1967 Panther Kohler 8 hp air cooled four stroke single was my first sled. Loved it. Then I got on a two stroke twin Puma and never looked back. It’s apples and oranges. Each has their strengths.
Wow, winter approaches... new snowmobile vids! Thanks Ben for getting me pumped up. Looking forward to watching your vids this season. Probably going to be getting a 4S sled this season if the used market isn't totally messed up.
4 stroke sleds are great trail sleds. Turbo rx1 back in the day was the high mark champ but these days a 4 stroke out west is pretty much useless. Too heavy.
I live "out west" and it's not all mountain climbing and tree riding. At the Mt Bachelor area there are lots of trails kept in great groomed condition. Wanoga snow park is a great place to start. You can stay down below 6000' or go up higher next to Broken Top mountain. Check out my UA-cam videos.
Thanks for all the great videos, after watching every snowmobile video you have published I honestly think your next sled should be something with a Yamaha 4 stroke with or without turbo. I have a cat with the Suzuki 4 stroke and a Yamaha nytro, they are both bulletproof
You pretty much nailed why I bought my 2008 Yamaha Nytro MTX brand new back then... It has already ran great... gets me to 95% of the places a 2 stroke sled does.
my dad has an old nytro as well, he had another one that wasn't turbo'd and he hit a rock climbing a mountain and it opened throttle on its side causing it to blow the moter .
My brother bought a nytro took his first ride on the river after a nice snow storm we got like 10 inches of fresh snow and it was so nose heavy that all it did was plow snow! I couldn't believe it every one else was running ski doo 600 and we where having a blast! We all tried the nytro and same thing the next day he put it up for sale! I agree on the long term reliability of four strokes and if all we did was ride packed groom trails it would probably be fine but we spend half our time off trail and haven't found a four stroke that can be light and playful as our 600 two strokes yet.
I ride a 2016 Arctic Cat Pantera and I enjoy it quite a bit. It's my first sled that I have owned and I bought it new back in 2017. It's a very quiet sled as heated everything and for long miles on the trail its perfect. The sled is very heavy so I stick to groomed trails as I ride mostly by myself but as a new rider I am quite happy just to be out on the trails here in Newfoundland 🇨🇦. I enjoy watching your videos 👍!
On my 15 skidoo 800r I have averaged 20 mpg when I’m riding in the woods and field mix I get around 17mpg I was going to buy a 1100 turbo but decided on the 800r etec and love it
My first two stroke was an RC plane engine lots of adjusting then bought a 4 stroke RC plane engine it was like night and day the 4 stroke was smooth as butter and would idle super low also had tons of torque. Same with dirt bikes, started with 2 strokes and nothing but problems then went to 4 strokes and will never go back, the engines do last way longer than a 2 stroke but if they do break its a bit harder to do it yourself and a little more money. Displacement gives you the equal power to a 2 stroke and because of that there is less force on almost everything and things tend to last longer.
Weight penalty of about 40-50 pounds more on top of skis. With EPS, not an issue. The 4-stroke torque is more on the bottom which is nice. I also think 4-strokes give off more heat which is good on a cold day.
