One Fly, gonna guess here, but suspect if you were to talk to old-school Polaris engineers the answer would be sort of a time-line of how they got to where they are presently. If they were to design a 4x4 system now it probably wouldn't look anything like their current system. The Hill Decent was probably installed to meet customer concerns about the existing EBS. It was easier (read cheaper) to add a electrical component that in a sense, acts as a band-aide fix to a 4x4/AWD system that, at it's origins, was never initially viewed to be as broad in it's reach as it has become. It's then left up to the marketing types to tout the pluses of the system. That's not meant to be a rant against Polaris' AWD system, or even that the AWD/HD is bad, it's just a guess at "how they got there." Add one thing, then another, and so on until you're so far into it from an engineering and marketing standpoint it's impossible to take another direction or ask is this where we want to be. ...and doesn't Polaris' ATV clutch/engagement system have its linage in their snowmobiles? If so, that would certainly explain their starting point. Again, nothing against their system, it's just very interesting to think about how they got where they are and how this system works (mechanically).

If I was "King for a Day" I'd have power steering, "shift on the fly" 4x4 (4x3 actually) direct mechanical link between front and rear axles, and a front locker that side-to-side engagement would be adjustable by the rider and works like "traction control" on you car. Adjustment would be from significant "slip" to "instant," and could easily be achieved electrically with a bar slide-switch. I like the positive engagement between the front and rear axles on both my AC and OL, but the AC's locker - like all positive lockers - makes it steer with great difficulty and the OL's visco-lock isn't "tight" enough for my tastes. But then...what the hell do I know, and besides my brain is empty now.

 

I reckon I'll see how this EBS stuff works on the Ranger RZR. gonna likely have to get some differnt weights and springs right out the box will be my guess if is up to polaris's loose clutch factory settings. our SP700EFI is sooo freakin slippy its just ridiculous. But i aint the one who is gonna make the executive decisions on modding it. i just ride it whenever i feel like it. The outta is locked up feelin factory quite nice clutching for a stock quad. but like is said its made to rocket up hills and such. not so good at the crawling stuff. but I don't crawll so its aww ight I had no problem burrying all 4 tires draggin the harrow Loaded up with dirt up a steep hill in my woods track after grooming it with the Cat287 and a Harley rake (seed Bed prepping thingy). its just fun to argue about each manufacturers inadequacys.. fact is i want them all.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]I ride a 2007 sportsman Deluxe with adc....This atv is awsome when it come to decending very step grades..All of my friends who ride atv without it are in awe when we drop off steep grades and this atv does not slip a wheel..The other atv's come down sliding the wheels..I have been riding atv since 1985 and this machine tops them all..

 

Thanks, that is what I wanted to know. Where do you ride?

 

Evidently the hill descent system also required a lot of modification to the Hillard clutch in the front diff as well as the electrohydromechanical doohickey in the front diff. I just wish there was some way to retrofit it too the older bikes.
Stendori unless you jam the front diff (put the bike in reverse at the top of the hill, hit the override, and spin the tires a bit) your fronts are going to be unlocked going down a hill, your fronts only lock when the rears are spinning faster than the fronts causing the hillard to engage. Anyway with the fronts unlocked ebs is only braking the rears, when you squeeze the stupid unified brake lever this puts additional braking resistance on the backs, this combined with forward weight transfer when your going down a steep hill will cause your backs too skid.
First time I went too Harlan County my buddy and I did a lot of up and down hill stuff on the extreme trails the only way I could keep the backs from tryin to pass the fronts on many of the descents was to shift to neutral to get the EBS off the job. By the end of the day my left hand was cramping bad from all the braking.
I've been thinking about it and I am going to see if there is a way to isolate the rear brakes from the hand lever leaving them to be actuated only by the foot pedal. Anyone else thought about that?
Q

 

JAMES1701...WE RIDE THE BERGOO,POINT MTN.,GAULEY DIVIDE AND PICKENS-HACKER VALLEY AREA...WHERE DO YOU RIDE...WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD RIDING IN OUR AREA IF RIVERS ARE NOT TO DEEP...

 

We like to ride around Ripley some, but we spend a lot of time at Falling Rock above Clendinin. We also ocasionally ride other spots, but those are our main two right now. At Falling Rock, we can ride over 120 miles and never see the same thing twice.

 

Not a Polaris owner but have friends that are, on the steep slimey stuff with no ruts, the other true (f,r, and engine braking 4wd) would usually be close in fro nt so if they rear did pass the front, we could help. It is about time they fixed that death trap. All atv's have there bad points, but man that couldn't be a worse one. I would much rather take a hill descent on my old 250 2wd Recon than at that time, any 4wd Polaris.