Rode just outside of Island Park today. First ride on both sleds. Temps were -5 to 5 degrees today. Snow as good at 8500 feet and great at 9500 feet. (Approx 3 feet of good powder with a little base). After some trail riding we went to some higher open areas and were able to get off the trail and hit some hills. Both sleds felt great in the powder.
The cat had lots of ice buildup in the tunnel and the D8 carried no ice. I liked the heat exchangers on the Polaris. The skid on the D8 did pack the snow though. I didn't expect that. The Cat didn't build up any snow in the skid.
The new front end on the D8 is a huge improvement. We had some '08 D8's and they sure do drag much more in the deep stuff and they dont shead the snow like the '09 D8. The '09 D8 knifed right through the deep stuff and we never had to clear off the hood to let the sled get more air. It was a noticable difference when carving downhill and pushing deep snow. The '08 D8's would have to stop and clear off the hood to get some air. The cat was much better than the '08 D8's, but not as good as the '09 D8.
'09 Cat turns much better than the '08' cats but the skies suck. I really like the Polaris skies.
The cat owns the sidehill. Hands down, that sled will carve a line on a steep slope better than the D8. The D8 tends to spin down and wont hold the line as well. The cat will hold any line even on the steepest slopes. Not sure if it's the Powder Claw or the more aggressive tapered tunnel, but the cat is at home on the sidehill. Dont get me wrong, the D8 worked well, but on the steep slopes, the cat has it.
The running boards on the cat are sweet!! So are the adjustable handlebars
Both sleds were great. It was really easy to swap between the two sleds. Both sleds were vented well and both sleds kept the clutches cool. The difference between the '08 and '09 D8's was really noticable in the deep stuff. Nice job Polaris!
One wierd thing was that the snow wouldn't run off the hood of the '09 cats with the matte finish as good as the '08 cats with the glossy hood? Go figure on that one.
Anyhow, it was a blast to get out for the first ride! Both sleds worked excellent and it's going to be a great year!
The cat had lots of ice buildup in the tunnel and the D8 carried no ice. I liked the heat exchangers on the Polaris. The skid on the D8 did pack the snow though. I didn't expect that. The Cat didn't build up any snow in the skid.
The new front end on the D8 is a huge improvement. We had some '08 D8's and they sure do drag much more in the deep stuff and they dont shead the snow like the '09 D8. The '09 D8 knifed right through the deep stuff and we never had to clear off the hood to let the sled get more air. It was a noticable difference when carving downhill and pushing deep snow. The '08 D8's would have to stop and clear off the hood to get some air. The cat was much better than the '08 D8's, but not as good as the '09 D8.
'09 Cat turns much better than the '08' cats but the skies suck. I really like the Polaris skies.
The cat owns the sidehill. Hands down, that sled will carve a line on a steep slope better than the D8. The D8 tends to spin down and wont hold the line as well. The cat will hold any line even on the steepest slopes. Not sure if it's the Powder Claw or the more aggressive tapered tunnel, but the cat is at home on the sidehill. Dont get me wrong, the D8 worked well, but on the steep slopes, the cat has it.
The running boards on the cat are sweet!! So are the adjustable handlebars
Both sleds were great. It was really easy to swap between the two sleds. Both sleds were vented well and both sleds kept the clutches cool. The difference between the '08 and '09 D8's was really noticable in the deep stuff. Nice job Polaris!
One wierd thing was that the snow wouldn't run off the hood of the '09 cats with the matte finish as good as the '08 cats with the glossy hood? Go figure on that one.
Anyhow, it was a blast to get out for the first ride! Both sleds worked excellent and it's going to be a great year!
