Snowmobiles have many names starting from skimobile, snow scooter, or motor sled. But all of them have the same purpose: to be operated on snow and ice. Trails and roads are not required for traveling with this motorized vehicle.
People of all ages can enjoy traveling with a snowmobile. Their large gears power their tracks and help accelerate. But how fast can they go? Let’s find out.
How fast do snowmobiles go?
Snowmobiles can go as fast as 200 mph depending on several factors. Racing snowmobiles can go faster whereas beginner sleds tend to be slower. Typically, modern snowmobiles can reach speeds up to 150 mph since they are high-performance. The top speed it reaches will depend on the skill of the rider.
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The highest speed that was reached is 320 miles per house by a G-Force-One. This is a world record. However, this level of speed is very dangerous.
The average high speed for snowmobiles varies from model to model but usually ranges from 95 miles per hour to 120 miles per hour.
Snowmobiles that are used for drag racing can reach 200 miles per hour and up. These are specifically used for racing and not for standard use.
The top speed a snowmobile reaches is not limited to the skill of the rider, modifications made to the snowmobiles can increase the speed. Often, changes to the performance exhaust are made to increase the speed.
What is the average speed of a snowmobile?
Snowmobiles have an average speed of around 100 miles per hour. This varies depending on the design and model. High-powered snowmobiles can go above 120 miles per hour whereas racing snowmobiles can get up to 200 miles per hour.
The low-speed ones are entry-level snowmobiles that range from 80 miles per hour to 100 miles per hour.
How fast do Ski Doo snowmobiles go?
Ski Doo snowmobiles have a speed level ranging from 55 mph to 128 mph depending on the model and engine. Utility models are the slowest whereas the top speed ones can go from 55 mph till 70 mph.
The fast Ski Doo can go up to 128 mph. For average Ski doo models, their top speed is in the 80 mph to 110 mph range.
How fast is a Polaris 120 snowmobile?
The speed range of Polaris is broad ranging from 6 mph up to 115 mph. The Polaris 120 snowmobile is the slowest Polaris snowmobile. It has a top speed of 6 to 8 mph. They fall under the youth category.
How fast is a 440cc snowmobile?
440cc snowmobiles are typically designed to reach speeds of around 70 to 80 mph. However, many people have reported reaching over 85 mph and even 95 mph. An example is a Stock Polaris 440cc which reached 75 mph at 8200 RPM.
How fast is a 500cc snowmobile?
Advanced users go for 500cc snowmobiles. It can reach around 85 to 90 mph and over 95 mph under the right conditions. The speed will increase on speedo or hardpack snow and glare ice. An example is the Polaris Indy 500 that can reach 85 to 90 mph.
How fast does a 600cc snowmobile go?
An engine like that can go as fast as 90 to 105 mph depending on the model. You can reach above 105 mph with some models and changes. Another example is the Polaris XC 600 which has a top speed of 105 mph.
How fast does a 700cc snowmobile go?
These high-powered snowmobiles exceed the 100 mph mark and can go as fast as 110 mph. A popular model is the Ski Doo MXZ 700 that has a top speed of 110 mph.
How fast does an 800 snowmobile go?
These snowmobiles can go as fast as 110 mph to 120 mph including in stock condition. The Polaris XCR 800 is one of the fastest models that has a top speed of 120 mph.
How fast does an 850cc snowmobile go?
850cc snowmobiles can reach the top speed of 120 mph easily. Many have reported higher speeds depending on the brand. The Ski Doo 850 has a top speed of 118 miles per hour.
Snowmobile speed chart – Brands, models, and speed
Here are some popular models and their top speed:
| Brand and Model | Top Speed (Miles Per Hour) |
| Ski Doo MXZ 600 | 100 mph |
| Yamaha SRX 120 | 8 mph |
| 2015 Arctic Cat ZR 6000RR | 83 mph |
| Polaris Switchback Pro S 800 | 105 mph |
| Arctic Cat Sno Pro 120 | 8 mph |
| Ski Doo MXZ X 850 E TEC | 128 mph |
| 2003 MXZ REV Sport 600HO | 107 mph (speedo) |
| Polaris Assault 800 | 112 mph |
| 1997 Arctic Cat ZR 580 EF | 100 |
| Polaris Indy EVO | 50 mph |
| 2012 Arctic Cat XF 1100 Turbo | 118 mph |
| 2014 Arctic Cat ZR 6000 EL Tigre | 88 mph |
| Polaris Indy Sport Touring 450 | 75 mph |
| 1973 Ski Doo Elan T Rotax 250 cc (Vintage) | 35 mph |
| Polaris Pro X 440 Fan | 80 mph |
Keep in mind that the stock speed can differ. The speed can vary depending on many conditions and factors. We’ll be getting to that next.
