Snow Goer Canada Mileage Test [Archive] - Snowmobile World : Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

: Snow Goer Canada Mileage Test


northern700sks
01-05-2006, 05:44 PM
I just finished reading an interesting article in the winter 2005 Snow Goer Canada on mileage tests. I thought I would share the results.

They compared 4 machines, all 2005's over 76.4 miles using the recommended fuel.

I calculated the following data to compare the machines.



MPG and Cost per mile (including 2 stroke oil)

Arctic Cat 600 EFI Sabrecat 10.5 mpg $0.505

Ski Doo MXZ 600 SDI Renegade 17.4 mpg $0.309

Ski Doo GTX 600 SDI 17.7 mpg $0.318

Yamaha Venture RS 120 Genesis 17.1 mpg $0.243



I wish they would have compated a Polaris as well, instead of 2 Ski Doo's.


I have considered a new Ski Doo 600 SDI, but I am also interested in the new Yamaha's!

Octane
01-05-2006, 05:49 PM
17 mpg for the Vector? Im calling BS on that one. Everyone I know with a Vector is getting 20+.

FishHog
01-05-2006, 05:58 PM
one of the main reasons I got rid of my old cat and went to doo was because it was such a fuel pig. I would have thought things may have improved since my 95' but I guess not.

do you know if that was Imperial gallon or US gallon. Thats in the range I get /USG with my renegade, but I can do better IMP, depending on riding style.

FishHog

northern700sks
01-05-2006, 06:04 PM
This is using imperial gallons.

They filled all four machines and went for a trail ride, changing riders every twenty minutes in an attempt to remove any differences from drivers.


My Polaris 700SKS is a pig on gas, but I seldon trail ride and if I can I try to ride the powder beside the trail.

When I looked at the Vector it did have a small tank and I didn't think the range would be all that impressive. The Cat must have been below a 1/4 of a tank when they refueled!

CORY9
01-05-2006, 06:21 PM
My question is why did they fill the Doo's with premium when the experts on this site inform me that all that is required in a SDI is regular?


The Cat must have been below a 1/4 of a tank when they refueled!
[/b]

They were careful to be accurate, treating all the sleds the same.

doo rider
01-05-2006, 06:23 PM
Thats not too good a mileage for imperial gallons on the 600SDI. I get 21 MPG imperial on my 600SDI all the time.

BearCat2003
01-05-2006, 06:34 PM
Was thinking hard on a Sabrecat for my wife, maybe the 500. If it's as hard on the juice as the 600 I may have to rethink things.

paul yarek
01-05-2006, 08:44 PM
do you know if that was Imperial gallon or US gallon. FishHog
[/b]
i wouldn't get too concerned because from any of my readings of "all" the sled publications those people don't know the size of the fuel tanks.

ZR Sled Head
01-05-2006, 08:56 PM
Arctic Cat 600 EFI Sabrecat 10.5 mpg $0.505

I call MAJOR BS on the SabreCat mileage. My ZR800 averages in the 12+ range but has managed over 16mpg and I know for a fact that the lay down engines are a fair bit better on fuel.............perhaps they measured mpg when towing a competitiors sled into the gas station.
The should change the name of the mag from "SNOW BLOWER" to "PROPAGANDA CENTRAL"!!!!

Rick K
01-05-2006, 09:02 PM
Thanks Northern for posting that...was looking at a new tundra today they have the new look...

Rick

z800rotax
01-05-2006, 09:45 PM
I think they factored in the cost of injection oil to the final cost per mile price.

northern700sks
01-05-2006, 10:26 PM
Yes, the cost per mile includes the cost of injection oil for the two strokes.

QUOTE(FishHog @ Jan 5 2006, 05:58 PM)

do you know if that was Imperial gallon or US gallon. FishHog


i wouldn't get too concerned because from any of my readings of "all" the sled publications those people don't know the size of the fuel tanks."[/b]


paul yarek, I think they were asking because the mpg is different in imperial (4.54 l/gallon)or US gallon (3.8 l/gallon).

jtman04401
01-05-2006, 10:59 PM
17 mpg for the Vector? Im calling BS on that one. Everyone I know with a Vector is getting 20+.
[/b]


Dont you get it...? Everyone is hyping the 4 strokes up and people just go along with the bs.

