I've been reading up on some info pertaining a few upgrades to my sportsman, an '05 500HO, and i see a lot of ppl sayin that an aftermarket exhaust wont do any good for a lil more HP, i just ordered a set of Dirt Devil II 26" tires, and due to the bigger size and weight i wanted a lil more power to help push 'em, so i figured a K&N and slip on would do, but i see a lot of clutch kit talk goin on, how much does a clutch kit help since it is only an automatic?

 

a clutch kit will change on how you take off and how much pressure is put on the belt. buying a clutch kit will not give you more power. if your only going up 1 tire size then in my opinion you dont need a clutch kit. you might be able if you want to put a little heavier primary spring in to help w/ the take off/ belt grip.

 

well stock size is 26", but i went up in width for the 26x10x12 fronts and 12x12 rears, and i dont know what the stock tire weight is, but the DDII's are 26lbs front and 30lbs rear. I feel like my sportsman is a lil lagging in the low end grunt as it is, high gear has a hard time sometimes climbin rock hills, up and over huge logs, etc. so i want that extra power, just lookin at the smartest way to go about gettin it if an exhaust doesnt do the trick

 

Put a Polaris green spring in the primary clutch. You'll like it. I have 3 500 sportsmans running this and they all like it. Good luck

 

and what is a polaris green spring?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: NickDS650

and what is a polaris green spring?</end quote></div>

It is the spring in your primary clutch that controls engagement and shift rate.
It is a part of a clutch kit. Easy to do.

 

To compensate for the heavier/bigger tires lighten up on the secondary setting.THe Spring Doc mentioned is ok but has a higher engagement rpm.If you want a lower engagement for 4x4 I would go with the EPI pink it has low engagement and a higher shiftout rate than the Polaris green or Polaris white(this is a decent all around spring)

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: NickDS650

well stock size is 26", but i went up in width for the 26x10x12 fronts and 12x12 rears, and i dont know what the stock tire weight is, but the DDII's are 26lbs front and 30lbs rear. I feel like my sportsman is a lil lagging in the low end grunt as it is, high gear has a hard time sometimes climbin rock hills, up and over huge logs, etc. so i want that extra power, just lookin at the smartest way to go about gettin it if an exhaust doesnt do the trick</end quote></div>

If your machine is having a "hard time" you should be in low not high. I never climb logs or rocky hills in high.

 

I put a clutch kit in mine it is great it will make high like riding in low dont care what anyone else says because i have noticed a hugh difference.

 

Get the Lighter Flyweights, I didnt want to spend the extra Money on a Clutch Kit , I installed the lighter clutch weights and that Low end lag with bigger tires has gone away and now the power curve is where it should be , In fact I cant feel any Power Dips like before and its just smooth seamless power, When i gas it it goes and there isnt that low to midrange lag it had before, Cost me 20 bucks off Ebay, And it works great, as far as the Spring goes you can get a heavier one but it will probally burn your belt or Shorten its life span. At 60 MPH I still had 500-700 RPM to go till redline but it wouldnt pull the weight up to that redline, Polaris already has the Fuel Injected Models running 95 percent max with fuel Injection, Now the carbed Models you can do alot with, get a Slip on Muffler, Rejet the carb and Index your Plug, Do some other small Mods and youve picked up maybe 4 HP.