So you wonder how fast a snowmobile can go or how fast can a snowmobile accelerate? I gathered some data from some popular sleds and I will present them here. Usually, the snowmobile speed varies by a bunch of factors, the most important being:
- Snowmobile Weight
- Snowmobile Engine
- Snowmobile Aerodynamics
- Deep vs little snow vs ice
- Snowmobile design (friction force, given by track width and resistance)
- The person who rides it
- Wind
- Etc
If you are going for a 0-60 run or top speed make sure you have enough room to brake!
Examples
Let’s look at some popular snowmobiles and see how fast they go. Usually, the manufacturers don’t include this information in the specs. I think they consider that too many factors can influence the top speed and acceleration. I had to go on forums and youtube videos to see how fast are different modes of snowmobiles. So here is the list:
- SKI-DOO MXZ X 850 E-TEC – Top Speed: 128mph on the speedo and 120mph on gps
- 2012 arctic cat XF 1100 Turbo top speed: 118MPH
- Polaris Assault 800 Top Speed: 112mph
- Ski-doo mxz 600 Top Speed: ~ 160 km/h
- Polaris Switchback Pro-S 800 Top Speed: 105mph/168kph GPS: 98mph/157kph
- 2014 Arctic Cat ZR 6000 EL Tigre top speed 87.94mph 0-60 – 4.38sec
- 2015 Arctic Cat ZR 6000RR top speed 82.82mph
- 99 rmk 700 Top Speed: 106mph on speedo
- 2003 MXZ REV Sport 600HO Top Speed: (stock) – 107mph(Speedo)
- 1997 XC 600 tripple – stock – Top Speed: 102mph with 144 picks on speedo
- 1998 ZR600 Top Speed: 99mph(speedo) with a 1.5 inch paddle track
- ZR500 – Top Speed: 90mph(speedo) with 96 picks
- Ski doo 850 Top Speed: around 118 mph.
1 mile = 1.60934 km
How to measure your top speed
In order to accurately measure your top speed, you can use a professional speedometer. This will give you a much more accurate speed relying on the GPS, not on the engine speed. You can find a good one that will fit most ATVs, UTVs and, of course, snowmobiles on Amazon.
Take a look at Venom or OZ-USA.
Other factors:
Terrain
The type of terrain you are riding on can make a huge difference when going for a top speed run. Obviously, if you run on grass you will get a lower top speed because the grass will oppose a higher resistance than snow. But the snow level can also influence your top speed run. If you ride in deep snow your snowmobile will be slower due to the resistance of the extra layer of snow.
You can even ride on water if you have a high HP snowmobile, but it is not advised. Water oppose a much greater resistance than a flat snow terrain. You can also sink your snowmobile, which is not fun.
Also, the temperature can affect your ride indirectly. The snow rigidity is affected by temperature. So, when riding on ice you will probably get a higher top speed due to low friction with the ice.
Temperature
The temperature of the air can also affect your ride. Usually, engines run better on low temperature. The colder the air the denser it will be when entering your engine. This results into an extra increase of power and will help you do a better top speed run.
As I said in the Terrain section, the lower temperature can produce a snowpack that will be much more solid than a soft snow. This results in decreased resistance of the terrain so a better top speed can be reached.
For example, when riding a snowmobile in a colder area, a friend observed a big difference in his top speed. The colder the air the better for the engine and also the snowpack is opposing less resistance.
His results?
95 mph at 25 F
115 mph at -20 F
So there can be a big difference between cold air and “hot” air.
How fast can a snowmobile accelerate?
It depends on the engine, weight and the other things I said in the introduction of this article. The world record seems to be around 1.1 seconds for 0-60mph (0-100 km/h). But these are non-stock drag snowmobiles. Let’s see some real-life examples:
- XCR 800 0-60 in 3.5sec
- 2015 Polaris Slingshot SLCompare Car0-60 mph 5.2
- 2004 Arctic Cat – 3-4 seconds – This would be in about 200 ft (not including braking distance)
Average snowmobile top speed
Looking at various types and models of snowmobile I can conclude that most snowmobiles can do a top speed of 90-120 mph or 130-190 kph stock. If you snowmobile is for beginners it will probably go as fast as 90 mph, if you ride a sports snowmobile you can even reach 120 mph depending on the sled’s model.
Top drag snowmobiles can go up to 200 mph (320 km/h).
How fast can a snowmobile go on the water
The World Record for top speed on the water with a snowmobile stands at 212 kph or 131.7 mph. That’s pretty fast and dangerous.
How fast is a 600cc snowmobile?
