Glad you mentioned them crappy side panels, hate removing and putting them back on. But, my #1 complaint- the short running boards. Going from a 09 M8 to the Proclimb had me searching for a place to put my feet.
Matt, my 2 bits as I'm also a 2014 M8000 LTD. owner. Positives: Laydown Suzuki 800, excellent motor super reliable, more power than other 2014's. 2.6 Powerclaw 80 Duro best factory track unreal traction, most durable as well. Fox shocks come standard, work very well a bit stiffer than others, rebuildable. Front end bulkhead and A-Arms very durable. Powder coated tunnel :) p.s. Loved your video when you outclimbed the 3" Camo extreme at Frisbee. Negatives: Steering bushings wear out quickly, sloppy steering (I do like tele-bar for trails and lakes), Factory ski's too narrow (Polaris Grippers on mine now, work great), Don't care for chaincase oil resevoir with small sightglass (liked the old M8 or RMK oil tank better), Factory running boards, not very grippy, Ccheap easy to bend Bars (CFR bars on mine now). All that being said, I would buy the sled again 4 sure. Reliable and easy to mod= Fun and Endless Smiles.
Just bought a 2015 m8 limited snow pro 162 1700 miles anything in particular I need to look at looks like a nice clean sled took it for a rip seems to run good. Thanks in advance.
The clutches can go if you ride hard, (on and off the throttle a lot). I'm a Cat Master tech and I've seen jackshaft bearings go bad I think 1 time in my entire career so would disagree with that.
I liked your review on the 2014, I ride a 2011 M800 Limited, I'm looking to update. Would you buy a 2020 or new Arctic Cat M8 or stay with the Suzuki motor in a 2017? I like and or need reliability, 153" or 162", I'm over 220lbs, ride in the mountains.
Hey I have a 2016 m8000 hcr 153... I’m tired of that stupid cat snow flap!!! I was wondering how much of a heat difference there is with and without it? I ride ditch’s and mountains
Those are great sleds. Ben had one that he rode for years on end, we sunk it in a river, it smashed down a mountain. Never let him down except for a steering post.
@@syxxes Other option i'm looking into is a 2013 Polaris Pro RMK 155... Do you know much on them? Thank you for the information I greatly appreciate it!
The cat is way better made and way tougher with more power. That year had the powder claw track and the H.O. motor so you’d have a ton of power. That chassis was also one of the best handling mountain chassis ever made.
I heard you say great for mountain riding, put when trail riding it over heats. Should I stay way when do very limited mountain riding? Colorado bound trails.
I would probably go with an XF8000 if you are looking at this chassis. It's a cross-over sled, great for the trails but will do some mountain stuff too.
Good vid. I need to adjust my skis as one is toed in more than the other. Can I get a wrench through that boot on the side or do you have to take the hood and everything off/out? Also how do you set your skis up. I have a high country and do trail and mtn riding
Easiest way to get at that jam-nut on tie rod is to pull off a couple rivets that hold that boot on. I just pull out the three at the top (If its a '13 or 12, if you're really handy you can peel the boot around the rivets without drilling them out.) Then just turn the ski's full left/right as needed and you'll be able to get a wrench on there. I've got my ski's set up to the farthest in position, and aligned true to each other. No toe in/out.
I think you should do more. I think you should explain to us why Four Stroke mountain slaves are for a different rider to. I agree with you but not sure if it’s for the same reasons.
How difficult is it to fix the slop in your steering on the '12 m8's. Specifically the bushing at the top of the cowling near the adjustable post? It seems like that is where most of my slop is.
So I’m looking into getting a 2015 M8000 and I was wondering what I should do if I get one and if it wheelies!? (like if I need to maintain everything and if it’s a pain over the season as I am not a full adult yet)
When u say cat clutches must be maintenanced and cleaned to avoid detonation, do you suggest upgrading or changing Any specific clutch parts on a new cat clutch?just wondering if there are any parts of the clutch that should be changed right away to help increse the life of the clutch??And also After how many miles of riding would u suggest to tear down the clutch and clean it?? Ive never owned a cat sled but would like to know for future reference.... Thanks... This was a good Vidd... Very informative!! 👍👍👍
I would say every time that the chain case gets serviced, I would give the clutches a good cleaning and polishing. This helps them keep cool too when they are nice and clean. The cat clutches on M8s only go up to 2015, anything after that is TEAM clutching. There are some aftermarket available, I stick with stock for this part.
