Direct-Injection Faceoff - Porsche 911 4S versus... BRP Ski-Doo?
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On the surface, it would be difficult to find two machines that share less in common than the 2009 Porsche 911 and the latest Ski-Doo MX Z X snowmobile. But dig a little deeper (into their engine bays) and things start to show a few similarities, most notably the use of direct injection. After taking a little detour explaining how direct injection came about in Germany during World War II, the scribes at Winding Road put the two DI machines up against each other for some impromptu non-instrumented drag racing.
In one lane, we have the twin-cylinder, two-stroke engine in the Ski-Doo that displaces 600cc and sends 120 horsepower to the single studded rear track. Across the aisle sits a 3.8-liter flat-six engine from Porsche that puts out 385 raging ponies and sends power to all four wheels. Surprisingly, the two heavyweights proved to be evenly matched in straight-line acceleration when each was placed in its proper element. Read the whole story here.
[Source: Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul P. 9:03AM (2/19/2009)
Wow, if the 600cc sled is that fast, I wonder how the 1200cc sled would do.
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EmmEff 10:48AM (2/19/2009)
Keep in mind that the 600 is a 2-stroke motor and the 1200 is 4-stroke... the 1200 does not make twice the horsepower. In fact it's rated at a mere 130 HP.
Of course, the 4 stroke will respond nicely to an aftermarket turbo or supercharger the same way the fleet of Yamaha sleds with 4 stroke motors have for several years now.
Paul P. 11:38AM (2/19/2009)
Ah, I thought the 1200cc was a two-stroke. I know they had a 1000cc two-stroke a few years back so I figured this was just a larger version of that engine.
I guess the same thought can be had with the 600 vs the 800 though, as they are both two strokes (with the 800 having significantly more power).
Jag 9:10AM (2/19/2009)
F-that site and it resizing my browser window.
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BigMcLargeHuge 9:24AM (2/19/2009)
That all depends. Sleds are kinda like motorcycles. Some of the
racing sleds peak around 1000cc. The 1200+cc ones are often big
2-person cruisers. But that really depends on the brand and the
model.
Key thing to remember is that snowmobiles are getting FAST. Right
now turbocharging and intercooling is making a big breakthrough.
Arctic cat has a turbo 4-stroke 1000cc with 177hp. Yamaha has one
with 150hp. Those are just 2 examples off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more.
Won't be long until they combine DI + turbocharging
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Paul P. 9:54AM (2/19/2009)
I was speaking of the Ski-Doo MX Z X, as they also make a 1200cc version of the same sled.
I've got an older Polaris Indy Storm (~750cc triple) and a newer Polaris 800 xc sp (double). Both of them are stupid fast out of the box, easily doing over 100mph.
What's weird though is the 800 xc sp destroys the older 750 off the line, but up top the 750 destroys the 800. I don't know if it's the way it's geared, or the triple having more torque, or what. It's definitely weird though.
Allen 10:44AM (2/19/2009)
The 800 twin will win from 0-60 due to it having more torque. The 750 triple has more power in the upper RPM range and probably revs to a higher RPM as well.
BigMcLargeHuge 11:00AM (2/19/2009)
What Allen said makes a bit of sense.
Two big pistons providing the torque vs. 3 that rev high.
@Paul,
Didn't mean to preach to the choir. Its hard to tell who sleds on
ABG. :-P
BigMcLargeHuge 9:26AM (2/19/2009)
reply @ Paul
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BigMcLargeHuge 9:27AM (2/19/2009)
I suck today.
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StickShift 11:43AM (2/19/2009)
I don't know about you guys, but I enjoyed the following articles on the AMC Eagle and the Mazdaspeed6 more than this slightly preposterous comparison test. The direct injection tech was interesting though.
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Adam 12:13PM (2/19/2009)
Well, it's kinda like that test someone did with a Ferrari and a Sea-doo...
Trent 12:08PM (2/19/2009)
Cool article. Great history of fuel delivery.
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