I own both in powder 2 stroke all the way. Also raced many years with lots of wins and championships in SX and XC again 2 stroke only way to go. Trail riding love my 1100 turbo if u like big dependable power only way to go. A 2 stroke can go many miles without rebuilding if u use good oil. Iv seen 2 strokes go tens of thousands of miles. 4 strokes r actually louder the sound travels much further than a 2 stroke. The benefits of a 2 stroke definitely out-ways a 4 stroke. But both r great depending on what u want how u ride were u ride. To say ones better than the other just not true because good and bad with both. Iv owned many snowmobiles been riding since i could walk im 45 now. At one time i wouldn’t touch a 4 stroke but they definitely have there place come a long way so has the 2 stroke. but if i had to pick one over the other it be a 2 stroke. Another big factor is simplicity if u have engine trouble with a 4 stroke be prepared to do a lot of work or pay a lot of money to have someone else do it. A 2 stroke is so simple to rebuild most people can do it themselves if they really want to. I also ride dirt bikes 4 strokes made a inexpensive sport into a big money sport. Reliability is actually worse on the 4 strokes again very complicated to rebuild and maintain compared to a 2 stroke. Riding bikes 4 stroke is little easier to ride my opinion anyway. But again with the simplicity of the 2 stroke the reliability easy maintenance id say 2 stroke is a better bike for most people to own. I still own my 2001 CR 125 bought it new done testing how long a top end will last. I get up to 50 hours still running strong but rebuild anyway because of all the brainwashing threw the years i just get scared. Really don’t know how long i could go but definitely more than 50 hours thats longer than the MX high revving 4 stroke MX bikes. No valves to adjust start easy and very light sometimes easier to ride to. My opinion is 2 stroke engines r superior than 4 strokes just way more advantages over a 4 stroke. 2 stroke also make more power per CC than a 4 but over time that gaps gotten lot closer with MX bikes anyway. Now some 4 strokes like the older low revving mild HP engine ls like say a big red 3 wheeler those engines last a very long time. But the high performance 4 stroke bikes of today different story with high revs comes more ware. Think this is why at one time u could definitely say a 4 stroke lasted much longer but thats just not the case with todays bikes or sleds. People rebuild 2 stroke way more than necessary because of all the brainwashing threw the years. My advice is buy a good compression tester and u might go many years before u have to rebuild a 2 stoke. Dont take my word for it see for urself think many people be very surprised how long a 2 stoke will run for before they need rebuilding. If compression is good no need to rebuild it ride it have fun.
I get what your talking about bud but 2strokes are way better for off the trail and like your sled is mainly for the trail. Idk me 2atrokes is were its at for being light and im not a trail rider much ether. Good vid tho
I have a 2010 Polaris FST IQ Touring. I love the 4 stroke. Only reason I may get a different sled is it is a 2up and my wife never rides with me so I have an insanely heavy sled just for me. Just not sure what 4 stroke I may switch to.
Chris, you have several great choices. The Yamaha/Cat offer EPS which is nice but pricey since it is only offered on their premium sleds. Skidoo 900 Turbo is a great choice too and offered in either 90, 130, or 180ish h.p. I think the 130 h.p. class is a great option but it depends how you ride.
I have a 4 stroke and a 2 stroke and I can say 2 strokes are better for 2 reasons 4s are super heavy and there just always to small and they get stuck cause there so heavy and have tiny tracks the only thing 4s got is they will last longer
The whole 2 stroke 4 stroke debate is pointless when you understand the weight difference between the two. I believe when it comes to bigger size snowmobiles, 4 strokes are the way to go... any vehicles that are lightweight, a 2 stroke will be a better alternative.
Four strokes are heavy come with no recoil so you only have the battery back up battery goes dead you have big issues and the 1100 turbo was harder on gas than the two strokes.
Was strongly opposed to 4 stroke sleds till i swung a leg over a 2019 thundercat....i now own a 22 thundercat eps and all i can say is WOW. Its got the creature comfort of a Cadillac and the power of a dragster. Its a big mile sled not a ditch banger but thats fine by me.
@@zackwiebe4304 faster? Are you sure about that? I think Yamaha would argue with you about that one. Also “louder” is one of the reasons trail access gets pulled by private land owners.
@@SwankyCatProductions This might have a lot to do with our different preferences. I live in a remote area with lots of ungroomed trials, and a very low rider to trail ratio. I can see how a 4 stroke would make more sense in a more "civilized" setting.
😂😂😂 If you live in Canada, a forestroke is pretty much as far away as you can get Reliability wise.😂 If it doesn't start third pull at −40. It's not a real Canadian snowmobile.
