Not all IRS are the same in ride quality. My friends 660 grizzly with IRS ride alot rougher than mine. His softest settings on his rear springs are like mine on it,s hardest settings but the 660 sure can be loaded up heavy before it starts squating. IRS isolates the rider from the rough terrain better, and is that not what suspension is all about? The greater ground clearance is just a bonus that comes with IRS.

PS I can powerslide easily with mine. I think power helps with powerslides more than anything, once you break the rear lose it slides easily. I tried to powerslide a 500 Foreman with a Straight axle but the ATV does not have the power to break traction of the rear wheels to begin with and it almost sent me into the bushes.LOL

 

Well said TLC!!! Each machine is different.

 

i have both a cat with irs and a foreman with sra. the cat definately rides a lot smoother and to me seems less tipsy than the foreman. the sra is a lot stronger though but as far as maintenance goes, ive had the cat for 6 years and the only thing ive replaced is one axle b/c i jackknifed a trailer and got it in a bind. If i had to buy a new one today i would try my best for irs.

 

Yeah, a 650 cat I rode probably splits the difference between my two machines. When the springs were in the middle of their preload, the cat rode pretty rough, but didn't lean at all or feel tippy at all.

We moved the preload to full soft, and it rides pretty good there and is still pretty planted feeling, especially for how tall it is. The Rincon still rides smoother, but the Cat at full soft has more ground clearance and has a planted feel.

Though you can make generalizations about SRA and IRS, as noted above there are vast differences between different machines.

Research, and a good test ride is always a good idea before writing the check.