Factors that affect snowmobile speed
Why are snowmobiles so fast
Engine and Horsepower:
Your engine and horsepower are the parts that influence your speed the most. Power is transmitted from the engine which affects the speed. Usually, a snowmobile with high horsepower will be faster.
Skill Level:
The rider’s skill level plays a role in your snowmobile’s speed. You will be able to ride at greater speeds once you are an advanced rider. If you practice more, you’ll be able to reach higher speeds.
Weight:
The weight of your snowmobile matters. Many riders reduce the weight of their snowmobiles to make their snowmobiles faster.
Modifications:
Changing the parts of your snowmobiles can also affect the speed. We’ll learn more about this below!
What inhibits snowmobile speed?
The engine speed reduces due to more flyweight mass:
If you add weight, peak RPM will increase and hence lose engine speed.
Snowmobile model:
Entry-level snowmobiles cannot reach high speeds. It can’t be expected by racers to use beginner-level snowmobiles. This is why check the model along with the horsepower and engine before you purchase one.
Temperature and Terrain:
If you ride on ice, then you are likely to go faster but deep snow might slow you down. Lower temperatures are better for reaching top speeds. Cooler air is denser which increases the power of your machine.
How fast can a snowmobile go on water?
Turbo and jet engine speed enable sleds to zoom over water. Snowmobiles can go more than 130 mph on the water. The World Record for top speed on the water using a snowmobile is 131.7 mph or 212 kph.
This is very fast and unsafe. Not only is it dangerous, but it can get the parts of your snowmobile flooded. Repairing your snowmobile will be costly and hard as well. This is why it is better to refrain from traveling on water using a snowmobile.
However, many people do go water racing using snowmobiles. This is known as snowmobile skipping. It requires a great deal of practice to prevent the snowmobile from sinking by keeping it on the surface of the water.
For that, you need to hit the water at an acceptable speed and keep the sled’s throttle open. If it sinks, you will have to take water out of the exhaust, spark plugs, carburetor, and replace the fuel.
How fast can a snowmobile accelerate?
This depends on many factors starting from the weight of your snowmobile, engine, structure, and the conditions around you. The average acceleration of stock snowmobiles is 3 to 6 seconds for a 0-60 run.
Snowmobiles built for racing have much faster acceleration than the average ones.
The world record for a 0 to 60 mph run is only 1.1 seconds! This was done by non-stock drag snowmobiles.
An example of the acceleration speed of a stock snowmobile is the Ski Doo 800R Renegade X-RS which has an acceleration of 3.63 seconds for 0-100 km/h. The XCR 800 can do 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Even a low-powered snowmobile can effortlessly accelerate at 0.5g or more. This is similar to the maximum acceleration capability of usual motorcycles.
The accuracy of this data is not certain because acceleration is influenced by terrain, temperature, traction, and clutch setup.
How to improve a snowmobile’s top speed?
Many advanced riders do a couple of things to increase their snowmobile’s top speed. Increasing the power too much can be dangerous, so take necessary precautions before moving forward with the following changes:
- Reflash your engine to improve horsepower. This might decrease the lifespan of your vehicle.
- Install a turbo. Although this is an expensive method, it is possibly the safest way out of all. Moreover, the increase in power is relatively high.
- Replace your performance exhaust. This is not the best method as it can only give you a single-digit HP boost.
- Use Ethanol Gas. 10% ethanol gas is enough to improve horsepower. If you have a 2 stroke engine, do not use ethanol at all as those engines tend to be sensitive.
- Reduce the weight. The lighter your vehicle, the faster it will be. Replacing a few non-essential stock parts can reduce the weight by a lot.
What is the fastest snowmobile?
The current fastest production snowmobile is the Yamaha Sidewinder SRX LE. This vehicle can reach impressive levels of speed. It comes with a 4-stroke 998 Genesis Turbo Engine and has a 998cc unit. It can produce almost 200 HP and hits top speeds faster than other stock machines.
The pressures and temperatures that come with increased speeds are tolerable because of the engine’s high-tech turbo technologies. It also has three throttle bodies that reduce lag and increase the response rate.
This high-performance machine will cost you around $18,000. This is even more expensive than plenty of cars. You can reach top speeds without any large modifications.
Other similar fast snowmobiles include the Polaris 850 Rush Pro-S, Ski-Doo Mach Z, and the Arctic Cat ZR Thundercat. When it comes to power, the most powerful stock mobile is the Arctic Cat ZR Thundercat. It has a horsepower of 211.
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