Its just like how a story can be told to one person... and in a months time after being passed around person to person the story ges embellished.

The new yamaha's are not getting the 20+mpg that yamaha says they were suposed to get. Its that simple. LOL the Doo 2 strokes are beating them in power AND fuel milage !!

lol Gotta love them 4 strokes though! lol

northern700sks
01-05-2006, 11:10 PM
Anybody know what the big Yamaha 4 stroke is getting for mpg?

FreezerBurnt
01-05-2006, 11:52 PM
Well there is a guy on Ontarioconditions.com that has both an SDI and Yamaha Vector

the SDI is better on fuel

He likes both sleds and seems far from being a BSer

and BTWE if you read it says they covered the cost of oil

Formulaman
01-06-2006, 12:21 AM
WELL I NEVER :bash: :bash:
SERIOUSLY :blahblah: The day I have to care what such and such is blah blah blah... fuel mileage...man this is no longer fun but WORK!!! wanna buy a sled cheap :cussing: :undercover:

Homer2002
01-06-2006, 01:01 AM
Dont you get it...? Everyone is hyping the 4 strokes up and people just go along with the bs.

Its just like how a story can be told to one person... and in a months time after being passed around person to person the story ges embellished.

The new yamaha's are not getting the 20+mpg that yamaha says they were suposed to get. Its that simple. LOL the Doo 2 strokes are beating them in power AND fuel milage !!

lol Gotta love them 4 strokes though! lol
[/b]

Hey jtman how do you know the 4 strokes aren't getting 20 + mpg? Do you own one or ride with someone who does? If you do lets here the numbers, if not don't dispute other peoples numbers. I personally don't own one now but I did own a 2003 RX1 which I got 17 - 19 mpg with. And that was driving it fairly hard. The new 3 cylinder vectors are a lot lighter and have less power so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if people were getting 20+ mpg driving them fairly hard and well over 20 mpg if driven easy. That test in Snow Goer had the 600 sdi getting slightly better mileage than the Yamaha Venture which weighed 86 lbs more than the GTX. Fish Hog gets nearly 20 mpg on his 600 sdi Renegade so I would imagine a Vector that weighs 75 lbs less than the Venture (which was neck and neck with the Renegade in the Snow Goer article) would get 20+ mpg.

As for Doo 2 strokes beating them in power, I'm not sure what you are comparing. The 600 sdi and the Yamaha 3 cylinder 4 stroke were both rated at 120 hp. The 800 powertek is in the 140 range and the Apex is 150 hp. The Mach Z is 165-170. The 3 cylinder Yamaha 4 stroke was designed to compete in the 600 class. I would say it does well in hp and fuel mileage since they are nearly identical in both categories. The 4 cylinder 4 stroke was designed to compete with the 800's. I would say it is also doing quite well since it has more power than the 800 powertek and better fuel mileage. If Yamaha wanted to compete with the Mach Z , they would probably put the R1 motorcycle engine (180 hp) in a sled. That is not Yamaha's focus at this point but it may be in the future. Why do people continue bashing 4 strokes without ever driving one? Considering Yamaha's very small market share it would probably be safe to say the vast majority of people who bash them have never ridden one or ridden with someone who owns one. I don't surmise what other people are getting for mileage unless I have ridden their sled or ridden with them and filled up at the pumps after we have just rode the same trails at similar speeds. I have yet to see a test anywhere or know of anyone who owns a 2 stroke other than a Skidoo sdi that even comes within 5 mpg of the 4 strokes. The Skidoos are amazing with their fuel economy. You will never see a 4 stroke that is as light as a 2 stroke so people have to accept that fact. They will never be as light. Their advantages are reliability, longevity, fuel mileage, and the lack of 2 stroke smell. Nobody said they would be as light or as fast as a 2 stroke. Just like nobody said a two stroke would go 40000 km without any major maintenance or never have a lean burn down or cold seizure or be virtually smoke free. There are obviously 4 stroke people and 2 stroke people.

ski-doorider
01-06-2006, 01:50 AM
I got similar fuel mileage to Fish hog with my 2004 600sdi - about 20 imp miles/gal. I am drawn to the Yamaha's and the longevity that a 4-stroke powerplant can deliver. The thing is I am very pleased with the sdi 2-strokes economy and the cost of the oil and it's smell is not really an issue to me. Weight is the main thing.