1967 Panther Kohler 8 hp air cooled four stroke single was my first sled. Loved it. Then I got on a two stroke twin Puma and never looked back. It’s apples and oranges. Each has their strengths.
Wow, winter approaches... new snowmobile vids! Thanks Ben for getting me pumped up. Looking forward to watching your vids this season. Probably going to be getting a 4S sled this season if the used market isn't totally messed up.
No brainer go 4S
Excited for the snowmobile content!!
4 stroke sleds are great trail sleds. Turbo rx1 back in the day was the high mark champ but these days a 4 stroke out west is pretty much useless. Too heavy.
I live "out west" and it's not all mountain climbing and tree riding. At the Mt Bachelor area there are lots of trails kept in great groomed condition. Wanoga snow park is a great place to start. You can stay down below 6000' or go up higher next to Broken Top mountain. Check out my UA-cam videos.
Thanks for all the great videos, after watching every snowmobile video you have published I honestly think your next sled should be something with a Yamaha 4 stroke with or without turbo.
I have a cat with the Suzuki 4 stroke and a Yamaha nytro, they are both bulletproof
Thank you! I think your right... Seems like the right thing to do after taking about them for so long ha ha
You pretty much nailed why I bought my 2008 Yamaha Nytro MTX brand new back then... It has already ran great... gets me to 95% of the places a 2 stroke sled does.
my dad has an old nytro as well, he had another one that wasn't turbo'd and he hit a rock climbing a mountain and it opened throttle on its side causing it to blow the moter
.
Not up a mountain
@@core_jared8441 all my years mountain riding would disagree with you.
My brother bought a nytro took his first ride on the river after a nice snow storm we got like 10 inches of fresh snow and it was so nose heavy that all it did was plow snow! I couldn't believe it every one else was running ski doo 600 and we where having a blast! We all tried the nytro and same thing the next day he put it up for sale! I agree on the long term reliability of four strokes and if all we did was ride packed groom trails it would probably be fine but we spend half our time off trail and haven't found a four stroke that can be light and playful as our 600 two strokes yet.
@@riverrunner4958 Yea the nytros needed to be turbo'd if you didn't wanna see a chiropractor in the morning
New subscriber here, great video! Im thinking about a four stroke. You bring up good points.
I love my Sidewinder
So do I,just like the Viper I had before i.t
You ran away from that crossfire , that I found surprising! I run an Apex 136 and a Viper xtx. Love our four strokes!
Yeah I probably shouldn't have used that clip. The Crossfire was having some issues that day lol.
I ride a 2016 Arctic Cat Pantera and I enjoy it quite a bit. It's my first sled that I have owned and I bought it new back in 2017. It's a very quiet sled as heated everything and for long miles on the trail its perfect. The sled is very heavy so I stick to groomed trails as I ride mostly by myself but as a new rider I am quite happy just to be out on the trails here in Newfoundland 🇨🇦. I enjoy watching your videos 👍!
That's awesome man, that's what it's all about!
Man’s on the coast I’m in the middle guess where
On my 15 skidoo 800r I have averaged 20 mpg when I’m riding in the woods and field mix I get around 17mpg I was going to buy a 1100 turbo but decided on the 800r etec and love it
My first two stroke was an RC plane engine lots of adjusting then bought a 4 stroke RC plane engine it was like night and day the 4 stroke was smooth as butter and would idle super low also had tons of torque.
Same with dirt bikes, started with 2 strokes and nothing but problems then went to 4 strokes and will never go back, the engines do last way longer than a 2 stroke but if they do break its a bit harder to do it yourself and a little more money.
Displacement gives you the equal power to a 2 stroke and because of that there is less force on almost everything and things tend to last longer.
Weight penalty of about 40-50 pounds more on top of skis. With EPS, not an issue. The 4-stroke torque is more on the bottom which is nice. I also think 4-strokes give off more heat which is good on a cold day.
