more power than needed. like 4wd on your pickup. you only use it a small percentage of the time but when you need it its nice to have.

I agree with everyone sayin smaller engines are the way. I used to use my 98 zr440 over my 01 zrt600 because of the weight. I am waiting until the day when they come out wiht a 440 with about 140-150 hp stock and under 400lbs. That will be my perfect everything sled.

ps - i will wait at least 10 more years before messing around with a turbo in a sled. I dont think they have it quite down yet (as far a being durable)

400+ hp Thundercat

What size turbo is that? I know its a turbonetics, but what size does it compare to in a garrett?
what kind of HP at what boost? thanks.

The owner of this sled is testing in superflow at mc-xpress in sweden now.
I`ll give you dynonumbers soon.....

Turbokarlsen

my 900 switchback with the few mods on it was supposed to be around 175 hp and on the trails all that power was useless, i would often find myself just rolling around at half or a quarter throttle, and when we would run across the lakes it wasn't as much fun either because mine was so much more powerfull than my buddies sleds that they didn't even have a chance. and personally i kinda like to know that there is at least a chance i can lose.

however when i'm in the mountains 7000+ ft, i would say i always wanted more power because the altitude really does suck out that power