As far as long lasting...well sleds are changing so fast these days. I always buy new every 2 years anyways and even if I tried to keep a Yamaha for a longer period of time - something new and radical would come out and entice me to buy a new sled :christmas: .

doo rider
01-06-2006, 04:03 PM
I just rode with an 06 attak last weekend and he was getting approx 15MPG imperial, where I was getting 21. Once its broken in it should get more....on the same note.....a brand new 06 renegade 800PT was only getting about 10-11MPG. DOO claims on there website for 20MPG

b349
01-06-2006, 05:36 PM
Wow I am certainly hoping for better than 10-11mpg on my f6 my old sled only got 9-10mpg and it was not fun to have to spend at least 20$ at every gas station we saw.G

boss hoss
01-06-2006, 08:29 PM
Hey jtman how do you know the 4 strokes aren't getting 20 + mpg? Do you own one or ride with someone who does? If you do lets here the numbers, if not don't dispute other peoples numbers. I personally don't own one now but I did own a 2003 RX1 which I got 17 - 19 mpg with. And that was driving it fairly hard. The new 3 cylinder vectors are a lot lighter and have less power so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if people were getting 20+ mpg driving them fairly hard and well over 20 mpg if driven easy. That test in Snow Goer had the 600 sdi getting slightly better mileage than the Yamaha Venture which weighed 86 lbs more than the GTX. Fish Hog gets nearly 20 mpg on his 600 sdi Renegade so I would imagine a Vector that weighs 75 lbs less than the Venture (which was neck and neck with the Renegade in the Snow Goer article) would get 20+ mpg.

As for Doo 2 strokes beating them in power, I'm not sure what you are comparing. The 600 sdi and the Yamaha 3 cylinder 4 stroke were both rated at 120 hp. The 800 powertek is in the 140 range and the Apex is 150 hp. The Mach Z is 165-170. The 3 cylinder Yamaha 4 stroke was designed to compete in the 600 class. I would say it does well in hp and fuel mileage since they are nearly identical in both categories. The 4 cylinder 4 stroke was designed to compete with the 800's. I would say it is also doing quite well since it has more power than the 800 powertek and better fuel mileage. If Yamaha wanted to compete with the Mach Z , they would probably put the R1 motorcycle engine (180 hp) in a sled. That is not Yamaha's focus at this point but it may be in the future. Why do people continue bashing 4 strokes without ever driving one? Considering Yamaha's very small market share it would probably be safe to say the vast majority of people who bash them have never ridden one or ridden with someone who owns one. I don't surmise what other people are getting for mileage unless I have ridden their sled or ridden with them and filled up at the pumps after we have just rode the same trails at similar speeds. I have yet to see a test anywhere or know of anyone who owns a 2 stroke other than a Skidoo sdi that even comes within 5 mpg of the 4 strokes. The Skidoos are amazing with their fuel economy. You will never see a 4 stroke that is as light as a 2 stroke so people have to accept that fact. They will never be as light. Their advantages are reliability, longevity, fuel mileage, and the lack of 2 stroke smell. Nobody said they would be as light or as fast as a 2 stroke. Just like nobody said a two stroke would go 40000 km without any major maintenance or never have a lean burn down or cold seizure or be virtually smoke free. There are obviously 4 stroke people and 2 stroke people.
[/b]

rvanderklok
01-06-2006, 08:30 PM
17 mpg for the Vector? Im calling BS on that one. Everyone I know with a Vector is getting 20+.
[/b]

I don't think you read the test results properly.......

Yamaha Venture RS 120 Genesis 17.1 mpg $0.243

The Venture probably weighs about 150 lbs more than the Vector for starters, plus it has a 144" track, plus has MANY MANY options available that the Vectors don't. We don't know if the Venture was "fully loaded" or "bare bones". If it was fully loaded, it probably weighs 200 lbs more than the Vector, that would explain the lesser fuel mileage.

boss hoss
01-06-2006, 08:33 PM
Hey jtman how do you know the 4 strokes aren't getting 20 + mpg? Do you own one or ride with someone who does? If you do lets here the numbers, if not don't dispute other peoples numbers. I personally don't own one now but I did own a 2003 RX1 which I got 17 - 19 mpg with. And that was driving it fairly hard. The new 3 cylinder vectors are a lot lighter and have less power so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if people were getting 20+ mpg driving them fairly hard and well over 20 mpg if driven easy. That test in Snow Goer had the 600 sdi getting slightly better mileage than the Yamaha Venture which weighed 86 lbs more than the GTX. Fish Hog gets nearly 20 mpg on his 600 sdi Renegade so I would imagine a Vector that weighs 75 lbs less than the Venture (which was neck and neck with the Renegade in the Snow Goer article) would get 20+ mpg.

