Ok, so I was just browsing the forums and reading posts and something irritated me. I saw another one of those posts with a person saying something to the effect of 'I don't like Polaris' AWD system cause it doesn't kick in till the rear wheels spin'. When I read these kinds of statements I want to ask the poster, "Have you ever ridden a Polaris or tested this system?" I have, and the necessary slippage is so minimal that IMO it makes ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE in the real world!

When we got our first Polaris, a 98 Sportsman 500, I also was curious about this system, so I tested it. I put the atv in a situation where it would spin in 2wd, and then slowly gave it gas to see how much wheel turn it takes for the AWD to engage. I discovered it only takes like 1/5 of a wheel turn or maybe even less! So to all the people posting statements like the one I described above, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU SPIN FOR SEVERAL SECONDS, IT'S ALMOST INSTANT!

So, please stop with the statements described above unless you have all the facts. I've tested the system myself, and we now have 2 Sportsmans and the AWD system is just plain awesome. When riding the quad in AWD in real situations the front wheels kick in so fast that it's not an issue. 1 button, true AWD, when you need it, period.

\rant

 

How good does it work going down hill. It just turns into 2wd engine braking not 4wd like the rest of the atv world.

 

I have ridden several machines that have it, and if someone gave me one for free I would never even bother to throw a leg over it.....it's that silly of a system!

 

The AWD works great when it works BUT it is weak and has alot of problems. Polaris knows about the problem but there is no fix. They need to get rid of this problematic front diff and go with a real locking front diff. You will read all kinds of complaints about the AWD not working like it is supposed to. Things like front locking up while in 2wd, hard pulling to one side or AWD does not work at all. This is a flawed system . I am on my 3rd front diff in 2300 miles. I also have a Rincon with 1800 trouble free miles. Needless to say the 600 just sits in the garage. I would rather deal with my 3wd rincon then wonder if my awd on my 600 is going to work when i need it. I like to spend more time riding then fixing.

 

It engages at a 8th of turn of the rear wheel so its almost undetectable. My best friend I ride with has a 06 500 Foreman and the 3x4 system fails in many situation from what I see. AWD is they only way to go, be it a locker set up, or any anther system that can provide true 4wd.


We have a 97 Sportsman with 7000 miles on it and the AWD system never had to be dealt with and still works the same as the day it was new.

Remember this is a forum representing a small minute percentage of riders ,your not going to hear from the vast majority riding around with out a problem.

 

There are a few Polaris AWD systems with issues ... most of them are caused by the rider ... The system will last 1000's of miles if you leave it in AWD all the time.

The issues with the Polaris system are caused by people, that like to drive around in 2WD and spin the tires ... if the rears spin fast enough the front diff will engauge and be destroyed or they are spining the rear tires and flip the switch to AWD ... again the same out come the front diff is destoryed.

I've talked to many Polaris owners that use their machine on the farm in my area and leave it in AWD all the time ... i've seen two machines with over 10,000 miles ... their only issue is the belt doesn't seam to last more than a 1000 miles when towing around the farm.

I'm on my second Sportman 500HO and never had any issues ... 5000 miles on the old one ... new one is up to 300 miles.

 

HAHA, so your saying, that a polaris cant be ridden that well in 2wd. HAHA, there goes the fun factor of sliding around and stuff. Sounds like a great sytem to me. NOT

 

Shure you can,

Look see, its a guesstion of hanging on though.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I hear this same thing a lot. I also hear people give opinions about Rincons when they have not ridden or owned one. Same thing. They don't know what they are talking about.
But I have wondered about this system on the Polaris. You should be able to modify it so that the front diff is controlled by a switch that you could mount. This would eliminate any false 4wd engagements when you don't want it and lock the front when you do want it.

 

I have no issue with Polaris per sea, but prefer a system with a positive mechanical link between the front and rear axle. Polaris' AWD system is fine in slippery conditions (mud, snow. loose gravel, etc), and for the guy that just wants to trail ride. But that said, I've got enough miles on a Polaris to know I will not buy a machine w/out that positive link. I could live with the Polaris AWD system...except...there is NO WAY I want that thing when going DOWN a steep, slippery hill, and there are a lot of those where I ride. They are FLAT OUT DANGEROUS when going down hill.

Most of the weight is on the front wheels when going down hill. That means the back axle will lock-up before the front axle and that means a difference in speed between the front and rear axles (front turning, rear locked). The AWD system perceives a difference in speed between the two axles and connects the two...Ka-Chunk. Immediately after that engagement, the axles are going the same speed...Ka-Chunk, the system disengages. And so it goes all the way down the hill...Ka-Chunk, Ka-Chunk, Ka-Chunk. The back end wants to swap ends with the front and it can and does get very scary on steep, slippery hills. And if Polaris' AWD system is so great, why do you suppose they came out with the "Hill Decent" option? When there is a positive link between the front and rear axles the lighter axle (the rear in this case) cannot lock up unless the fronts do also. Some of you have installed separate brake systems (front and rear) and like that better. A separate system helps a lot, but is just another band-aide approach as far as this issue is concerned. Polaris could very easily put another position on the AWD switch that locks the front and rear axles for up to, say, 15-20MPH. That would help A LOT. In the mean time...no thanks, but I certainly have no issue if someone wants to buy Polaris and more power to them. We have fun regardless of the machine type someone rides and there is always a lot of good natured ribbing among various riders. Makes it more fun and until the next guy gets stuck...well, you don't want to be the last guy. You're in for it. Sound familiar?