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2016 and beyond...what should Cat do??

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SnoPro1000

Well-known member
Feb 24, 2008
283
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I own a 2013 M8, now with a TKI belt drive and BDX boards.
that being said it should come stock with those 2 things!
the pc chassis works great i fallow my buddy with his XM 154 freeride and my other buddy with his 2013 pro (witch he blew his motor at 800 miles and bought a new viper turbo) the cat is as good as the bomb on fuel when playing,.... YES AS GOOD he actually used 2$ more then me, now that could be form hammering it more then me or what have you so for argument sake lets say as good on fuel, oil though i use a crazy amount of oil it blows my mind every time i fill it up with oil.
when i rode a 2015 PC800 bone stock it felt much more nimble then mine and came up on the snow faster steering felt much more responsive also.
Cat NEEDS!! needs to make some changes i felt the weight from mine to the 2015 so from the pro to the PC its there also they can easily take off weight, they need to stop worrying the mountain guys dont care about the intake noise! get rid of the baffles in the intake make the hood out of carbon fiber, whats up with the same crappy suspension we have since the early 2000's looks at timbersled or k-mod light and it works slap it in the sled! if they dont have the tech share with other after market that does cut a deal.
i hate to say it but polaris is doing a great job at putting it all out there and there marketing is top notch.
id love to see point blank here this is what we did, picture of the sled with arrows blah blah this much lighter blah blah this much lighter blah blah this much stronger get intouch with the customer
 

10003514

Well-known member
Premium Member
Dec 17, 2007
1,237
778
113
34
British Columbia
Cat lost my snowcheck in 2014, I bought a T3 163 Xm. I do own a 2014 M8 162 that I have been able to compare to my T3. What cat needs to change to get me back is new motor. The Suzuki 800 is dated, smokes more burns more harder to start and not as crisp as my etec. Plastics on the M8 are terrible, fit bad and hard to take off and on, needs complete redesign. Move the post forward like HCR or have it as an option on all models, the adjustable post has to much play and to far back. Skis need to be updated. 3inch track standard. Running boards that are more open design. Get rid of the current a-arm spindle setup. Can put the cat on a big diet, oil reservoir is way to big, belt drive etc..
 

Backcountry Bandit

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Aug 16, 2008
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i hope cat is reading because there are so many great points made in this topic by CONSUMERS.

i am just going to further on some of the points made:

snow ingestion. fit and finish IS a problem but i feel the main problem is the way the side panels open. you can have some what poor fit and finish if your side panels or hood opens to the rear of sled. you are moving forward so the snow can/may slip by. with the panels opening to the front of sled, the fit and finish becomes crucial. now the snow is being jammed into the knooks and crannies. not only by being in deep snow and having contact but by even snow dust with speed. the side panels need to open to the rear. this would eliminate so many issues, alone
3" track, even if only in a ltd or snow check model. in fact, i believe they should make a snow check ONLY model. 1) sale numbers will dictate where the consumer wants to go. 2) it will bring relevance to the snow check again

if they offered a snow check only model, every year, that pushed some kind of boundary, you would see people line up

-3" track
-aluminum type bars with controls mounted on cluster
-skis
-bumpers
-running boards
-belt drive
-shock pkg
-a wrap

all of this in just a snow check only pkg. it isnt much really, and could easily be a reality. it would bring people in. it would sell, especially after a season out on the hill working better than those who did not snow check. the guys that didnt snow check, sure as hell will, next time.

as for the pro climb going forward...i dont want much to be honest.

no power, no crazy fuel mpgs, no under 400lbs weight demands.

-narrow it up just a tad
-reverse the side panels
-change the intake
-3" track
-bring post forward, even an inch
-aluminum bars
-relocate the h/t warmers to cluster (take them off bars)
-skis
-belt drive
-lower the spindles
-frogskin all the vents

none of these are hard to do. in doing them, you also drop weight. win/win IMO.

