I absolutely love your channel! My current cat's are 2009 M8, 2009 M6, 2005 M5. I grew up with the 1990's Cats. The first Arctic Cat I ever rode was a 1996 ZRT 600 mountain cat 136 inch track. It blew my mind!
The diamond drives were great. Lighter weight, lower center of gravity, less rotating weight. Extremely reliable. The zr900 used a funny collar connection to the driveshaft instead of the 16mm bolt and that connection was a problem, but all the gear cases were solid. I've had a zr900 since new, I put 8,000 miles on a z1 turbo with 260hp, my buddy has a 2010 f8, all good diamond drives! When you take the driveshaft out, be sure to check the bearings in the caliper for the shaft. There are two bearings. One can be bad and the shaft still spins nice but there's only one good bearing instead of two. Those caliper bearings can go, I replaced one in my zr900. Only found it because I had shaft out and checked it. Those bearings will never fail at a convenient time.
@@gregmulfort9577 My concern would be with the minimal clearances for the drivers, requiring a tighter than normal track and little to no application of the brake. Studs drive themselves into the bulkhead and disastrous results like we've seen.
@jeffreyhagelin3672 I don't understand your concerns at all. My z1 turbo would skip drivers on the track but that wasn't a diamond drive issue, that was the single ply track stretching no matter how tight you set it, would still stretch under load. New 2 ply fixed that. But even with track skipping bad, never did any damage. The diamond drive brakes the driveshaft, so you always have brakes as long as you have a track (unlike the old jackshaft sleds). You always want the track to be tight enough where it's not moving up the drivers anyway, if it's moving up them, that's friction and wasted energy. And I don't get the stud comment, studs can be pulled out on any application, diamond drive doesn't make that issue worse.
@@gregmulfort9577 The physically short length of the diamond drive is the issue. This has nothing to do with track selection, the Artic Cat brand or election interference in Georgia. I merely stated that a change over to a drop and roll conversion would alleviate the problem, along with adding higher performance through less rolling resistance.. Perhaps this is why we no longer see the diamond drive in production.
Higher track speeds on a studded track places high centrifugal loads causing the track to balloon inside the the tunnel, particularly at both ends as the track tries to bend itself into a circle. This is where the studs will try to pull away from the driver's seat hit the bulkhead unless the track is tightened higher to adjust and compensate. I'm referring to racing speeds approaching and exceeding speeds of 100 mph
@ agreed. I’ve been around the sled scene from day 1. We all seen our stupid mistakes but more human error. We’ve beat tracks till lugs come off. A track snapping is 2/10. Trust me. I’m old. Like raisin. 😱😂. Everyone loosens them dam limiters opening a sunlight to a large hole that invites a nice worn out rail tip. 💣
@@fasterdura1772 I'm old too.... Old enough to realize lifting the skis is a waste of horsepower and the first sure sign that' showing off means they're going to be the first ones to get beat
From experience, 350hp is no problem for a diamond drive, I know of and had the pleasure of working on a smart car that was swapped with a z1 turbo engine and diamond drive on slicks with a wheelie bar and parachute with a 350hp tune and he has never broken it.
i have never blown a diamond drive even on my turbo sleds but i always change the oil every 2 rides to the mountains that way i can see if there is any glitter like material which is bearing material then you know its time to replace the bearings. hopefully you didnt spike the rpm when the track blew. that can take out the crank on a 1000. great videos. these old diamond drive cats are the easiest sleds to do a track change
Have you ever tried changing the springs in the clutches. My grandpa used to put in different springs for better lunch an higher speed on his thundercat an it was a nasty sled very fast an no one could ever keep up with his sled an he would change the springs an add dots or different color to keep them guessing. Miss the sled had nos on it as well
@@OldSchoolArcticCats thank you he was legendary for sure an loved speed. He had a 93 thundercat an build a turbo 580 powder special that was scary fast when it was on boost
My dad used to know a guy about 20 years ago that around 10 years prior (so now 30 years ago) was a cat mechanic for the #1 race team in the country, and idk the exact specs but one of his tricks was using Polaris weights when he clutched his cats. My dad had a 99 tcat, clean sled. Never cracked the heads but he had aftermarket can on it, ripsaw track, reeds, and studs. He dropped it off to that guy and he rejetted his carbs, gutted the airbox, did a 3° timing key, and worked his magic with the clutches… my dads sled was never beat as far average trail sleds went. Polaris weights man… wild stuff. Whole point is sounds like your gramps was on to something for sure.
You need a drop and roll chain case to get more room between the sprocket driver and the bulkhead..at the expense of losing the diamond... I'm certainly not trying to rattle anybody's cage I'm just trying to explain why the D drive with it's shorter overall length might hinder performance characteristics at racing speeds approaching and exceeding 100 mph.
Pulled about 70 Cats off the lake with diamond drives, 04 was the worst. I think they did some updates in later years but still saw many that blew and a lot of them had 700-1300 miles or so. The drive axle splines fail or they fail internally. They can take big power but gear changes are not easy and its expensive for the parts. I would not run one personally.