I snow checked for the first time an 850 blizzard but I’m looking for a 2014-16 viper/ZR 7000 137 to try out as we usually do 1000 k 3 day trips
riding flat land ride a 4 stroke, riding in the mountains ride a 2 stroke and breath in that sweet smoke
Absolutely love my 2014 skidoo gsx 1200 thing pulls hard stock..
one of the best.
Yamaha Apex with the R1 sport bike engine is absolutely bulletproof and will rip your arms off and last a gazillion miles.
My buddies and I ride a mix of procross cats. The turbo sleds handle just as good but where you can use the power it’s not even close.
Keep the snowmobiling videos going!!!!
Will do!
We haven't had enough snow in the past few years to warrant buying one. My last sled I gave to my son in law.
I own both in powder 2 stroke all the way. Also raced many years with lots of wins and championships in SX and XC again 2 stroke only way to go.
Trail riding love my 1100 turbo if u like big dependable power only way to go. A 2 stroke can go many miles without rebuilding if u use good oil. Iv seen 2 strokes go tens of thousands of miles. 4 strokes r actually louder the sound travels much further than a 2 stroke. The benefits of a 2 stroke definitely out-ways a 4 stroke. But both r great depending on what u want how u ride were u ride. To say ones better than the other just not true because good and bad with both. Iv owned many snowmobiles been riding since i could walk im 45 now. At one time i wouldn’t touch a 4 stroke but they definitely have there place come a long way so has the 2 stroke. but if i had to pick one over the other it be a 2 stroke. Another big factor is simplicity if u have engine trouble with a 4 stroke be prepared to do a lot of work or pay a lot of money to have someone else do it. A 2 stroke is so simple to rebuild most people can do it themselves if they really want to. I also ride dirt bikes 4 strokes made a inexpensive sport into a big money sport. Reliability is actually worse on the 4 strokes again very complicated to rebuild and maintain compared to a 2 stroke. Riding bikes 4 stroke is little easier to ride my opinion anyway. But again with the simplicity of the 2 stroke the reliability easy maintenance id say 2 stroke is a better bike for most people to own. I still own my 2001 CR 125 bought it new done testing how long a top end will last. I get up to 50 hours still running strong but rebuild anyway because of all the brainwashing threw the years i just get scared. Really don’t know how long i could go but definitely more than 50 hours thats longer than the MX high revving 4 stroke MX bikes. No valves to adjust start easy and very light sometimes easier to ride to. My opinion is 2 stroke engines r superior than 4 strokes just way more advantages over a 4 stroke. 2 stroke also make more power per CC than a 4 but over time that gaps gotten lot closer with MX bikes anyway. Now some 4 strokes like the older low revving mild HP engine ls like say a big red 3 wheeler those engines last a very long time. But the high performance 4 stroke bikes of today different story with high revs comes more ware. Think this is why at one time u could definitely say a 4 stroke lasted much longer but thats just not the case with todays bikes or sleds. People rebuild 2 stroke way more than necessary because of all the brainwashing threw the years. My advice is buy a good compression tester and u might go many years before u have to rebuild a 2 stoke. Dont take my word for it see for urself think many people be very surprised how long a 2 stoke will run for before they need rebuilding. If compression is good no need to rebuild it ride it have fun.
I get what your talking about bud but 2strokes are way better for off the trail and like your sled is mainly for the trail. Idk me 2atrokes is were its at for being light and im not a trail rider much ether. Good vid tho
I have a 2010 Polaris FST IQ Touring. I love the 4 stroke. Only reason I may get a different sled is it is a 2up and my wife never rides with me so I have an insanely heavy sled just for me. Just not sure what 4 stroke I may switch to.
I hear ya, I bought my 2016 Pantera because I figured my wife would ride with me and I mostly ride by myself lol.
