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Catalyst 998t rumours

vmxrdr

Extreme
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
80
Haven’t been posting on TY for a while but still an avid follower. Still really enjoy my max 17 TD Winder LE. Blasted through 22,000 kms this winter still running strong as ever. My old Winder my son still has now has 33,000 hard kms on it spinning a 1.75” Hurricane track on max 17 with super quiet. He has shredded a couple primary clutches and we both suffered through split chaincases running big tunes and high miles. No matter what I try riding there is still nothing that provides the pull and quick revving thrill a tuned 998t provides. I don’t have any riding buds that have dropped $10,000 on a 900r to make them fast so I haven’t had the pleasure to try one of those. Absolutely thought the 900t was a turd so much nobody really lets me ride their 900rs either. I wanted to post to revive the rumours about Cats future plans for four stroke power. I can’t believe none of you American members on here haven’t heard anything. Maybe have heard something and are respecting embargo on the information? We bought Cat mountain sleds this year to give that a try which provided a neat side by side comparison when we had Winders and Mtn Cat two strokes tore apart side by side doing maintenance. I thought I was fit and young enough to handle mtn sledding still but may have been wrong on that front. The huge expansion pipe uses up a ton of real estate under the hood of the procross and catalyst platforms that provides the room for the intake and turbo on our sleds. Really hoping Cat doesn’t use some Textron group puny cylinder head engine like Skidoo uses that needs huge boost pressures to even make 180 hp. Let’s hear some input on our favourite sled engine ever even if it won’t be Team Blue anymore.
 

There was a very good reason Yamaha and Cat formed that partnership and I believe if Cat could have produced a good four stroke they would have years ago.. Lets just face the fact that producing the quality of a 998 turbo motor is easier said than done.. We all wish they would, but the question remains, can they? I think we all know that answer at this time… but thats not to say it can’t happen, its not impossible with the right people on the task.. For the time being, my money went on whats already working and is highly successful….
 
Would sure like to see the 998 live on, lets hope that Cat puts it in a modified wide body Catalyst and continues with the EPS for us older generation that needs it too! Haven't heard anything about it being put into the new chassis however.
 
If they do a four stroke turbo it will be produced by their German engine company Weber (these guys built that Polaris four stroke years ago). On the website it lists a new 850 turbo (yuk) and it lists snowmobile for possible application. Jeeze I sure hope not.

At 221 lbs for just 155HP that thing is an overweight tank! Weighs far more than the old four cylinder Apex with cushioned under driven PTO output shaft. I highly doubt that engine will ever see duty in a snowmobile. I know I would never ever want a twin cylinder four-stroke after owning the 1100 Suzuki turbo cow. Performance was OK after being tuned, but the sound I just couldn't take it. I do suspect though they will come with their own Cat produced twin cylinder four-stroke which will be based on that old 1100 Zuk. I think they will not continue with Yamaha which will be a shame.
 
Are you sure? Weber motors hasn't been around for awhile, I thought they went bankrupt and were purchased by private equity around the start of covid, maybe it was a different part of weber.. The motor in the link above is an older design, pre 2010 and released in 2015. oceomarine is just a yacht outfitter which explains the bulkiness of that motor.

Textron Motors builds the special vehicle division engines and Arctic Cat has been very vocal about the fact that they designed the new 858 from a clean sheet, in-house. They are also in Germany so maybe they stripped out the smaller engine capabilities from weber to create this new group.
 
Suppose we will see a chery engine in the new chassis...be a quiet runner anyways lol
 
Are you sure? Weber motors hasn't been around for awhile, I thought they went bankrupt and were purchased by private equity around the start of covid, maybe it was a different part of weber.. The motor in the link above is an older design, pre 2010 and released in 2015. oceomarine is just a yacht outfitter which explains the bulkiness of that motor.

Textron Motors builds the special vehicle division engines and Arctic Cat has been very vocal about the fact that they designed the new 858 from a clean sheet, in-house. They are also in Germany so maybe they stripped out the smaller engine capabilities from weber to create this new group.
I am sure that Weber is owned by Textron. Not sure at all about the new engine, but just note the reference to snowmobile in this existing engine.
 
At 221 lbs for just 155HP that thing is an overweight tank! Weighs far more than the old four cylinder Apex with cushioned under driven PTO output shaft. I highly doubt that engine will ever see duty in a snowmobile. I know I would never ever want a twin cylinder four-stroke after owning the 1100 Suzuki turbo cow. Performance was OK after being tuned, but the sound I just couldn't take it. I do suspect though they will come with their own Cat produced twin cylinder four-stroke which will be based on that old 1100 Zuk. I think they will not continue with Yamaha which will be a shame.
Agree completely with you. I'd stick to Turbo 2 strokes before going back to the tractor power characteristics of the Zuk mill. That was terrible in a sled, even if bulletproof in a sled.
 
It will be interesting to see what they come up with. Textron also use an N/A version of the 998 in the Wildcat XX. If the marriage with Yamaha is over, they will be looking for a power plant for that too.
 
Thought Yamaha was supplying engines to textron till 27 ?

I wouldn’t be surprised if sales don’t pick up and winters get better Textron may drop the sled side of things
 
Cat is building there own 4 stroke.(not100% sure who is actually building them but thinking CAT/textron).. NA version and a boosted version. That's what I hear for a rumor. I do not know how accurate that is but just what I heard. Hope it goes better then what CAT has built for 2 smokes(800).
 
So when you guys hear these rumors is it just internet hearsay or a guy that knows a guy?

I mean we all know textron owns weber so they are likely looking at cost of outsourcing a motor and saying we can build this in house and use it in our SXS platforms too.

But if they turbo it, the CC won't be a 998.
 


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