The only thing pushing me away from the freeride is belt life. I don't want to have to spend another $800-$1000 on a clutch kit/stronger motor mounts. What's your opinion on the new 2018 Arctic Cat engines? I recently just sold my 2013 M8 153 limited, but now see they have a new engine.
I Love my Cat but the SOB has a starting issue which seems to be common from 13-17 M8's. Wish Cat didn't use inferior electronics so this issue wasn't there.
I had the worst problem with water freezing up my fuel lines later winter. Not sure if it was the fuel I was buying or from me leaving the tank low with fuel.
Yes I have friends that had the flooding issue, Which does not make sense an EFI system should be almost impossible to flood especially while it is sitting. The old 07-11 M8s never had this issue. My one friend replaced his injectors and never flooded again. My brother has a 16 and it would be hard to start intermittently and then one day it died for good, replaced the stater and haven't had a issue again. My 16 was a sob it wouldn't start when I was the furthest from home. It had all the symptoms it would flood then the next time it wouldn't inject fuel and the next time it wouldn't have spark. They, meaning Cat, replaced my wiring harness, fuel pump, stater, ECU and injectors nothing would do the trick. One day after all of this had been replaced I hit the killswitch on accident around 6200 RPM of course it died but it would not start. We sat there for hours till I poured some gas down one cylinder and bom she fired. I rode it home put it on the stand reved her up to 6200 and hit the kill switch while holing the throttle open just exactly what happened on the hill, and it would not start in the shop. I was happy because for the first time the issue was repeatable thats why it was so hard to nail down because it was so hit and miss. So I unplugged the TSS and the killswitch and I have never had a no start issue again. After they were unhooked I could kill it around 6200 RPM and it would start immediately. The only thing that makes sense to me is the electronics in this sled are just barely good enough and does not have enough volts to run everything. Long story short I believe this sled is the best sled on the sno minues the starting BS. I have a SLP slingle pipe kit with a sledshed cooker can 66 gram weights stock springs and this ol girl will out pull just about anything I ride with 8.000 feet and up.
Ok, the '12s have it for sure then. I get mixed up between all the models like the XFs, and the M1100s, cause the cooling all gets set up a little different in various years on various M/X models
So your saying u don’t do top end not even preventive ? Im asking a I’m looking for used one and if I see 2000miles I kinda think I’ll buy it and drop 2 new pistons on .. you Think that’s unnensedary? How many trouble trouble free mile u have on urs ? Thanks
@@syxxes that’s amazing and that’s common ? I see the 2015 are quiet abit cheaper than the 2016 I’m aware of the improvements ... however I can’t find the cvtech clutch wich I’d like to upgrade snd they told me the don’t have a ETA for them since Covid is there a place I’m not aware of that still has those clutches ? Thanks for your reply
Most times when you smell rubber, it's the belt. The odd time it can be the sliders sticking to the track, and have seen this in low snow conditions where the sliders actually partially melt to the track. Check your belt deflection, inspect the belt and check for burn marks on the clutches!
Could maybe be water got in somewhere, but I doubt it. Not really often I see that. This is a CLASSIC CASE of throttle safety shutoff. There is a switch in the throttle block that when tripped while you are not applying throttle will kill the unit. Touch the throttle really lightly and you should hear a small "click' from the block, just before the lever starts yanking on the cable. If you don't, try loosening off your throttle freeplay if it feels tight, or if you have a left had throttle installed, leave more slack on throttle freeplay than what is spec cause I've seen these pull on the lever to trip the switch. If there is something up with this "safety/runaway switch" the symptoms will be: Idles fine, dies when applying any throttle. Ben's did this on the hill once and we had to clear the ice out of it.
I've only ever blown up one. The "Belt eaters" were only 2012 models. All models after that got the updated secondary clutch which fixed this issue. Out of the many sleds I've worked on, I've only met 1 or 2 belt eaters, but a clutch alignment solved those. I honestly don't know where the myth comes from that these are blowing belts constantly. I've never seen it.
