V-Twin or IRS

Doesn't seem like it

 

IRS is over rated, and it starts losing alot of its advantages,when the machine is loaded down. Other manufacturers have stayed away from it for several reasons. First,Irs makes the machine heavier,Irs is higher maintenance and more prone to break down and last Irs doesn't provide that much real world performance,if it did it would have been used in jeeps and other off road vehicles as standard equipment already,but it isn't. Polaris has used Irs as a selling point,since other large displacement quads didn't offer Irs,even though Irs advantage was minumal. The other manufacturers knew that Irs was largely over rated and a maintenance nightmare,so they stayed away from it. As more and more people started buying into the IRS bs,companies like yamaha are forced to offer irs,if for no other reason then a selling point. I'm sure the the new grizzly will have an improved form of irs,hopefully a sealed design with minimal grease zerks or none at all. Even then the advantage over straight axle will be small,but the magazines will make a big deal out of it.

 

The reason IRS is not popular on full size vehicles such as Jeeps, is because they are not as strong as a full size solid axle. But on a small scale such as ATVs, the difference in strength is minimal. Also, on a Jeep or similar vehicle, the solid axle is mounted in two places. This allows for the axle to articulte. Solid axles can articulate to a great degree. Take a look at almost all serious off roaders, they run solid axles for this reason. Due to the design of IRS and IFS on full size vehicles, the articulation is very limited. On ATVs with conventional axles, there is no articulation what so ever. This is one area the IRS has an advantage in the ATV world.

Another point is that the ride is uncomparable, especially over uneven terrain. I have lower back problems, and I can go for longer rides on the SP500 then I can on my trail blazer, due to the ride quality. My trail blazer has a softer ride then many other quads, but the SP is still better.

Sure, the IRS loses some clearence when loaded down, but the clearence is still more then a solid axle. And the majority of the time, people don't load the ATV enough to bother it any. The only time you will load it enough to lose significant amounts of clearence, is while doing heavy towing or hauling, such as on a farm. That is why Polaris also offers solid axle machines.

For a machine that sees mostly trails and uneven terrain, IRS is the way to go. On the other hand, if you prefer to ride fast and hard, or even jumps and the like, stay away from the IRS machines. I think the Grizzly will definitly be a contender, and hopefully the new SP will be good as well.

 

No off road viechles with IRS??? I guess the Hummer doesn't count as a serious off-road viechle then. The military must be going to replace them with Jeeps now LOL [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
IRS has many advantages, and few disadvantages. However the advantages may not be as dramatic as some make them out to be, but until you have driven a mile in a Sportsman's wheel tracks, don't say it has only minimal advantage. In some situations, it may not have an advantage, but it does in most.

 

IRS has the advantage as far as shootouts go. It has kept the Sp500 unbeaten for years.

 

If you've ever driven a humvee,you'll know that Irs is over rated,especially in snow.

 

Once you own an IRS equiped machine like the Sportsman , you have a hard time riding other machines the ride is just that good. More power is great but give me a superior ride and good power over killer power and a decent ride. For work maybe IRS has some faults but for trail riders like myself it can't be beat.

 

IRS maybe overrated in your opinion, which is fine, but if you have seen any desert racing in the last few years the unlimited class tends to run IRS to keep the power to the ground at speed.

 

I don't care if its an eleven hundred with four cylinders. If it dosn't have I.R.S. I don't want it.

 

and doesnt the new ford explore have irs?