-belt drive
 

ranger12

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Nov 24, 2012
522
333
63
Dickinson ND
I have a buddy that has a stock 13 LTD with a Y-pipe, can and some good clutching. He also bought a T3 163 this year. He went to Cook earlier this year when they had really good snow and he said that on the same day on the same climb he could outdo his friend on a T3 174 and his T3 163 might have had a slight edge on his 162 Proclimb. He said that his wife was riding the T3 for the trip and hated it and refused to ride it anymore. Cat has a decent sled, but from the start their motor weighs so much more than everybody else's. Maybe cat should come out with a C-tech motor that is lighter. Sure hard to beat the reliability of the zuke though.
 

av8er

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Sep 16, 2006
4,538
1,241
113
Kalispell, MT.
Buy a Lifetime Membership for $60

it's a Great value, I guarantee it will pay for itself in 1 Season. If you use the information available on here wisely.
 

F_ast

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Feb 22, 2008
973
361
63
41
Ontario
i hope cat is reading because there are so many great points made in this topic by CONSUMERS.

i am just going to further on some of the points made:

snow ingestion. fit and finish IS a problem but i feel the main problem is the way the side panels open. you can have some what poor fit and finish if your side panels or hood opens to the rear of sled. you are moving forward so the snow can/may slip by. with the panels opening to the front of sled, the fit and finish becomes crucial. now the snow is being jammed into the knooks and crannies. not only by being in deep snow and having contact but by even snow dust with speed. the side panels need to open to the rear. this would eliminate so many issues, alone
3" track, even if only in a ltd or snow check model. in fact, i believe they should make a snow check ONLY model. 1) sale numbers will dictate where the consumer wants to go. 2) it will bring relevance to the snow check again

if they offered a snow check only model, every year, that pushed some kind of boundary, you would see people line up

-3" track
-aluminum type bars with controls mounted on cluster
-skis
-bumpers
-running boards
-belt drive
-shock pkg
-a wrap

all of this in just a snow check only pkg. it isnt much really, and could easily be a reality. it would bring people in. it would sell, especially after a season out on the hill working better than those who did not snow check. the guys that didnt snow check, sure as hell will, next time.

as for the pro climb going forward...i dont want much to be honest.

no power, no crazy fuel mpgs, no under 400lbs weight demands.

-narrow it up just a tad
-reverse the side panels
-change the intake
-3" track
-bring post forward, even an inch
-aluminum bars
-relocate the h/t warmers to cluster (take them off bars)
-skis
-belt drive
-lower the spindles
-frogskin all the vents

none of these are hard to do. in doing them, you also drop weight. win/win IMO.

-belt drive

All good points and all things I want on a stock sled. I think its time for Cat to realize their mountain segment needs some more attention. The PC works really really well but takes too many tweaks from the consumer to make it work like it should from a stock sled perspective. Personal style points and making your original should always be up to the owner, but making it function to a segments specific capacity should entirely be up to the manu. Especially in the mountain segment. And if their are short comings, I would like for stuff to be addressed.... come on though. A 4 year old mountain sled that continues to have snow ingestion problems... and fit keeps getting worse.
 
A

ARICH

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2007
778
121
43
I would really like some new graphics this year, wouldnt mind seeing a unicorn or chupacabra on the side panel :face-icon-small-ton

I love my 15, rips pretty good. would like to see a belt drive, narrow up the body and put some better quality clutches and a 30lb weight loss. good source says new motor isnt going to happen this year.
 

dunatyk

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Nov 27, 2007
932
331
63
I still ride a 12 but have put considerable seat time on the 13,14,15 and my .02 I that cat is def going in the right The 15 is so much more capable than my 12 in every situation. Having a motor that is rock solid goes along ways in my book.
 
C

carlc

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2008
1,012
409
83
34
helena mt
i dont know about anyone else. but the T3 will now barley out climb my PC. the 13 14 doo's not a chance in he:: they would out climb my PC.
Yep. We had a t3 174 with slp pipe setup and a 14 162 cat with speedwerx can and 65g. Where the doo turned out, the cat went about 50' higher in its own track. That was about a 500' vertical climb
 
S

SnoPro1000

Well-known member
Feb 24, 2008
283
115
43
35
Damn this free basic member thing.... I can't even see my post? What's everyone saying??? Lol
 
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