Glad you mentioned them crappy side panels, hate removing and putting them back on. But, my #1 complaint- the short running boards. Going from a 09 M8 to the Proclimb had me searching for a place to put my feet.
Those Suzuki 800 motors are awesome
Yeah they're pretty much unstoppable. They're great.
Matt, my 2 bits as I'm also a 2014 M8000 LTD. owner.
Positives: Laydown Suzuki 800, excellent motor super reliable, more power than other 2014's. 2.6 Powerclaw 80 Duro best factory track unreal traction, most durable as well. Fox shocks come standard, work very well a bit stiffer than others, rebuildable. Front end bulkhead and A-Arms very durable. Powder coated tunnel :)
p.s. Loved your video when you outclimbed the 3" Camo extreme at Frisbee.
Negatives: Steering bushings wear out quickly, sloppy steering (I do like tele-bar for trails and lakes), Factory ski's too narrow (Polaris Grippers on mine now, work great), Don't care for chaincase oil resevoir with small sightglass (liked the old M8 or RMK oil tank better), Factory running boards, not very grippy, Ccheap easy to bend Bars (CFR bars on mine now).
All that being said, I would buy the sled again 4 sure. Reliable and easy to mod= Fun and Endless Smiles.
Yeah! I was gonna make a video of the 2.6 vs the 3.0. Even though it was a 153, that still surprised me. I'd buy a 2014 again for sure!
Just bought a 2015 m8 limited snow pro 162 1700 miles anything in particular I need to look at looks like a nice clean sled took it for a rip seems to run good. Thanks in advance.
I have a 2015 m8000 153 with no spark what should I be looking at replacing
Thinking about getting a m8000 snowpro 2013 they said clutch and jackshaft bearing are not tuff
The clutches can go if you ride hard, (on and off the throttle a lot). I'm a Cat Master tech and I've seen jackshaft bearings go bad I think 1 time in my entire career so would disagree with that.
I liked your review on the 2014, I ride a 2011 M800 Limited, I'm looking to update. Would you buy a 2020 or new Arctic Cat M8 or stay with the Suzuki motor in a 2017? I like and or need reliability, 153" or 162", I'm over 220lbs, ride in the mountains.
Would this be a good idea of how the 2016 would be or what updates did the 2016 do?
Can you do a step by step fixing or upgrading videos?
Hey I have a 2016 m8000 hcr 153... I’m tired of that stupid cat snow flap!!! I was wondering how much of a heat difference there is with and without it? I ride ditch’s and mountains
whats your thoughts on a 2011 Arctic cat m8 153?? Worth the buy if in good condition with low miles (under 1,000)???
Those are great sleds. Ben had one that he rode for years on end, we sunk it in a river, it smashed down a mountain. Never let him down except for a steering post.
@@syxxes Other option i'm looking into is a 2013 Polaris Pro RMK 155... Do you know much on them? Thank you for the information I greatly appreciate it!
The cat is way better made and way tougher with more power. That year had the powder claw track and the H.O. motor so you’d have a ton of power. That chassis was also one of the best handling mountain chassis ever made.
lol my secondary clutch fell off on the mountain on my 11 m8
I heard you say great for mountain riding, put when trail riding it over heats. Should I stay way when do very limited mountain riding? Colorado bound trails.
I would probably go with an XF8000 if you are looking at this chassis. It's a cross-over sled, great for the trails but will do some mountain stuff too.
Good vid. I need to adjust my skis as one is toed in more than the other. Can I get a wrench through that boot on the side or do you have to take the hood and everything off/out? Also how do you set your skis up. I have a high country and do trail and mtn riding
Easiest way to get at that jam-nut on tie rod is to pull off a couple rivets that hold that boot on. I just pull out the three at the top (If its a '13 or 12, if you're really handy you can peel the boot around the rivets without drilling them out.) Then just turn the ski's full left/right as needed and you'll be able to get a wrench on there.
I've got my ski's set up to the farthest in position, and aligned true to each other. No toe in/out.
I have same..bars are kinda loose side to side...how can I fix this
Is yours a 153 or a 162? Wich one would you recommend buying?
I think you should do more. I think you should explain to us why Four Stroke mountain slaves are for a different rider to. I agree with you but not sure if it’s for the same reasons.
