Just wondering what all you guys thought was cats best engine and sled from past present or future.

well what kind of engine performance or speed? i would have to say i liked the engine in the 97 zrt600's it had nice performance and speed.. but we will have to see what the F series brings

I think its pretty hard to have a best engine cause they always keep getting better. The 600tripple was a great engine and the 500 twin has alway been prettty impressive for its size. Like team arctic said well have to wait and see but if the 700 does what they say that will be impressive.

Best engine has to be the big triples 800,900 and 1000cc, smooth,powerful,durable and excellent on gas for the size of motor, yes I know why did cat get rid of them,well with the media and magazines bashing the big triples for the last few years, now we have twins, less money for the factorys to make them yet there charging more for these 2 piston jobs (ZR900 retail $8400 ZR 800 retail $8100) nuts.. sorry I got carried away , question was best motor , big triples..

I gotta say there 500 liquid cooled. Man those things are tuff. Alot of power for the size, smooth, and kinda nice hummm to it.. Nicely suited to a ZR chassis, and you have your self a fun machine. Not the fatest, or the slowest. But you can bang it around pretty good.

Hard to pick just one, so I will say the best "overall" engine(s) would be any of the triples. ;)

Not considering HP. I would say there 440 Fan twin has always been a proven runner. It is still very much unchanged from years past. Same goes for the 550 liquid.

I would have to say the ZRT 600 . I had one for five years and it never let me down .Had to change the rings once. Excellent bottom end and top end machine. very reliable too. Last year i upgraded to a 01 ZR 800 We'll see how its running after five years.

This may not be a real popular answer, but I vote for the 440fan. I have owned lots of sleds over the years (current ZR600EFI, waiting for my F7 to come in), but that 440 fan has been a real work horse for cat. They run forever, get great milage, we use to see 19-20mpg in our old trail cat, the motor was the only good thing about that sled. I'll vote for the 440 and hope that 10 years from now someone is saying similar things about the slant 7 motor !! :D

I'll vote for the baby triple ZRT600. Great reliability and power. It doesn't care if I crawl through the woods with the kids or blast across a lake. It always performs. It's a crime what the media and magazine idiots did to this motor.
I also have the 500. Great motor also.

i'm may take some heat for this but i have got to say the 530-550-580. the trips are great with lots of good points but a trip is not practical for the average rider. these babys are solid workhorse engines that are reliable and powerfull. we will have to wait to comment on the new f engines. they appear to have lots of potential. :) happy sleddin'!

Originally posted by KING CAT@Oct 4 2002, 10:19 AM
i'm may take some heat for this but i have got to say the 530-550-580. the trips are great with lots of good points but a trip is not practical for the average rider. these babys are solid workhorse engines that are reliable and powerfull. we will have to wait to comment on the new f engines. they appear to have lots of potential. :) happy sleddin'!
I would have to say the triples. I personally don't think the 580 is one of their best motors. It has a bad rep for breaking piston skirts and very low hp. If I remember right there was a post on another site that showed a survey that 2 out of 5 580 motors didn't have any problems.

i'll bet atleast half if not more people that had those 580's in which 2 of five people did not have problems actually took care and looked their sled over once in a while

i dont know how many times i have seen cracked intake boots on the 580's the reason they like to drop piston skirts is because they get leaned out and i'll the other half melted down from twin pipes and other mods especially mods to the EFI sleds which were either not done properly of just pure abuse

also consider that this engine has been around for about 10 years already and a rated 97 horsepower was not too bad back in the day ski-doo's 583 had about 97-100 horsepower if i remember correctly yamaha's 600 twin had about that much and the baby triple had about 90 horse for the day the 580 was not too bad over the years the sleds are getting cared for less and more miles logged on i would think that a couple would be having some problems but again i bet over half of the problems were due to carelessness

The 600 triple was a good engine... however in most 600 triple owners ive talked to they said it was underpowered for the machine weight. I agree with king cat. the early 530-580 liquid twins were ahead of their time. Cat was still making the 580 until 2001 and is still making the 550 now. With very little changed it proves that the engine is a proven runner. I just wish the 550 boasted a little more HP. If the 580 made 97hp then i dont understand why the 550 couldnt come in a little higher then 80.

The 580 was not low on horsepower at all. The '96 Amsnow Shootout had the '96 dyno'd at 97 and some change. Most in its class. Although the motor did/does have some issues, I tend to agree that most of the problems were owner-inflicted through no fault of the motor. You'll find a ton of people that will argue that though.

