I don't know if any of you guys have read the article but they sure made it out to be the Efi needing to be adjusted (possibly along with the clutching).

They said things like:
"When we first requested the 700 efi for this test we were led to believe that its Fuel Injection System would compensate for altitude, to which Polaris said that it would...with a small adjustment made by the dealer. With the Polaris package you enjoy better fuel economy, better throttle response (at sea level anyway) and better cold weather starts; but high altitude exploring requires a stop to the local Polaris affiliate."

+ Killer storage
+ Maximum comfort
- No auto-adjusting EFI
- Dodgy high speed handling
=This is the expensive one?!

 

I imagine that there are things that can change in the EFI system. I know of seen the dealer software and what it does online...didn't pay alot of attention to it, but i'm sure there are changes that can be made. Even though I've ridden over 12000 feet on the machine and it worked great, doesn't mean that it couldn't have been better.... When I had my 500, it wouldn't run above 10000 feet...well it would, but felt like a 8 cylinder vehicle running on 2 cylinders....put the dial-a-jet and worked okay, I'm amazed at how well the EFI does above 10000 feet.....the dealer did tell me that you can smoke a belt at high altitude, but I think that is because of clutching....

 

I'm not saying the magazine doesn't say this, but I don't beleive it's true.

As a dealer, I had never heard of this, so I talked to my mechanics. They also had only heard of clutching adjustment.

So I called our dealer tech support. The tech reps, who are very knowlageable, had never heard of it. So they contacted engineering, engineering had also never heard of it.

Guys, these magazine editors sometimes mix up details and specifications in a rush to put something out. They're working on so many different things at a time that it's easy to make mistakes.

Again, ATV Magazine may think that. But if the Polaris engineers haven't heard of this? I don't buy it...

As I stated before, I think Polaris was talking about clutching adjustments and these guys just misunderstood. That being said, doesn't any CVT need adjustment to run properly, regardless of manufacture, when just about anything changes such as performance modifications or altitude adjustments? Yes, 9 out of 10 times they still run well without adjustment, but to run perfect fine tuning is always in order.

Polaris didn't just tell me "it's fine" and hang up. They actually dug into it to cover their asses before telling me anything. If I've been informed wrong, I delete my post. But something isn't adding up.

 

Sounds to me like Polaris said that the EFI WOULD compensate for altitude, and then went on to say that further altitude setup could be done on the bike "with a small adjustment made by the dealer." I read this to mean a clutch adjustment. It's to bad that ATV Rider didn't make it clearer than they did.
It's easy to read between the lines in more than one way here.
Take my word for it, I checked with the factory and they told me and my dealer that the only setup that was needed for high altitude was the clutch weights.
Between you all and me, I believe the factory on this one. ATV Rider just confused the matter.
If it proves out that there is some CPU setting on the EFI for altitude, then the dealers in Utah and Colorado aren't doing them, because none of them are aware of it.
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Thanks guys, ATV Rider mag must have been wrong (I hope) in there assumption.

I will be writing a email to the editor about it and maybe they'll do a correction in the next issue. I have emailed Billy back and forth before (about a prize I won in a mag contest) and he's a nice guy, actually gave me a heads-up about the shootout.

Jim

ps. maybe he's a regular on this site (and will see this), if not he should be!

 

If you look down the page on this link:

adjustments

you will see the dealer program that is used for diagnostics...its says in the article that the bios of the EFI control unit can be remapped with adjustments....

 

Yes Elkbow, the bikes have a programmable chip that allows the on-board settings to be modified.
As the article said "The ECU contains "Flash" memory like the Bios of a computer. This allows a Polaris Dealer to re-flash a new "engine map" to correct a problem or to allow for performance modifications."
This may not be what it sounds like... Flash memory is used to store firmware that sets all kinds of parameters like timing and fuel. It also contains all of the sensor specs. As the machine runs it not only controls the process, but monitors it and insures that it's all happening within specs, if not, it may internally adjust, or set a fault code. The factory uses this mapping to tune the system. They build it so they can improve it as "real world" data becomes available. Aftermarket companies will likely come up with chip programmers that tweak the settings. The existing system already compensates for elevation. Sure, there is more than one way to setup a system, but Polaris is not expecting their dealers to become flash programmers. The factory will provide updates and improvements as they become available, but to my knowledge, there isn't a "elevation setup" change for the CPU. Say you were going to run racing fuel and you needed to retard or advance the timing to compensate. A aftermarket program could be made to do that, but Polaris isn't going to. My best guess says that Polaris will have ONE currect mapping for each model, and as improvements are made to the system the mapping will be updated to the dealers for loading into flash on the bikes. I doubt that Polaris will keep a inventory of versions for the customer to choose from. This protects them from lawsuits over performance. IMHO


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"you will see the dealer program that is used for diagnostics...its says in the article that the bios of the EFI control unit can be remapped with adjustments...."

It's absolutely possible. Most car mechanics can do the same on just about any modern vehicle. The question isn't: "Is it possible? "the question is: "Is it neccassary?"

We've been working on Polaris EFI units since '98, with their Watercraft. We have the computers and software to plug right into them and diagnose most problems. However, the programs are for more or less for trouble shooting problems. As a side benefit you see the aftermarket digging in to enhance performance.

In summary, yes it's possible to dig into the EFI settings... But it's not neccasary if the machine is running well, or just for an altitude change.

 

ATVRider responds: Sorry guys, you were right. The EFI is self adjusting. The quads were taken to a height of about 13,800 and the CLUTCH (as you all stated) was adjusted for extreme altitude. There was a miscommunication ( again, as you stated) between Billy and Polaris. Unfortunately, the issue was already on the newsstand before this snafu was brought to light. There will be a correction in the next issue. This kind of mix-up will not happen again. Sorry for the confusion. Can't sneek anything by you Polaris guys!!!!!!!

 

Thanks Zuk4x4, glad to bring it to the attention of the proper authorities and get it straitened out.

I Can see by your user name we were already fighting and uphill battle, LOL, just kidding you are a good guy!

Thanks for your response.
Jim