As for Doo 2 strokes beating them in power, I'm not sure what you are comparing. The 600 sdi and the Yamaha 3 cylinder 4 stroke were both rated at 120 hp. The 800 powertek is in the 140 range and the Apex is 150 hp. The Mach Z is 165-170. The 3 cylinder Yamaha 4 stroke was designed to compete in the 600 class. I would say it does well in hp and fuel mileage since they are nearly identical in both categories. The 4 cylinder 4 stroke was designed to compete with the 800's. I would say it is also doing quite well since it has more power than the 800 powertek and better fuel mileage. If Yamaha wanted to compete with the Mach Z , they would probably put the R1 motorcycle engine (180 hp) in a sled. That is not Yamaha's focus at this point but it may be in the future. Why do people continue bashing 4 strokes without ever driving one? Considering Yamaha's very small market share it would probably be safe to say the vast majority of people who bash them have never ridden one or ridden with someone who owns one. I don't surmise what other people are getting for mileage unless I have ridden their sled or ridden with them and filled up at the pumps after we have just rode the same trails at similar speeds. I have yet to see a test anywhere or know of anyone who owns a 2 stroke other than a Skidoo sdi that even comes within 5 mpg of the 4 strokes. The Skidoos are amazing with their fuel economy. You will never see a 4 stroke that is as light as a 2 stroke so people have to accept that fact. They will never be as light. Their advantages are reliability, longevity, fuel mileage, and the lack of 2 stroke smell. Nobody said they would be as light or as fast as a 2 stroke. Just like nobody said a two stroke would go 40000 km without any major maintenance or never have a lean burn down or cold seizure or be virtually smoke free. There are obviously 4 stroke people and 2 stroke people.
[/b]
EXACTLY-WELL SAID.RIGHT ON MAN-RIGHT ON!
READ MY AVATAR-4 STROKE IS A NO BRAINER FOR THE BOSS IN THE FUTURE.
I HAVE NO NEED TO BE HEARD OR SEEN-ONLY THE LOVE FOR THE RIDE AND THE NORTH.
NOW WHERE IS THAT D..N MOOSE I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR??

800MXZ
01-06-2006, 10:44 PM
With my clutching and a all stock engine and jetting, my long tracked RX-1 is avering 21+MPG US GALLONS. Last tank was 168mi on 8 gallons US.

rvanderklok
01-06-2006, 10:49 PM
With my clutching and a all stock engine and jetting, my long tracked RX-1 is avering 21+MPG US GALLONS. Last tank was 168mi on 8 gallons US.[/b]

So your 1000 gets about the same fuel milage as my 485cc fan. Now THAT'S IMPRESSIVE!!!!! (especially since you've got over twice the horse power!!!)

800MXZ
01-07-2006, 12:50 AM
That's 25+ MPG imperial gallons

CORY9
01-07-2006, 09:39 AM
That's 25+ MPG imperial gallons
[/b]

That's close to being unbelievable, defies everything I've ever read about the carbed RX-1's. Truly an incredible number, far surpasses the Gennisis 120's numbers.
Stock other than a clutch kit, any jetting or carb work?

paul yarek
01-07-2006, 10:12 AM
That's close to being unbelievable, defies everything I've ever read about the carbed RX-1's. [/b]
it could be the way he rides, i've spoke to one other with a 2003 or 4 RX-1 that says the same mileage. i've had many 2004 through 2006 f150 supercab 4x4's with 5.4 engine and i consistently get 19.5 miles to the imperial gallon. customers complain to me about their terrible fuel mileage with the same truck i say no problem and i will swap them trucks for a few days. with me driving theirs i get my 19.5 again and i have to take them for a drive to show them how it is done. idling a vehicle of any breed kicks hell out of your good fuel mileage.

CORY9
01-07-2006, 02:29 PM
Could be Paul, some people have a knack for riding/driving for top mileage that's why I'd like to hear more.

andw1
01-07-2006, 06:15 PM
This thread stinks, if you are worried about the gas mileage buy a prius and sell your sled.

