Arctic Cat’s claims of the Thundercat
being the fastest, most powerful utility quad
on the market are not just hype. “The
acceleration is fast. They say it’s the
fastest accelerating quad and they mean it!”
Adam exclaimed. “What’s amazing
is when you hit the throttle, instead of popping
up, the front end just ducks down and takes
off. The acceleration is absolutely incredible.”
He concluded. The H2’s hemispherical-shaped
heads allow for more efficient combustion, which
increases power and torque that when combined
with the EFI, is noticed the instant you hit
the throttle on this ATV.
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Thundercat's 950cc engine EFI, SOHC
4-stroke, 4-valve, V-Twin, liquid-cooled
engine with a hemispherical-shaped heads
create more efficient combustion for increased
performance |
Spike
Load Dampener is a drive line clutch system
that is designed to slip if the drive
line receives a spike in torque from a
harsh landing or impact, which could otherwise
damage the drive line |
In order to accommodate this larger engine
and driveline, Arctic Cat had to experiment
a bit with the chassis design. The chassis is
based on the 700 model but the 50” wheelbase
of the 700 model wasn’t satisfactory for
the stability and handling of the Thundercat
1000, so they began making alterations. “We
altered it all the way from 51” to 53.5”
and decided that 52.5” was what we preferred.”
Said Craig Kennedy. Adding to that ride stability
are the special Maxxis 4-speed radial tires
that were designed especially for the Thundercat.
“The special tires that were made really
make a difference in handling. It felt a lot
less secure with standard 4-speed tires. The
new tires felt like they stick to the ground
a lot more and took a lot more abuse in the
turns.” Stated our test rider, Adam.
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Maxxis Razr 4 Speed tire were specifically
designed for the Arctic Cat with stiffer
sidewalls to prevent body roll and provide
more precise steering, which was very
evident when riding on off-chamber trails
because tires didn’t buckle under
load
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In addition to the lengthened wheelbase and
special tires, the Thundercat maintains 12”
of suspension travel and 11” of ground
clearance. “We changed the suspension
tuning all the way around. We lowered the entire
vehicle with the suspension and ride height,
it’s more centralized and has a much better
feel. It’s more of a performance orientated
suspension set up.” Stated Kennedy. Arctic
Cat also took into consideration that the power
and ground clearance of the Thundercat would
be very attractive to mud riders, so they made
sure that the air intake was put in an optimal
position. “The air intake system is similar
to the 700. For the engine we are pulling air
from up in the front end. From the belt side
we are taking it in from as high up as we can
get it (by the top of the steering stem).”
Stated Kennedy. The larger size of the quad
helped to accommodate the well thought out system.
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Arctic
Cat ATV's provide plenty of mud protection
with large fenders and plenty of foot
room on the floor boards |
Even though the Thundercat is a larger ATV
than most, Arctic Cat took measures to prevent
it from feeling top heavy or tippy by shaving
2” off of the seat height to give the
rider the feel of being more “in”
the quad instead of “on top” of
it. However, even with the lowered ride height,
this large quad could be difficult for a smaller
rider to handle. The width of the Thundercat
can make it harder for smaller people to straddle
and keep both feet firmly planted on the floorboards,
but for a larger rider the ergonomics of the
Thundercat are quite comfortable. “It
seems a little bulky at first, but it’s
comfortable and you get used to it after you
ride it a bit. The handlebars were fine also,
it didn’t seem like I was stretching too
far.” Said Stultz, who is larger in stature.
This ATV’s large size does play a roll
in its handling and agility out on the trails.
In open areas at higher speeds, the Thundercat
handled pretty well, was fairly easier to maneuver,
and had awesome power, but at lower speeds the
steering felt rather heavy and didn’t
respond as well which made it difficult to negotiate
tight, technical trails. The Thundercat would
really benefit with the addition of power steering,
which we hope to possibly see eventually on
future models.