Originally posted by PowderBoy@Oct 4 2002, 05:53 PM
The 600 triple was a good engine... however in most 600 triple owners ive talked to they said it was underpowered for the machine weight.
The only "underpowered" 600 trips. were the '99 on up models. Even with the APV giving them a claimed 120hp(2 hp up from earlier models)they were set up from the factor as more of a cruiser.
JMO however... ;)

There were a lot of great sleds in the past, but I predict the F7 is going to be THE SLED people will be talking about in the next couple of years from CAT. Why?

Well it's basically an improved (beefed up) version of an OPEN MOD Sno-Pro. If you could have predicted that CAT was going to come out with a consumer version of their Sno-Pro's with 140 horsepower 15 months ago, people would have said, "no way".

Well it's here, and the great thing about it (barring any major headaches) is it's even EFI which means NO JETTING worries. What is not to like? Maybe it's to powerful for some or it will seem that way. (But most of you don't complain about power.)

If you don't like the power of the sled (being to much) you can get an F5. I do believe the "Cat hype" that I've seen on their website and video. Simply because they've delivered before.

(If I sound excited, it's because the F7 is almost here. . . sorry.)

Anyway the only complaint I've heard from some people who've had a 711 Sno-Pro or some other open mod racing twin was, "it's got to much power". So new riders of the F7 will have to be careful if they haven't had a light weight machine with that much power. It's going to ROCK.

(Now I could go on about the fun we're going to see with the other products from other manufacturers. . . yes even the other products excite me, but I'll keep this post short.)

Originally posted by phazerhater+Oct 4 2002, 03:34 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (phazerhater @ Oct 4 2002, 03:34 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin--PowderBoy@Oct 4 2002, 05:53 PM
The 600 triple was a good engine... however in most 600 triple owners ive talked to they said it was underpowered for the machine weight.
The only "underpowered" 600 trips. were the &#39;99 on up models. Even with the APV giving them a claimed 120hp(2 hp up from earlier models)they were set up from the factor as more of a cruiser.
JMO however... ;)[/b][/quote]



i seem to remember the &#39;95-&#39;96 600&#39;s as being very strong. :D

Originally posted by ATOMICAT@Oct 4 2002, 03:43 PM
Anyway the only complaint I&#39;ve heard from some people who&#39;ve had a 711 Sno-Pro or some other open mod racing twin was, "it&#39;s got to much power". So new riders of the F7 will have to be careful if they haven&#39;t had a light weight machine with that much power.
thats depends how good a rider you are! :D


happy sleding!

2 words-Wankel rotary :D

I would have to say a 97 ZRT 600 :) verrry strong engine, nice ride,and a sharp looking sled. I also think the 440 fan is a strong runner.

Glad to hear the 440 fans are so highly regarded...bought one for wife last weekend, thought it would be a good choice, enough get up and go, reliable, good gas mileage, hope to get a lot of trouble free miles out of it.

Well these are the results i expected. The zrt 600 being the most popular and the 440 fan coming in as the most durable and reliable.
I also think the 500 and 600 twins in the zr (all) and zl (1998-2000) are very good engines for the size and i imagine that the f-5 will even be better then the 600.
Of all the sleds I drove I think I like our old 1998 zr 600 the best but man do i ever love makin the skis lift at 70mph on the fat 800 triple.lol

I know guys that have had the 600 triple and when they got on my old 800 they would say "wish i got the 800" dont get me wrong the 600 triple is a good engine but cat did Nix the triples for a reason, They werent doing the job efficiently. Compared to the 800 i think the 600 was a dog leg behind.

: I loved my old 95 zrt 600 for its power and torque after all it was pre production and it was raw in every scents of the word.But the engine in my 99 zl (500) with D.D. big bore is just 711 efi is just what doctor ordered.This is super tough in every way .All you add is rings every 2000 miles and cluth springs every 1000 thats it.I have about 4500 miles on it and if cats new 700 is this good I be getting one in 2003.The bottom end is stock this engine gets 13-15 cnd mpg if you can hold your self control and not wanting run and smoke stock 800`s off all makes for the fun of it.On had pack this set up rules,for it takes good work t-cats 1000 +feet to get by and you have nothing to lose, for there is 500 decals on it!!!I run 144 1 inch sarbe wart hogs(notenough)walh brother hub and disc ,lite weight shat and axle, and for good measure alumimun top gear.P.S. just to make shore its a take no prisoners approach it has 5700 engagment swing 62.5 grams with 62 or 64/38 dylaton helix,you never know when some else has been doing there homework also.I will been hunting in highlands of Cape Breton this winter for you rx-1 boat anchors , for in our neck of woods this what we call Cape breton stock...........................

