Arctic Cat Wildcat Long-Term Review
Be sure to check out our full build of this Wildcat at:Arctic Cat Wildcat Buildup
Glamis UTV Industry Ride – February/March 2013 Some fast rides and hard duning in Glamis for our Wildcat. It ran strong and never missed a beat. 2nd Annual Glamis UTV Industry Ride Prairie City SVRA – August 2012 Rock crawling with our Arctic Cat Wildcat at Prairie City SVRA – We installed a set of 31×11.50-R15 Put Bull Growler LT tires on OMF Performance beadlock wheels. In addition, we installed Factory UTV UHMW skid plate and a-arm guards, Arctic Cat Rock Sliders and Rear Shock Guard. Read more:Arctic Cat Wildcat Rock Crawling Review DuneFest 2012 – August 2012 Our Arctic Cat Wildcat was big fun at DuneFest. Paddle tires from Fullerton Sand Sports, new dual exhaust installed at DuneFest by Muzzys, Pro Armor doors and graphics and Rigid Industries SR LED light added some personality and punch to this sport UTV! More coverage:DuneFest 2012 Pine Nut Mountains – May 2012 Day trip into the Pine Nuts from Smith Valley, Nevada. We drove up Red Canyon (Google Maps) up to Oreana Peak at 9,346 feet (Google Maps). Then towards Gardnerville before heading south and then down Rickey Canyon (Google Maps). Total of about 50 miles with widely varied terrain. Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest near Bridgeport, CA – May 2012 We spent two days camped at The Elbow (Google Maps) on the East Walker River. From there, we rode to Masonic Mountain at 9,200 feet (Google Maps), Lower Town, Bodie CA (Google Maps), Aurora NV, Mt. Grant at over 11,000 feet (Google Maps). Prairie City SVRA – April 2012 Took the Wildcat out to Prairie City SVRA and played on VORRA short course track as well as in the rocks.
Sand Mountain – March 2012:
Brand New – March 2012: Just got our new 2012 Arctic Cat Wildcat home and ran it out to the pasture for a few pics. For those of you not familiar with the Wildcat, here are a few specs that put some things into perspective:
October 2011: I was fortunate enough to be invited by Arctic Cat to drive the new 2012 Arctic Cat Wildcat at the media introduction in Barstow, CA. After spending two days behind the wheel and as passenger, I can honestly say that Arctic Cat has stepped up the Sport UTV market. If you have been off-roading in Barstow, you know that it is an unforgiving place. If you haven’t been there, then imagine deep, uneven whoops created by every sort of off-road vehicle imaginable. In most UTVs, the only way to traverse the area is going slow. But not for the new Wildcat. As a passenger, I saw terrain ahead and thought “Uh Oh”. But then we blasted right through it. Truly impressive. And what we all experienced is based on shocks that were valved for all types of terrain across the United States. If you want something tuned for big whoops and g-outs, I can only imagine the nirvana that could be obtained with the Wildcat! Here are a few things that stuck out in my mind: Suspension, Suspension, Suspension. The 5-link rear suspension works real well, but I think the front is what really shines. If you have never been to Barstow (Stoddard Valley OHV Area), it is full of whoops of all sizes. Several race courses crisscross the area so this place gets use from every type of off-road vehicle – motorcycle to trophy truck. I was amazed at how well the Wildcat could float through the rough stuff. With two people in the car, we had to adjust the Walker Evans Racing 2″ shocks to a more firm setting to keep it from bottoming out in the rear. But after that we could bomb through terrain that other UTVs would not be able to handle at half the speed. Wildcat shocks have been setup for a sweet spot that meets all sorts of customers and terrain. If you want to haul ass in the desert, Walker Evans Racing can revalve specifically to handing this stuff even better. I can see Walker Evans Racing offering a 2.5″ shock in the rear of the Wildcat as an option. I would also like to see how a set ofFox Racing Shox Position Sensitive Shocks perform in the rear. In addition to the 5-link rear suspension, and gobs of wheel travel, another thing that really helps the Wildcat perform in the rough stuff is wheelbase. The Wildcat’s 95 inch wheelbase is 13.5 inches longer than the Polaris RZR XP. Aftermarket Parts Installed: 2-Way Portable Radio I already had already purchased a HX370 VHF Handheld Radio and factory-wired Stilo helmet from Rugged Radios. I added their harness which allows you to connect up to a helmet and push-to-talk. This setup worked great on our May 2012 trip in Nevada. Website: www.ruggedradios.com LED Light Rigid Industries “SR Series” Single Row Light Bars. Measuring only 1.5″ tall, the SR is set to change the face of LED light systems. By using thermally managed 3w technology, and an updated version of its Patented Hybrid optics, Rigid continues to offer the brightest furthest projecting LED light bars available. Producing over 16000+ lumens in the 50″ version, while drawing only 173 watts, the SR continues the trend that Rigid Industries is known for, Efficiency and Superior Illumination. Website: www.rigidindustries.com Mounting brackets from Axia Alloys: www.axiaalloys.com Seats & Harnesses Coming Soon! Website: www.proarmor.com Doors & Graphics Website: www.proarmor.com Dual Exhaust Legendary Muzzy quality and a proven race winning design combine with an unmistakable exhaust note to make this system the number one choice in Wildcat exhaust systems. This system is available in three muffler finishes, brushed, mirror polished or black coated. Website: www.Muzzys.com Sand Tires Website: www.FullertonSandSports.com Rock Sliders Steel Rock Sliders are available from your Arctic Cat dealer. 1¾” steel pipe construction that helps protect side of the vehicle. Website: www.arcticcat.com Rock Crawling Tires & Wheels 31-11.50-R15 Pit Bull Growler LT tires mounted on 15″ OMF Performance billet center beadlock wheels. UHMW Skid Plates and A-Arm Guards Website: www.factoryutv.net More Wildcat 1000 Resources:
Manufacturer Info: Arctic Cat Inc. Website: www.arcticcat.com Phone: 218-681-8558 About Arctic Cat: |
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