2003 500i (auto) owners with stock bike, what is your top speed when in low range?
I put on a set of 27" tires and am getting about 36-37 mph (motor is screaming). Thought is was higher with stock tires.
Running about 52-53 mph in high range.

 

OldCrow, I hate to crash your fun but I dont think Low was meant to even go that fast. I have only taken mine in low about 15mph, I think you can damage the trans if you try to push it higher. I mean low is a crawling and towing gear meant for low speeds. Sorry thats my Opinion somebody correct me if I am wrong I would like to know myself. Happy wheeling to ALL[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

If they didn't want it to do something they wouldn't allow it, but for longer engine life and reliability it is not wise to run an engine at red line for long periods.
The high/low range is after the CVT transmission so the primary clutch will have the same speed in relation to engine RPM's wheather it is in high or low. What they are concerned with is engine RPM's which is controlled by a rev. limiter that is reached about 8200 RPM's.
I believe the taller tires increase load and prevent the secondary from upshifting which in turn show up in slower MPH. I could check this by putting the stock tires on but that is easier said than done. That's why I'm asking.

 

A taller tire will give you more ground speed but less power.

 

Hard to tell what you are asking here. Seems like you answered your own question or something like that. Why would you want to go fast in low anyway? Thats what the high range is for. I don't know that I've ever topped 15 mph in low either, and thats just cause it never crossed my mind to try it.

 

We had my dad's 2000 500 4x4 auto going 20mph in low gear, while towing a 1977 Ford F-150 4x4 into the shop, 3 miles away. That was going as fast as she could.

 

If the 4 x 4 in the wheeler is anything like it is in a truck, then check your manual. There's a manufacturer's recommendation for top speed in low-range. It's a differnt set and different type of gears (spur in low vs. hellical in high) for low range and not meant for speed. You can muck **** up in a hurry doing that ..

 

Taller tires will increase the load on the vehical. If you do nothing to the CVT it will be out of calibration and will not fully shift and will not increase your top speed.
There is no recommended top speed for low range in the owners manual.
When playing in the mud/snow or climbing hills you only give it enough gas to go 15 MPH? I don't think so.
I'm starting to play with the clutchs to make sure they are shifting out properly and at the correct engine RPM.
I did not note the difference between the stock tires and the 27", that's why I'm asking.

 

If you want to see if your driven clutch is shifting out all the way just get a marker and put a line on the inside of the sheaves, this can also be done on the drive clutch as the belt travels up and down the sheaves it rubs off the marker, and as far as your top speed on the speedo, it is going to be off because of the taller tires. The taller tires cover more rolling distance so the speedomator is going to show slower registered speed.

 

Over the years I have had a few 500 cats and when checking the speedo against my gps I found that both the basic machine and the individual speedos can vary a lot. With stock tires the 2002 and earlier models generally do about 30mph in low and 50mph in high. The 2003 machines are faster by about 5mph but as has been pointed out here larger tires on the autos tend to slow you down except on the long downhills where I have registered on the gps up to 61mph on both auto and manual machines. In both of the latter the speedo was well off and well buried at 60mph. Due to damage or failure I have replaced as many as three speedos on one machine and found they will vary by as much as 10% hence not very reliable.