I bought a `97&#39; 580 EXT last year with 4,000 miles on. It had been well cared for and maintained. Then I started to hear about the problems with the motor, particularly that the bottom end seal was weak. Sure enough at 5,400 miles the seal went. The cat dealer told me that this was one of the main problems with this motor. Fortunately I was able to trade the sled with that dealer without losing my shirt. I bought a `2000&#39; zl 500 with 1,100 miles. What a sled and great motor. They say it will go 10,000 miles before needing rings. Hope so. :)

By the way, how can a motor that needs rings every 2,000 miles and clutch work every 1,000 miles be considered reliable? This is one of my concerns with 2 stroke motors. I couldn&#39;t afford that kind of maintenance. I drive that in month. It baffles me that in 2003 they can&#39;t build a more durable motor that can hold up better. Let&#39;s hope that these new motors will be more bullet proof.

:D , i would have to say that the 96 zrt600,it has the most hp. out of all 600 triples that cat ever put out,125 right outa the box,then in 97 they changed the pipes and toned her down a bit to 117. i love the mid rangeand top end my zert puts out, it always takes everything i give it and it still wants more,

10,000 miles without rings? I think the guy was stretching the truth. I know a guy who just rebuilt his 98&#39; ZL 500 with 4000 miles on it. Dealer said it needed it bad. It was running low compression and having trouble keeping upi with other 500&#39;s

Why do 2 strokes need ring jobs so often? Is the wear that extreme on the rings and cylinders? By the way that 580 was running strong with good compression at 5,400 miles. If I had kept it I was going to have the rings done when the seal was replaced even though it was running strong. Glad I traded. That 500 is awesome!!!!!

I&#39;d say that the little Kitty-Kat engine was the best, I had to put on over 5,000 miles on one growing up and no problems EVER!

Originally posted by sedlowd@Oct 4 2002, 01:19 PM
This may not be a real popular answer, but I vote for the 440fan. I have owned lots of sleds over the years (current ZR600EFI, waiting for my F7 to come in), but that 440 fan has been a real work horse for cat. They run forever, get great milage, we use to see 19-20mpg in our old trail cat, the motor was the only good thing about that sled. I&#39;ll vote for the 440 and hope that 10 years from now someone is saying similar things about the slant 7 motor !! :D
I have to agree with you on the 440 Fan Suzook. I have one with over 30,000mi on it in my &#39;91 Super Jag that has only had one ring change in its lifetime so far.

For the torture I&#39;ve put this thing through (hauling wood, hauling building supplies, hauling caribou) and the -40C temperatures it usually rides in, I can&#39;t believe it even works at all.

I have owned many sleds and engines, but that one is the toughest I&#39;ve ever seen.

-Rob

Originally posted by cat4life@Oct 5 2002, 12:14 AM
Well these are the results i expected. The zrt 600 being the most popular and the 440 fan coming in as the most durable and reliable.
I also think the 500 and 600 twins in the zr (all) and zl (1998-2000) are very good engines for the size and i imagine that the f-5 will even be better then the 600.
Of all the sleds I drove I think I like our old 1998 zr 600 the best but man do i ever love makin the skis lift at 70mph on the fat 800 triple.lol
Remove the introductory year &#39;98 ZR600 engine from the "good" list, people had a lot of trouble with that engine.

BUt hey, many first year engines have teething issues.

-Rob

My favorite AC would have to be my current ride-02 ZR-800cce. The 800 makes big torque which means it revs fairly low making it both fuel efficient and quiet. The fact it goes like hell doesn&#39;t hurt either.
My second fav would have to be my last two 700&#39;s (99+2000). Definately an under rated sled that performs very well after clutching and jetting. If AC still made them I would be riding one now.

I hope once i get a chance to ride my ZL 800 that i will think that is the best sled ever heheheh :devil:

I agree with you completely LabradorBoy about taking of the 98 zr 600. I know from experience that there were some problems with it. My step dad had one and the second year we had it, it blew up twice, clutch went, track came apart, bearings in the suspension went and the headlight even fell out. But what I ment was that they had a great power when they was running.