Maybe I'll do a video on it 👍
I want to know your thoughts about the 2016 limited you had!
I loved that sled. It was the year the proclimb saw some big changes.
How difficult is it to fix the slop in your steering on the '12 m8's. Specifically the bushing at the top of the cowling near the adjustable post? It seems like that is where most of my slop is.
Take off the hood and there is a clip holding that bushing in place. They are really cheap to replace.
So I’m looking into getting a 2015 M8000 and I was wondering what I should do if I get one and if it wheelies!? (like if I need to maintain everything and if it’s a pain over the season as I am not a full adult yet)
I love you a lot I have a 2015 for sale!
When u say cat clutches must be maintenanced and cleaned to avoid detonation, do you suggest upgrading or changing Any specific clutch parts on a new cat clutch?just wondering if there are any parts of the clutch that should be changed right away to help increse the life of the clutch??And also After how many miles of riding would u suggest to tear down the clutch and clean it?? Ive never owned a cat sled but would like to know for future reference.... Thanks... This was a good Vidd... Very informative!! 👍👍👍
I would say every time that the chain case gets serviced, I would give the clutches a good cleaning and polishing. This helps them keep cool too when they are nice and clean. The cat clutches on M8s only go up to 2015, anything after that is TEAM clutching. There are some aftermarket available, I stick with stock for this part.
Thanks will do
Nice video, btw what do u think about that monster 12:35 haven't tried it yet lol
They aren't bad
I like em! I buy them for the mountain cause they have a cap that I can put back on them, so I don't have to chug a monster in one go!
you should do a chain case inspection on one of ur proclimbs
ruclips.net/video/L7Bz2VSfSWs/видео.html can find it here!
Currently I am debating between the 2018 high country 141 or the 2018 Skidoo Freeride 146.
807tv freeride
Do your research! Figure out the one ya like best!
The only thing pushing me away from the freeride is belt life. I don't want to have to spend another $800-$1000 on a clutch kit/stronger motor mounts. What's your opinion on the new 2018 Arctic Cat engines? I recently just sold my 2013 M8 153 limited, but now see they have a new engine.
I love my ctec2
I Love my Cat but the SOB has a starting issue which seems to be common from 13-17 M8's. Wish Cat didn't use inferior electronics so this issue wasn't there.
The biggest common issue I've seen for no-start on these years is flooding after transport. If it's not starting otherwise, something else is up.
I had the worst problem with water freezing up my fuel lines later winter. Not sure if it was the fuel I was buying or from me leaving the tank low with fuel.
Yes I have friends that had the flooding issue, Which does not make sense an EFI system should be almost impossible to flood especially while it is sitting. The old 07-11 M8s never had this issue. My one friend replaced his injectors and never flooded again. My brother has a 16 and it would be hard to start intermittently and then one day it died for good, replaced the stater and haven't had a issue again. My 16 was a sob it wouldn't start when I was the furthest from home. It had all the symptoms it would flood then the next time it wouldn't inject fuel and the next time it wouldn't have spark. They, meaning Cat, replaced my wiring harness, fuel pump, stater, ECU and injectors nothing would do the trick. One day after all of this had been replaced I hit the killswitch on accident around 6200 RPM of course it died but it would not start. We sat there for hours till I poured some gas down one cylinder and bom she fired. I rode it home put it on the stand reved her up to 6200 and hit the kill switch while holing the throttle open just exactly what happened on the hill, and it would not start in the shop. I was happy because for the first time the issue was repeatable thats why it was so hard to nail down because it was so hit and miss. So I unplugged the TSS and the killswitch and I have never had a no start issue again. After they were unhooked I could kill it around 6200 RPM and it would start immediately. The only thing that makes sense to me is the electronics in this sled are just barely good enough and does not have enough volts to run everything. Long story short I believe this sled is the best sled on the sno minues the starting BS. I have a SLP slingle pipe kit with a sledshed cooker can 66 gram weights stock springs and this ol girl will out pull just about anything I ride with 8.000 feet and up.
2007 rev 800 or 2014 m8000 sno pro for 50/50 trail and some deep stuff.
What track lengths?
