Hi Thor:

I was wondering whether you'd mind answering a question I have, since I've read your responses and you seem highly knowledgable about the SP500.

I have a 99 SP500. Here's the deal. I put Goodyear Mudrunners on last year and since then I noticed that on the right side (as you're sitting on the bike) the tie rod end literally rubs the inside of the tire. It wore off the rubber shielding from the tie rod end.

The other side (left side/wheel) does not rub! Now, this was driving me crazy. First off, it wore a hole in the rubber of the new 2001 tie rod end. I took both tires off and measured the distance between the straight edge on the shock absorber/strut where the tie rod end mounts and the rotor. This distance is 3 1/4 inch ON BOTH SIDES! Yet, only the right wheel rubs.

I called Polaris this morning and explained it to them. The tech flat out told me that this is due to imperfections on a molded part (the strut?) and that if I put on the OEM tires....ha typical response.

What he did suggest was to buy rims that offset the tire more from the strut/tie rod end.

My question: have you heard of this before? Polaris said they have. I suppose the OEM tires are just slightly thinner than my MudRunners, which incidentally are the same size as OEM.

I would welcome any thoughts you have on this!

Thanks, Bob

P.S. We even ruled out the possibility that the tires were over-inflated.

If you look at YOUR SP500 (I assume you have one) is the clearance on the right side thinner than the left?

 

My Dealer tells me the 700 is a reality, which is hardly news at this point. When he saw the new 4-stroke sled at the Polaris show in Florida recently he said it looked like a Sportsman motor with an extra cylinder. There were bolt holes on it for mounting the various mechanical components of a wheeler and he said the header pipe looked exactly the same as a Sportsman’s. He also said his Polaris rep told him not to expect the motor available in any machine for a full calendar year. This is all second-hand info so take if for what it’s worth. These dealers all have considerable interest in not damaging the sales of inventory they have on hand. Some are more talkative than others and some “bend” the truth a bit to suit their needs. Polaris doesn’t want their dealers sitting with inventory they can’t sell (or can’t sell for a profit) either. As frustrating as it is for us consumers who want the true scoop on the latest and greatest our manufacturers have to offer, it works just the opposite on the manufacturing side. In fact, rumor is often a more effective way of advertising than truth. Kind of like the only thing more dangerous than a live revolutionary is a martyred one. “We Yellowbeards are never more dangerous than after we’re dead.” (Sorry, guess you had to be there. Stagger, stagger. Crawl, crawl)

 

pflueeb,
I had exactly the identicle problem with my 2000 Xplorer.Right side only.Im running 26 inch Mudrunners all the way around it.The tie rod boot allways rips on that side.I installed 1 flat washer on each lug before installing the tire.Try that,it works,
Bill

 

As Bill Ciliberti says,

pflueeb,

"I had exactly the identicle problem with my 2000 Xplorer.Right side only.Im running 26 inch Mudrunners all the way around it.The tie rod boot
allways rips on that side.I installed 1 flat washer on each lug before installing the tire.Try that,it works,
Bill "

For some unknown reason, this is the way that Polaris has set up the front ends for the "Ackerman Effect" enabling the most effective steering geometry. Most Polaris models have this clearance problem, some more than others. Perhaps your front tire is just a little wider than average. We had 26" Mudrunners on the front of our HO with stock rims and no rubbing. On our Magnum with the stock tires on it. You can fit a baseball card into the clearance and use it all up.

Most wheel manufacturers sell their aftermarket rims with an additional inch of clearance to alleviate this problem. But.... then you have a wider tire and rim and guess what? You are now being pelted with more mud and water than before. Then you can consider whether you want to install the accessory mud guards at $170 and further reduce your clearance through the trees on tight trails. "It ain't easy!"

 

Dear Thor and Bill:>


THanks for your awesome responses...funny, the Polaris rep never mentioned this "Ackerman effect" although he seemed like a good guy...

Well, here's what we got. I guess I'll stop and get some washers to put on the lugs. Hopefully this will at least prevent the tire from ACTUALLY RUBBING the tie rod end and destroying the rubber cover, thus exposing the inside bearing to the elements (as it is now!)..

My dealer charged me $39.99 for tie rod ends last night. $69.99 for a Polaris official shop manual and $34.95 for brakes...I WOULD HAVE bought the EBCs but couldn't wait 6 days from rockymountainatv.com

You guys sure are a lot of help. Thanks again. Now if there were only a simple way to align the front end! I'll have to hopefully remember where I had the tie rod screwed into...!

 

Dear Thor and Bill:>


THanks for your awesome responses...funny, the Polaris rep never mentioned this "Ackerman effect" although he seemed like a good guy...

Well, here's what we got. I guess I'll stop and get some washers to put on the lugs. Hopefully this will at least prevent the tire from ACTUALLY RUBBING the tie rod end and destroying the rubber cover, thus exposing the inside bearing to the elements (as it is now!)..

My dealer charged me $39.99 for tie rod ends last night. $69.99 for a Polaris official shop manual and $34.95 for brakes...I WOULD HAVE bought the EBCs but couldn't wait 6 days from rockymountainatv.com

You guys sure are a lot of help. Thanks again. Now if there were only a simple way to align the front end! I'll have to hopefully remember where I had the tie rod screwed into...!

 

Beware of those big numbers from Polaris. A lot is marketing hype. The engine won't power a sled to 45 mph. They have already proven that point. "It's too big of a slug in a sled, so let's put it in an atv", that seems to be the wisdom. It sounds like something Polaris would do. Bigger does not necessarily mean that much more hp. Heck, most cruiser bikes with V-twins only make 50-60 hp with better than 1,000 cc's, so don't get too excited yet. These are not race type, or even close to performance-type engines either, rather utility engines that none of us would "ever" want in a street bike of any kind. Don't get caught in the marketing hype of bigger numbers. In this case, perception "is not" reality.

 

Jack nailed it. My Victory is 1507cc engine but at the rear wheel it only puts down 67hp and 83ft/pds of torque. Good torque number not too high in the HP. Torque is what turns tires not HP.

I have read every test on the new Polaris engine also and I saw reports of 60 mph and one magazine quoted even higher numbers. Believe when I see it.

 

hi