How do you think the new IRS on the 500i is going to work? Polaris has alot of ground clearence but as soon as you start to put any load on it there goes all the clearence. Does any know if this is how the 500i is going to be? i also see the new 02 500 has more ground clearence than the 01 model, 10.75" on the 02 and 9.2" on the 01. with the solid axle like they have now when you add a load then your ground clearence stays the same but the fenders are pushed closer to the tires. so if anyone knows a little more about the new IRS could you let me know. Thanks

Rac

 

The 02 indepent suspension has 12" of ground clearance, so you could afford to lose 2" with load & it would still equal semi-ind's 10" clearance. On my 300 I can notice less clearance when I ride double with someone heavy, but it's not that bad & I only have 10" to start with. I'll take the independent any day, the ride IS that much better.

 

Better yet, if you squat it to 10", then you are still a true 10" all the way down, while the straight axle is down around 7-8" at the lowest point.

 

Another question on the IRS. As the bike squats and gets lower does it also get wider? I noticed that the IRS is all ready 2.5 inches wider (47.5 to 45.0)than the semi-independent , some of the trails around here are very narrow to start with so the wider you get, could spell trouble.

 

Well, here are 2 possible reason for the added ground clearance.

1. The new tires give more ground clearance(but much less traction)
2. Arctic Cat is measureing the clearance at different spots on the quad.

 

What are the new tires, and how would they give it any more clearance if they are still 25"? I know most tires aren't true to size, but are these like actual 25" and the old 489's like 24" or something? I can see the clearance gain coming from the rear IRS. Same as how the front end sits up because of the dual a-arms on the old 500's. Difference is, it just has that setup in the rear now. There is only so much you can do for clearance in a straight axle quad.

Less traction? Do the new tires suck or something? What are they?

As far as squatting the suspension, I never really put a lot of stock in that. I always found that as just something people used to try to find something bad to say in a Sportsman arguement. I've jerked like hell on the back of sportsmans before, and it takes a lot to get it to go down more than an inch. I read from one dude, that they sat a 250lb guy on the back of a Grizz 660 and the suspension squatted a whopping half inch. I dont figure the AC IRS 500 will do much squatting either. Its a damn good design, and the only thing they could have done to it was maybe give it a locker, a better speedo, and a bigger engine. Still, it makes the 400 AC's stock rise massively, cause there isn't anything else there but the sp400 to compete. The new Suzuki's impress me about as much as the Rancher did. Very little. Still, as far as 500's go, the AC pretty much rises towards the top now.

 

From what I've seen, Titians seem to "spread out" more instead of keeping there ballonish shape. The new tires are dunlops (rear tires are the same tires as the ones on the rear of the 650, Kodiak 401, 02 Foremans, and maybe more. They seem to be alittle stiffer and not "spread out" as much where the tread contacts the ground when on an ATV. These tires are clearly not as good, traction wise, as the Titians. But, from what I've seen, they offer alittle more clearance. Not an 1 1/2" of a different, but a slight one.

About IRS, you are not gonna have the suspension squat hardly any bit without the quad in motion. For example, I was at the local Polaris shop (before it closed) and this Foreman 450 owner was looking to trade his 450 in for a Sportsman 500. He was in the 280-325 range. When he got on it it sank about maybe an inch. I turned around to pick up a paper I had dropped and when I looked back he had taken off and went about 15 ft then I noticed that the A-arms were less than parrellel. I'd say he had about 7" of clearance after he took off. The shocks were on there lowest setings, but that shows you that IRS has to be in motion to realy show the saging effect.

Why?? The friction of the wider rear tires keeps the shocks from compressing because for the shocks to compress the a-arms must move in a half moon type of motion. In other words, the tires much go outward so the shocks can compress.

Want an example??? Put a tooth pick on the table, use your finger on one end as a fulcrum for it. Place it at about a 225 degree angle \. Now rotate it upward to a 180 degree angle _. You see how it would make the Tires spread out (if the tooth pick was your a-arms)??