As long as you can get to gas stations without running out it doesn't matter IMO.

CORY9
01-07-2006, 08:13 PM
This thread stinks, if you are worried about the gas mileage buy a prius and sell your sled.

As long as you can get to gas stations without running out it doesn't matter IMO.
[/b]

That's just the point, you can't always get to the gas station with the mileage some of the sleds supply.
Not sure where you ride, but take a trip to Northern Ontario on a sled that provides 10 mpg and see how you feel running low in the middle of no-where as the sun is setting.
Yeah, just pre-plan your fuel stops, doesn't always work. If I can have the same performance with dramatically increase fuel RANGE then I'm listening.

northern700sks
01-07-2006, 09:10 PM
Yes, for me the only gas station is in town. I have to go over a 100 miles in any direction before I see another gas station.

With gas over $5/gallon fuel mileage is very important.

I won't go and buy a new sled just for the mileage, but I am shopping for a new sled and it will be a consideration of mine. I am tired of having to haul fuel just to go fishing for the day.

I am very impressed with the Ski-Doo 600 SDI results, both of the test and the acclamations here. My local dealer told me how great they were, BUT...........

andw1
01-08-2006, 10:21 AM
My point is that some of these guys are argueing about 1-2 MPG, and with the more dramatic increases in some models, they make the damn tank smaller so you still only get 100-150 miles a tank.

spikegary
01-08-2006, 11:45 AM
Dont you get it...? Everyone is hyping the 4 strokes up and people just go along with the bs.

Its just like how a story can be told to one person... and in a months time after being passed around person to person the story ges embellished.

The new yamaha's are not getting the 20+mpg that yamaha says they were suposed to get. Its that simple. LOL the Doo 2 strokes are beating them in power AND fuel milage !!

lol Gotta love them 4 strokes though! lol
[/b]


and.....and.....Yamaha was the 2nd gunman on the hill and 4-strokes buried Jimmy Hoffa under the Yamaha Factory.........

FreezerBurnt
01-08-2006, 03:23 PM
My point is that some of these guys are argueing about 1-2 MPG, and with the more dramatic increases in some models, they make the damn tank smaller so you still only get 100-150 miles a tank.
[/b]

Well said

Take Yamaha they had a 12 gal tank and now have a 10 or so gal

Polaris is the same

This is why I like my 13gal tank

If I am just thrashing around then who cares what the MPG is BUT if I out riding here to there I need to know that I will get 150miles out of the tank

greatwhitenorth
01-08-2006, 06:21 PM
yeah, I have a ski-doo sno-x mod, it gets 33 mpg on the track, pretty amazing eh? yeah its pretty crazy. just like you people. lets just make approximates, ski-doo 600 sdi = 15-25 mpg. yamaha venture or vector or venus or whatever = 15-25mpg. TXL 340 = 3-8mpg. it all depends on the rider, conditions, and sled. you's are like old men sitting all day at Tim Hortons arguing about the weather or better yet old women arguing about their old men.
have a nice day


by the way, my mod puts out 342 hp

DamageInc
01-08-2006, 08:23 PM
Arctic Cat 600 EFI Sabrecat 10.5 mpg $0.505

I call MAJOR BS on the SabreCat mileage. My ZR800 averages in the 12+ range but has managed over 16mpg and I know for a fact that the lay down engines are a fair bit better on fuel.............perhaps they measured mpg when towing a competitiors sled into the gas station.
The should change the name of the mag from "SNOW BLOWER" to "PROPAGANDA CENTRAL"!!!!
[/b]

It might not have been BS, meaning that they might have only gotten 10.5 mpg, but then there was something wrong with their test sled. I haven't ridden with any Sabercats, but the F6 and F7s (same engines as Sabers) that I rode with have done MUCH better than 10.5 mpg. Even my Crossfire 700 does better than that, and I don't go easy on it.

Rocketman
01-09-2006, 09:59 AM
sure I'll jump into the fray...

Rode with an RX-1 last year. 80 or so mile trail run. Guess what..when we filled up...my non-ho 800 rev took the same amount of fuel. Completely stock. I would chalk that up to inconsistency in the machines and different riders. He didn't get no 20mpg....ever...