@@dscarff300 153
@@dscarff300 they removed the sway bar so I would need one of those I'm thinking.would I need crossover skiis or will the stock's be fine
@@jimbob8231 m8000 all the way
I don't think the 2013 m8 had the intercooler in the back. Unless the hcr is the only one that didn't get one.
Ok, the '12s have it for sure then. I get mixed up between all the models like the XFs, and the M1100s, cause the cooling all gets set up a little different in various years on various M/X models
My 13 m8 snow pro has on on the back
So your saying u don’t do top end not even preventive ? Im asking a I’m looking for used one and if I see 2000miles I kinda think I’ll buy it and drop 2 new pistons on .. you Think that’s unnensedary? How many trouble trouble free mile u have on urs ? Thanks
I've got 5600km with zero engine work
@@syxxes that’s amazing and that’s common ? I see the 2015 are quiet abit cheaper than the 2016 I’m aware of the improvements ... however I can’t find the cvtech clutch wich I’d like to upgrade snd they told me the don’t have a ETA for them since Covid is there a place I’m not aware of that still has those clutches ? Thanks for your reply
Hi from Russia) What is the aftermarket sky model do you have? 6.5/7? Thanks for video!
That is an SLP 7 inch wide.
@@syxxes thanks bro! Can you tell me, what is the better: SLP 7 or stock sky 2016-2019. I want to change my 2012 sky.
Now make one like this about the alpha one
Picked up a 12 M1100 turbo with 190 hrs on it this year. I heard they like to eat up belts. Is that true?
Turbos. Destroy belts. Not very often but more than usual.
@@krank6 oh fair enough. Hoping to find out this year anyways lol
It smells like burnt rubber after i go full throttle a couple of times on spring snow. Is it the belt thats about to blow?
Most times when you smell rubber, it's the belt. The odd time it can be the sliders sticking to the track, and have seen this in low snow conditions where the sliders actually partially melt to the track. Check your belt deflection, inspect the belt and check for burn marks on the clutches!
@@syxxes okay. I should probably clean them if i find anything.
Why won’t my 17 mountain cat idle normal and sputters and shuts off when I give it throttle? Started doing that after I rinsed it off my last ride.
Scott Campbell most likely water in an electrical connection.
Could maybe be water got in somewhere, but I doubt it. Not really often I see that. This is a CLASSIC CASE of throttle safety shutoff. There is a switch in the throttle block that when tripped while you are not applying throttle will kill the unit. Touch the throttle really lightly and you should hear a small "click' from the block, just before the lever starts yanking on the cable. If you don't, try loosening off your throttle freeplay if it feels tight, or if you have a left had throttle installed, leave more slack on throttle freeplay than what is spec cause I've seen these pull on the lever to trip the switch.
If there is something up with this "safety/runaway switch" the symptoms will be: Idles fine, dies when applying any throttle.
Ben's did this on the hill once and we had to clear the ice out of it.
Take it in for a check up
Did you check your plugs?
My 2019 hardcore has fixed all the problems you brought up, good vid
Oh yeah! They've come a long way since my '14!
I have a 08 m8 it sputters mid to full throttle what could cause this? Any help would be greatly appreciated
Deez Shnicklefrittz spark plugs or top end
Do they go threw belts more then most?
I've only ever blown up one. The "Belt eaters" were only 2012 models. All models after that got the updated secondary clutch which fixed this issue. Out of the many sleds I've worked on, I've only met 1 or 2 belt eaters, but a clutch alignment solved those.
I honestly don't know where the myth comes from that these are blowing belts constantly. I've never seen it.
are the C&A skies anygood?
Best skis there is
What can does Ben use?
Ben has the NPP on his. He likes to be the loudest in the bunch
Well the louder the better,I love the sound of a loud CAT
Awesome info
I’m a Cat man👍 but I wish snowmobile manufacturers would start making good looking snowmobiles again. The new snowmobiles are ugly as shit🤮
The arctic cat 2013 - 2015 clutches horrible
Okay so If I could afford it I'd buy a brand new M8000, but I'm broke so i'll just rebuild my 600Ho Etec again
I don't know lots about those 600s. I thought they were ok engines
Maybe not?
First !!
Arctic cats are junk man don’t say they aren’t please
Arctic crap
U must like them cause u click on the video