The press and the snowmobilers have been waiting for the next Polaris engine. Of course, it is the successor to the 800 H. O. engine Cleanfire. In 2019, Polaris presents the brand new 850 Patriot.
Right from the start, Polaris told us that the 600 and 800 HO Cleanfire engines will still be available.
” It is excellent engines and they will continue to be present in our fleet,” said Chris Wolf, President of Polaris’ Snowmobile Division.
The Liberty engine family is, therefore, growing with the arrival of the 850 Patriot.
A long-term project
A long-term project
Over the next few days, there will be a lot of discussion on the fact that Polaris made a copy of the 850 made by Ski-Doo. However, people have to understand that the development of a new engine takes years and that Polaris has been working on this project since 2013, long before the introduction of the Rotax 850 E -TEC. We had the opportunity to talk with a few people who were part of the team that worked on the design and development of this new engine.
Let’s take a closer look at the steps that led to the introduction of the 850 Patriot.
From 2012 or 2013, the idea of developing a new 2-stroke engine for the snowmobile world was already a project for Polaris. The manufacturer gave to its team of engineers full liberty for the design of this new engine. However, it had to meet the following criteria:
- High durability
- High acceleration
- Instant response
In terms of durability, Polaris people analyzed their existing engines to determine what led to engine failures. The aim was to make the Patriot engine excessively reliable by knowing the weaknesses of other engines.
Over the years several prototypes were developed and tested in order to find the best possible combination of bore, stroke and of course displacement. After a lot of tests and trials, Polaris people concluded that an 850cc displacement and bore identical to the 800 CleanFire was the perfect combination.
‘’During our tests, the 850 Patriot engine had the records for longevity and durability among all the engines we have built over the past 25 years,” Polaris team said.
It’s no small thing to say… This incites the manufacturer to offer with confidence a 4-year warranty on this engine in 2019.
The most powerful 2-stroke engine in the industry?
In his speech, Chris Wolf even mentioned that the 850 Patriot is the most powerful 2-stroke engine in the snowmobile industry… That’s a big statement!
In addition, according to the manufacturer, the 850 Patriot engine has:
- The industry’s best power-to-weight ratio (9% higher than its closest competitor) in trail snowmobiles (7% in mountain snowmobiles).
- Rotational inertia 13% lower than the competition
Of course, these statements will feed the discussions over the coming months…
More details about the 850 Patriot components :
- Brand new high performance and durability piston with a thicker dome. In addition, the compression distance (Distance between the top of the piston and the center of the piston pin) is increased.
High Performance Piston
- A crankshaft with reduced inertia designed to be both rigid and durable. (Reduced inertia = better motor response)
Crankshaft with reduced inertia
- High capacity bearings
- New Throttle body providing reliability, consistent performance and don’t need adjustment.
Throttle body
- Computer-generated coolant system that optimizes the efficiency of the engine cooling system.
- New exhaust valves with 3 stages E-VES-II
New exhaust valves
850 Patriot available in the 2019 fleet
The 850 Patriot engine is available for all Polaris snowmobiles in 2019. Whether it is the Indy, Rush, Switchback or RMK, you can choose the 850 engine for your next Polaris snowmobile. But be careful, the 850 Patriot engine will only be available for spring orders.
Our first impressions
During the SnowShoot 2019, our team had the chance to test several models equipped with this new engine. The team is unanimous, the performance of this new engine is incredible. Acceleration is strong and continuous in the entire power range. Reversals after turning are vigorous. Of course, these tests took place in altitude, but despite that, we were pleased with the engine. Of course, we can’t wait to get it rolling in Quebec!
We will come back soon for another article with more details about our tests and the characteristics of the 850 Patriot.
