I need some advice on what sled to get, its going to be a 440 arctic cat but should I get a z440, or a zr440? what would be some advantages to them. I want a sno pro but theres not many around for sale in Maine and everyone that is selling one thinks there gold. What ever I get will probly be a 97 with ett, allso i'd like to add that i have a 93 550 ext that i play around with jumping and stuff i do 30' jumps in my yard just playin around and I am very comfortable with it but I think its kinda old to be useing it in snox :D

it depends on what you want. A z440 is going to be a fan, zr440 is a liquid. Theres a noticeable difference in power. The liquid seems to get a little better shox, or at least stiffer.

I know about the z being fan, but would the shocks from the zr fit on the z? how big of a power loss will i feel compared to my 550? would a zr 440 motor bolt right on to the z chasse?

I will be trail ridding this sled too i don't care about how ruff it rides, what would the top speed be for these sleds.. i jump everywhere possible. i like how light my 550 is, would the z440 be even lighter then the 550?

sorry didnt get back sooner....as far as i know up til 02, the snopro zr 440, and the z440 shared the same bodystyle/chassis...in 02 the liquid went to the f-cat, and the z stayed in the zr body..so long as you took shox and that from the same yr ZR to put on a Z id think youd be ok. If you cant, you can always buy stiffer springs, thatll help some to.
If you go to the 440fan, you will see a differnce in power. seeing as how the ext is liquid...the 440 liquid will when setup right will have alot more low end zip, and should rip up to 65-70, but will start falling on its face after that, where you 550 should have bit longer legs...
The ZR/Z both would be lighter than your 550. For race sleds they take off anything they can get away with or use a light weight alternative...which is many times is stronger than what it replaces...
Hope it helps...-Adam

how much do you want to spend on a sled to race
many of the z sno pro fans have good shocks for jumping,
i would try to go newer than a 97
decent race sleds can be had for $2000 on up

There is a huge difference in jumping 30 ft. to over a hundred feet. If you don't have a new sled the odds will be against you. You better have $20,000.00 to even hope to race a couple years in competition. There is no insurance for a wrecked $7000.00 sno x sled, and no warranties. Unless you have a sugar daddy,I would stick to the fun trail stuff.

sharkey does have a point, if you want to race semi-pro like in the "Rock Maple" circut.

Other than that you should be fine. I'm figuring your just going to race in places like Lincoln, Herman, Presque Isle, and maybe Skowhegan. IMO the 99' zr 440 suits you best, if you want to hit the big jumps, yet also hit the trails. My buddy has a 99' XCR 440 and he will beat my 500 all the way up through to 100, then we both fall on our faces.

BTW I don't think your going to be hitting 100 ft. jumps on the local races. There probably more like 40, or 50 ft. the payback is also extremely well, and the trophys seem to be a lot bigger in snoX, then Drag racing.