600cc snowmobiles can reach over 100 mph speeds. Some owners reached 110 mph+. It’s a pretty powerful snowmobile engine.
A friend reported that Polaris XLT reached 110mph on speedo.
An 87 indy 600cc snowmobile stock reached 115 mph in 1200ft.
Another Arctic Cat ZR 600cc reached 100mph.
Also, someone mentioned on a forum going with an Arctic Cat ZRT 600 with over 110mph but ran out of room and needed to brake.
How fast is a 440cc snowmobile
They are much slower than 600cc snowmobiles. Usually, they are made to reach speeds of 70-80 mph, but again, it depends on the terrain, snowmobile etc. Some guys said they reached 85 mph and even 95 mph using 440cc snowmobiles.
A Stock Polaris 440cc is reported to reach 75MPH at 8200 RPM. But, as everyone agrees, 440cc snowmobiles are made to reach about 70 mph stock.
How fast is a 500cc snowmobile
It is somewhere in between of 440cc and 600cc so recommended for more advanced users.
One of the most popular models of 500cc engine snowmobiles is Polaris indy 500. It can reach between 85-90mph and even 95 if proper conditions (terrain, air resistance, temperature). It will show a bit more on speedo as most snowmobiles report a 5-10% more speed on the speedo. Using a radar you can see between 90-95 mph.
The higher speeds can be reached on hardpack snow or glare ice. You will need about 1/2 mile or more to reach the top speed.
Snowmobile history speed increase
The first snowmobiles were slow. In the past years, big and performant engines were developed. Also, the weight of the snowmobile decreased as manufacturers are using new technology materials like light aluminum or carbon.
Some old snowmobiles could only reach 40mph. Here are some examples, with the year, manufacturer, model, and top speed:
- 1969 Massey Ferguson – Ski-Whiz – 38mph
- 1970 Polaris – Charger – 64mph
- 1978 Arctic Cat – Lynx 2000T – 40Mph
- 1977 Polaris – TX-L – 70mph
- 1975 Mercury – Sno-Twister – 86Mph
You can check the full list of older snowmobile top speeds here. They are organized in a table with information about the Manufacturer, model, engine model and year made.
Fastest snowmobile 0-60 mph
This is the world record of a snowmobile: 1.1 second for 0-60mph (0-100 km/h). But this is not a stock snowmobile. Drag snowmobiles are tweaked and improved in order to reach such performances. The typical snowmobile is much slower and it takes around 3-6 seconds to reach 60mph.
Yamaha Nytro 0-60 mph
It takes under 4 seconds on an average terrain for Yamaha Nytro to reach 60mph. The accurate prediction would be between 3 and 4 seconds. It also reaches about 97-100 top speed. (but again, it depends)
Yamaha Viper 0-60 mph
88-90 mph top speed and under 4 seconds to reach 0-60 mph.
How to improve snowmobiles Top Speed
If you are an advanced rider you may consider improving your snowmobile in order to get a higher top speed. Make sure you take all the precautions before doing this. Increasing your snowmobile power too much can lead to disastrous consequences.
Chip/flash the Engine
Changing your engine “map”/curve, or however you name it, and injection time can lead to improved HP. This can be done by a professional. Reflashing your engine can lead to a shorter lifespan though.
Some snowmobiles engines are flashed with a curve that will suit the type of terrain they were designed for. For example: if you have a trail snowmobile, it would not perform well on hills or mountains. Flashing a curve that will do better on mountains can help.
Ethanol gas
I don’t recommend this at all, but 10% Ethanol gas can improve your HP. Avoid it by any means on a 2 stroke engine because they are very sensitive to ethanol. Also, check my other article to be sure you understand all the facts about ethanol. (Always empty your tank or add an additive to it after using it)
Install a Turbo
Installing a turbo will cost some money, but can definitely increase your HP much safer than other methods. What Turbo does is to increase the flow of air to the engine. Result? More combustion and more power. The mpg value can drop a bit after installing a turbo. More power, more fun more gas.
Change your exhaust
Another thing you can do to increase the HP a bit is to change the exhaust. It’s not as effective as changing the engine curve or installing a turbo but can give you a single digit HP boost.
Lower the weight
There are ways to lower the weight of your snowmobile. This can give an increase in both top speed and 0-60.
NOS
If you want a fast bump, you can get a NOS kit. There are plenty of these kits on Amazon and other stores.
Advanced tweaks
More advanced tweaks will be cylinders change, injection, pipes etc. And the list can go on and on. I will probably write another article to explain the possibilities of improving the horsepower of the engine. There are a lot of things to talk about.