Chris, you have several great choices. The Yamaha/Cat offer EPS which is nice but pricey since it is only offered on their premium sleds. Skidoo 900 Turbo is a great choice too and offered in either 90, 130, or 180ish h.p. I think the 130 h.p. class is a great option but it depends how you ride.
I do enjoy the smell of klotz oil
Speaking of studs, hope you’ve got a new batch in route!! :)
I have a 4 stroke and a 2 stroke and I can say 2 strokes are better for 2 reasons 4s are super heavy and there just always to small and they get stuck cause there so heavy and have tiny tracks the only thing 4s got is they will last longer
Bro 14 mpg is almost double your 2 stroke. My vector gets 15-18 and it's a huge positive
Skidoo 600 etec is very fuel efficient. Again, it all depends how you ride.
The whole 2 stroke 4 stroke debate is pointless when you understand the weight difference between the two. I believe when it comes to bigger size snowmobiles, 4 strokes are the way to go... any vehicles that are lightweight, a 2 stroke will be a better alternative.
Try and start it at -60 f in Alaska without plugging it in. Ice death.
whts a weight difrence😊
Your not snowmobiling unless your coat smells like gas
Ricky Bobby louie
There’s no way the dragon had 13,000 miles on the original top end. No way
Not convinced
Four strokes are heavy come with no recoil so you only have the battery back up battery goes dead you have big issues and the 1100 turbo was harder on gas than the two strokes.
Theres only one valid reason, no 2 cycle oil to deal with, every other reason has cons to offset the pros.
You still deal with oil changes. But I admit, it's less of an issue. My 2022 Skidoo 600 etec uses very little oil.
2 strokes will last longer with some extra oil in the tank, plugs will foul sooner but its better than doing the top end.
Was strongly opposed to 4 stroke sleds till i swung a leg over a 2019 thundercat....i now own a 22 thundercat eps and all i can say is WOW. Its got the creature comfort of a Cadillac and the power of a dragster. Its a big mile sled not a ditch banger but thats fine by me.
I owned a 2006 Polaris FST (4-stroke) and really liked it...a bit heavy but great trail sled.
Only 2 stroke cold smoke.
Oh ask me about two stroke oil pump failure on a sled. Instant destruction of the engine. I’ll take the 4 stroke any day.
i would never run 4 stroke off trail....
bro 2 strokes smell so good
1 reason why 4 strokes are better than 2 strokes
yamaha 998 turbo
No thank you, 2 stroke only
Amen
@@HankAaronJoseph19 GOBBLES
Could you give us some reasons?
@@robertm7554 Two strokes are faster and louder
@@zackwiebe4304 faster? Are you sure about that? I think Yamaha would argue with you about that one. Also “louder” is one of the reasons trail access gets pulled by private land owners.
If you ain’t mixing oil and gas you ain’t kicking ass
Idk I love my zr8000
I've actually been looking for an XF8000.
@@SwankyCatProductions my wife rides a xf7000 and loves it
@@SwankyCatProductions Ive seen severall XF8000 on marketplace recently. Been debating on getting one and selling my F1100 turbo.
Lmao 4 stroke lmao ....right ...I'll wheelie my 2 stroke in circles while your trying to keep up in the trees.. lmao 4 stroke
Good luck with that around here. Nothing but private land and packed trails.
@@SwankyCatProductions This might have a lot to do with our different preferences. I live in a remote area with lots of ungroomed trials, and a very low rider to trail ratio.
I can see how a 4 stroke would make more sense in a more "civilized" setting.
Lol, nope. 😂
I hate 4 strokes
Why's that Edwin?
Because....???
Your crazy four strokes are heavy and over priced and without a turbo four stroke your not out running a strong two stroke down
😂😂😂 If you live in Canada, a forestroke is pretty much as far away as you can get Reliability wise.😂 If it doesn't start third pull at −40. It's not a real Canadian snowmobile.
Yeah go ahead talking about your frozen batteries. If it ain't made in canada it ain't shit.