I have read a lot of articles talking about the instability of the AC's independent suspension on the rear when travelling at high speeds. Is this a common problem with all IRS, or just the AC. There are other quads out there with IRS like the Grizzly and I think Rincon, and I haven't heard that much about thiers. Seems to me thiers would be just as unstable, but they aren't getting the bad rap for it. I looked at getting a Cat, but got the Eiger mainly just because of the interest rate at the time. It seems to me that AC is getting ripped off on this whole "shootout" business. It ranked really low on it's power, for example, but the AC 400 has the same engine as the Eiger. I know the way the drive system has to be setup for IRS would drain some of the power, but honestly, can it be that bad? Maybe AC just didn't give the writers enough free stuff to encourage them to focus on the positives.

Thought someone else might have something to say about this.

 

I don't thik AC messed up because as far as I know they are the only "untility quad" witha fully independent rearend. Some others say they are independent but have a torsion bar connecting the two sides. AC does not.

As far as stability goes I think that is from weak side wall on the tires. For power my 400 Ac seems to be the only untility quad that can get the heavy stuff up the hills and through the rough stuff on the trailer without breaking parts or burning belts.

Perhaps the writers are attempting to compare a utility quad with a sport utility quad?

 

I agree. Most of the people doing those tests ride the sport quads. When riding a utility, they seem to always go with which one will power slide the best and run the fastest, etc. Totally not the point behind a ute. Some quads were made to simply be workhorses. I think they should give credit where credit is due.

 

Having been on both Cat and Grizzly, I can safely say that the Cat is definitely the more stable of the two.

The shootouts are written mostly with an eye on the advertising expenditures of the manufacturers. Maybe I'm used to car magazine tests, or even dirt bike magazine tests, but the tests in the atv publications are a joke. No hard figures, other than what the manufacturer said, speeds were taken off of the speedos, tests were judged subjectively, results not quantified. About all I get out of the shootout articles is that the guys went out in the woods with a few brand new quads and some beer, and had a good time. Not very helpful if you're looking to buy. Testing utility quads for how well they jump and slide? How about testing for pulling power, weight carrying, rock crawling, even rollover, something that a utility quad will actually be used for. Down on power? Not on the low end, where you need torque to get a loaded trailer moving.

I quit buying newsstand copies of any of the atv publications, and they won't get another dime of my money, nor will their sponsors, until they start putting out useful information.

And I'm glad that I can think for myself, or I wouldn't have found my 500i. Exactly what I wanted - high ground clearance, comfortable, hauls a heavy load, doesn't break down.

 

Come to think of it, I think collectively the people on this site could probably come up with a "Utility Quad Test" that is better than I have seen in any newsstand publication.

 

I really don't know why some say the AC 650 has a tendency to be unstable. I don't find that to be true at all. Maybe because some are trying to power slide this big Cat & it'll just dig in & go like hell. Maybe too low of psi on the stock Goodyear MTR's or too soft of a setting on the shocks. Yes, the Cat does have several inches on seat ht. on most machines & maybe that bothers some, but the wide stance of the Cat makes up for that, & i sure do like the ground clearance. One of the guys i rode the trails at Moab with, also had a 650 Cat, with 10 psi in his stock Goodyears & another Cat 650 rider with us & myself were riding on the Carlisle Badland Radials at 5 psi. None of us had any stability problems on any of trails we rode. Now the 660 Grizzily with us did have some
concerns on the really off camber sections on some of the trails, as it is a lot narrower ATV. I've rode two different Grizzilies quite a bit in in the high desert country of Ariz; so i knew at times to really use my weight on the uphill side on the really off camber places. I've had my 650 up to 65 mph more than once & it handled just fine, & ride like blue blazes on pretty rough trails if i take a notion, thanks to the great independent rear suspension. My ATV before the Cat was a 600 Polaris SP, so i can somewhat form an opinion on the stability of my Cat by comparing it to these ATV's, as well as others i've rode in the past. I do realize the 650 AC is not for everyone, but thats why they make fords & chevies. BTW, my son has a new 03 Eiger 400 manual, & sometimes we swap rides. IMHO, the Eiger is a damn good ride, & he can run all over me on the tighter trails, it's so nimble. He was with me at Moab & we were all impressed with his Eiger. Regards, Jerico1

 

There are two sides of the stability issue. When climbing over rocks and other very challenging terrain, the Artic Cat suspension is very stable as the suspension is totally independent. I prefer it to the Polaris and Grizzly and way better than the Rincon. Now blasting along a trail at top speed (with corners), the Artic Cat is not as stable as the other ones since they have rear stabilizer bars. I have rode all four under both situations and there is a big difference.

 

Thanks for the statement about the Eiger, Jerico1. I think it is really cool when someone says something positive about a quad other than theirs. There are a lot of great quads out there, AC being one of them from what I have seen and heard. I am sure that if I had gotten the AC 400 I was looking at, I would have missed the exta 200-400 bucks and little bit of extra sportiness the Eiger has with the SRA, but as I walked through foot deep mud and climbed over rocks I am currently going around, I would have had a [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] on my face. No one could make a truly crappy quad and be in business for more than a few months.

 

TheThrillOfSpeed, Yes, I will agree with your comment about high speed tight cornering on the trails is not one of the Big Cats high points. It didn't take me too long to find that out trying to keep up with my sons Eiger as i have stated. But give me a little room in the stretches & then it's him that can't keep up, as should be expected running a 650 against a 400, & a straight axle against my IRS. His top speed is about 55mph & mine will do 65mph on level roads. My 600 Polaris was no better on the tight twisty trails & maybe not quite as good as the Cat, but there again you have all that weight to contend with. Dry wt. on the Polaris was 740 lbs. as compared with 680 lbs. on the Cat, & i had both of them loaded down with a lot of accessories, But really how fast do you really want to go on most trails. Top speed doesn't mean beans to me most times, but sometimes i like to kick it in the but where i can, & move on out, even at my age. Maybe i should have bought a Z400, but i'd probably kill myself with one of those, lol. Everyone has different wants & needs when it comes to ATV's, & i think it's infantile, rude & in bad taste to knock someone else's ride, no matter what he has. But sharing experiences & opinions like were doing here & not flaming someone's else's pride & joy just because you have something different is what this forum should be all about. Regards, Jerico1

 

Whenever I go riding with my buddies it always turns into a race at some point. The Cat holds its own, generally wins in the tuff stuff, but wow throw in some corners and I'm eating dust. I do love the suspension when you jump it and it just eats it up and goes....but wow that's a lot of quad to have in the air!

Higher ground clearance, no sway bars, more suspension travel....all great for the technical stuff, but not made for winning races with corners. Sure is fun going down a rocky trail and listen to their quad hit all the rocks while the Cat just goes over them.