I mean no harm and not talking shit but I can just about promise you that sled is no where near 230hp. I’ve been around some very fast drag sleds and I know a good running Prostock 1000 is right around 220 to 230hp. I’d say if you got 200hp you are making a lot of power with that sled then.
Actually a 1000 Suzuki twin makes 220 easy with pipes reads heads. Makes 188hp with just a Y pipe. Can look it up on dynotech research but it $30 a year.
A fully race ported 1000 twin has the potential to make those numbers but it takes someone that has alot of time porting and tuning these motors to make that in race form. A trail form twin piped 1000 is maybe making 180. These motors were only 165 hp stock. You aren’t adding 65 horse with pipes and a boondocker
@@clintbruderer2278 you obviously know nothing about making HP in a two stroke engine. If his sled makes that much power he ought to bring it to a real drag race like Haydays and find out where he stands amongst the rest of the sleds that make 220hp plus.
@@slickpete8997 I obviously no nothing lol. I’m a former Professional racer RMSHA 1000 Improved and 800 Improved as well as 2nd in points in a Pro drag circuit. I’m a business owner and hundreds of Snowmobile dealerships and shops sell my products. Have you heard of D&D racing? They sell my products. Have you heard of Western Power Sports? They are my wholesaler. Have you heard of Rocky Mountain Atv MC? They sell my products. I’m sure you’re a great guy and I appreciate your comments!
Nothing beats those old AWS 5 chassie Tripple Cats...!!
I absolutely love your channel! My current cat's are 2009 M8, 2009 M6, 2005 M5. I grew up with the 1990's Cats. The first Arctic Cat I ever rode was a 1996 ZRT 600 mountain cat 136 inch track. It blew my mind!
Thank you so much for your support! I love sharing my passion of Old School Cats with everyone. I appreciate the comment!
The diamond drives were great. Lighter weight, lower center of gravity, less rotating weight. Extremely reliable. The zr900 used a funny collar connection to the driveshaft instead of the 16mm bolt and that connection was a problem, but all the gear cases were solid. I've had a zr900 since new, I put 8,000 miles on a z1 turbo with 260hp, my buddy has a 2010 f8, all good diamond drives!
When you take the driveshaft out, be sure to check the bearings in the caliper for the shaft. There are two bearings. One can be bad and the shaft still spins nice but there's only one good bearing instead of two. Those caliper bearings can go, I replaced one in my zr900. Only found it because I had shaft out and checked it. Those bearings will never fail at a convenient time.
@@gregmulfort9577 My concern would be with the minimal clearances for the drivers, requiring a tighter than normal track and little to no application of the brake.
Studs drive themselves into the bulkhead and disastrous results like we've seen.
@jeffreyhagelin3672 I don't understand your concerns at all. My z1 turbo would skip drivers on the track but that wasn't a diamond drive issue, that was the single ply track stretching no matter how tight you set it, would still stretch under load. New 2 ply fixed that. But even with track skipping bad, never did any damage. The diamond drive brakes the driveshaft, so you always have brakes as long as you have a track (unlike the old jackshaft sleds). You always want the track to be tight enough where it's not moving up the drivers anyway, if it's moving up them, that's friction and wasted energy. And I don't get the stud comment, studs can be pulled out on any application, diamond drive doesn't make that issue worse.
Thanks for sharing your experience, the diamond drives were great. 👍
@@gregmulfort9577 The physically short length of the diamond drive is the issue. This has nothing to do with track selection, the Artic Cat brand or election interference in Georgia.
I merely stated that a change over to a drop and roll conversion would alleviate the problem, along with adding higher performance through less rolling resistance.. Perhaps this is why we no longer see the diamond drive in production.
Higher track speeds on a studded track places high centrifugal loads causing the track to balloon inside the the tunnel, particularly at both ends as the track tries to bend itself into a circle. This is where the studs will try to pull away from the driver's seat hit the bulkhead unless the track is tightened higher to adjust and compensate. I'm referring to racing speeds approaching and exceeding speeds of 100 mph
Every cat that has a 3 pitch track needs a antistab kit. You will never have a track fail again.
@@fasterdura1772 They all fail eventually.
@ agreed. I’ve been around the sled scene from day 1. We all seen our stupid mistakes but more human error. We’ve beat tracks till lugs come off. A track snapping is 2/10. Trust me. I’m old. Like raisin. 😱😂. Everyone loosens them dam limiters opening a sunlight to a large hole that invites a nice worn out rail tip. 💣
@@fasterdura1772 I'm old too.... Old enough to realize lifting the skis is a waste of horsepower and the first sure sign that' showing off means they're going to be the first ones to get beat
@ amen brother 👏😂😂😂😂
From experience, 350hp is no problem for a diamond drive, I know of and had the pleasure of working on a smart car that was swapped with a z1 turbo engine and diamond drive on slicks with a wheelie bar and parachute with a 350hp tune and he has never broken it.
Wow that is pretty impressive.