The reason his 711 needs rings is fro peace of mind and because they usually start to wear about then. If you build a high end motor the tolerances are usually very tight, so wear equals lost power. And all clutches need springs replace but very feew people do it. I&#39;m sure we&#39;ll be hearing more about clutch service this season. Springs take "a set"after tyime. Which equates to it not operating as new. This is why you see alo of guys going to titinium springs. i hope this helps you some.
Caleb

Doesn&#39;t matter as long as it is a Arctic cat ;)

the thunder cat, for its time.

Originally posted by LabradorBoy+Oct 8 2002, 09:31 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (LabradorBoy @ Oct 8 2002, 09:31 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin--cat4life@Oct 5 2002, 12:14 AM
Well these are the results i expected. *The zrt 600 being the most popular and the 440 fan coming in as the most durable and reliable. *
I also think the 500 and 600 twins in the zr (all) and zl (1998-2000) are *very good engines for the size and i imagine that the f-5 will even be better then the 600.
Of all the sleds I drove I think I like our old 1998 zr 600 the best but man do i ever love makin the skis lift at 70mph on the fat 800 triple.lol
Remove the introductory year &#39;98 ZR600 engine from the "good" list, people had a lot of trouble with that engine.

BUt hey, many first year engines have teething issues.

-Rob[/b][/quote]
The EFIs were the ones melting down. FYI

The 530s had NOTHING in common with the 550-580 piston ports

The 530s had reeds while the 550-580s had no reeds

Funny no one mentioned the 440lc non racer engine :(

Originally posted by FreezerBurnt@Oct 25 2002, 02:19 PM
The 530s had NOTHING in common with the 550-580 piston ports

The 530s had reeds while the 550-580s had no reeds

Funny no one mentioned the 440lc non racer engine :(
oh jeez i entirely forgot about the little 440 LC motor that was in the 97 ZL i had. you could not kill that motor i put over 6000 miles on that sled with no engine problems except for a bad charge coil on the stator after about 5000 miles the motor was still running strong when i got rid of it and i would still be running it to this day... that is if that stump didn&#39;t jump out in front of me :doh:


the 530&#39;s were entirely different engines than the 550 and the 580 which are practicaly identical except for jugs and heads the 530 motor looked no bigger than the 440 that i spoke of, im not sure on the bore and stroke of the 530 but the 550&#39;s and 580s were a lot bigger and they had a 65mm stroke and a 73.4 mm bore on the 550 and a 75.4 mm bore on the 580, with different porting of course

any year 600 triple up till they put the power valves on then they went down hill. As far as chasis the coupled zr but I&#39;m sure the firecat will surpass it.

I would have to say any one the the following:

340 Fan
440 Fan
440 Liquid

The 340 and 440 Fans have been arround for ever. the 340 is now a 370, but basicly the same. The 440 has been in it&#39;s current form since the 80&#39;s, and I have one of those late 80&#39;s Jag440 that still runs well. It has never been appart to this date.

440L that I am talking about was introduced in 1990 in the Prowler. This was a piston port 440 Liquid that was basicly bullet proof. It performed well for it&#39;s size. It survived in manny sleds along the way as well. 90-93 Prowler, 94-96 Cougar, 97-2001 ZLs.

I have run my 97 powder extreme 600 triple since it was new. It is the same engine as the Zrt 600. Great running sled. Just a little heavy. But It has never let me down. I also have a 600 efi twin mountain cat that i just bought. I hope it doesn&#39;t dissapoint me.

i would say we all agree that the 600 trips are the best all around engine although some of the small twins like the 440 that has been mentioned are alson great runners

Just wanted to say that my 580 has never had rings or anything done, just the clutches last season. 7000 miles on it and it runs good. Started with 2 pulls after storage this summer. Compression is getting a little low at about 112-114 psi, but nothing too bad. New rings and entire gasket set are sitting next to the computer desk, but I am not going to do it till it needs it. I just wanna get over 8000 on stock rings because so many people say it is impossible. They say the same thing about the Polaris Sportsman 500 around here that has over 12,000 miles on it and only it&#39;s second set of tires. Oh yea, and it&#39;s a 2000....

I wouldn&#39;t say the 580 is my favorite motor though. It runs good and all (I like the powerband) but it just is too outdated. I think the newer 500&#39;s have a damn nice motor to em. That and the whole sled overall feels a ton lighter than my hog. Pulled the rear suspension tonight to check it all over, I swear that it alone weights about 60 pounds.