Happy that Eric is doing better. That green thunder cat is rad! You should post a short of it idling I bet those psi pipes sounds awesome.
I might post one soon! It's pretty sweet.
i have never blown a diamond drive even on my turbo sleds but i always change the oil every 2 rides to the mountains that way i can see if there is any glitter like material which is bearing material then you know its time to replace the bearings. hopefully you didnt spike the rpm when the track blew. that can take out the crank on a 1000. great videos. these old diamond drive cats are the easiest sleds to do a track change
The diamond drive system was a good system. They could take a lot of HP & torque. Maintenance was key. Thanks for the comment.
That 00 tcat has what looks like 2002 running boards
Diamond drive was a great setup if you did the regular maintenance on the unit
I think the other reason that they ditched the diamond drive was to save weight. Having the engine just run in reverse versus a whole gearbox
Have you ever tried changing the springs in the clutches. My grandpa used to put in different springs for better lunch an higher speed on his thundercat an it was a nasty sled very fast an no one could ever keep up with his sled an he would change the springs an add dots or different color to keep them guessing. Miss the sled had nos on it as well
Your grandpa sounds like a real cool guy!
@@OldSchoolArcticCats thank you he was legendary for sure an loved speed. He had a 93 thundercat an build a turbo 580 powder special that was scary fast when it was on boost
My dad used to know a guy about 20 years ago that around 10 years prior (so now 30 years ago) was a cat mechanic for the #1 race team in the country, and idk the exact specs but one of his tricks was using Polaris weights when he clutched his cats. My dad had a 99 tcat, clean sled. Never cracked the heads but he had aftermarket can on it, ripsaw track, reeds, and studs. He dropped it off to that guy and he rejetted his carbs, gutted the airbox, did a 3° timing key, and worked his magic with the clutches… my dads sled was never beat as far average trail sleds went. Polaris weights man… wild stuff. Whole point is sounds like your gramps was on to something for sure.
@crsracing1313 thank you he was all about speed an going fast. An tuning. Thank you for telling your story. Stay ski side down an flat out
You need a drop and roll chain case to get more room between the sprocket driver and the bulkhead..at the expense of losing the diamond...
I'm certainly not trying to rattle anybody's cage I'm just trying to explain why the D drive with it's shorter overall length might hinder performance characteristics at racing speeds approaching and exceeding 100 mph.
Love the Thundercat rockets!
Same thing happend to my buddy the track came off a mach 1 tripple they found his foot still in its boot stuck in the roof of his shop
That is terrible… I never want it to happen again. It was so violent…
Pulled about 70 Cats off the lake with diamond drives, 04 was the worst. I think they did some updates in later years but still saw many that blew and a lot of them had 700-1300 miles or so. The drive axle splines fail or they fail internally. They can take big power but gear changes are not easy and its expensive for the parts. I would not run one personally.
I owned four of them.
Im very suprised you have no videos on the CROSSFIRE BABY
XCR 800
Xcr 800 💯
that hat is killer. i have a 2000 t-cat and my son has a 99 t-cat. where can i find 2 hats.
wedgelife98.com
They made them for two years 1979 and 1980
What do you think about 98 tcat??
I think they are awesome. I would debate that the 99 was a little faster… Same HP lighter chassis with an aluminum bulk head..
@@OldSchoolArcticCats iam in Ontario Canada one for sale 2600.00
I think that is a great price, depending on the condition of course..
New vid, hell ya
Thanks for watching!!
I mean no harm and not talking shit but I can just about promise you that sled is no where near 230hp. I’ve been around some very fast drag sleds and I know a good running Prostock 1000 is right around 220 to 230hp. I’d say if you got 200hp you are making a lot of power with that sled then.
Actually a 1000 Suzuki twin makes 220 easy with pipes reads heads. Makes 188hp with just a Y pipe. Can look it up on dynotech research but it $30 a year.
You just admitted a good running Prostock 220 plus. Thanks for verifying what Rocky said. This engine is far from stock and runs 112 octane
A fully race ported 1000 twin has the potential to make those numbers but it takes someone that has alot of time porting and tuning these motors to make that in race form. A trail form twin piped 1000 is maybe making 180. These motors were only 165 hp stock. You aren’t adding 65 horse with pipes and a boondocker
@@clintbruderer2278 you obviously know nothing about making HP in a two stroke engine. If his sled makes that much power he ought to bring it to a real drag race like Haydays and find out where he stands amongst the rest of the sleds that make 220hp plus.
@@slickpete8997 I obviously no nothing lol. I’m a former Professional racer RMSHA 1000 Improved and 800 Improved as well as 2nd in points in a Pro drag circuit. I’m a business owner and hundreds of Snowmobile dealerships and shops sell my products. Have you heard of D&D racing? They sell my products. Have you heard of Western Power Sports? They are my wholesaler. Have you heard of Rocky Mountain Atv MC? They sell my products. I’m sure you’re a great guy and I appreciate your comments!
Well you got the wrong ones, the 98 was the fastest of them all.
Rmi not bdx
m 1000 162 horsepower