<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: RickCJ7

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Hebs



<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DODGE57HEMI







Any of the Polaris Sortsmans would do the trick they have the best suspension andthe best 4x4 system avail!!!!</end quote></div>











I'll give ya the "softest ride out there"... but there's just no way you can say Polaris has the best 4x4 system...





Also, he asked what was best for climbing... Well since what goes up, must come down, you'll want to keep in mind that PoPo's are extremely lacking in the engine braking department. ...</end quote></div>



Hebs

The Polaris has the only true AWD system, the rear wheels drive the atv untill the rear wheel speed excedes the front wheel speed by 1/5 rotation and engages 4WD. Then when the front/rear wheels turn the same speed again the front wheels disengage. This is automatic and so quick you can't even tell.



The regular Polaris EBS didn't do very well on steep declines because only the rear wheels have the engine braking.

Polaris fixed this with EBS/ADC

The ADC adds front wheel engine braking along with the EBS rear wheel engine braking.

Since the front and rear are geared differant the ADC and EBS will actually stop the atv on a very steep hill. I can ride down the steepest nastiest trails with 1 hand while drinking a water, while the other guys have a death grip on their bars. I used to be the 1 with the death grip with just EBS.



I ride with every brand atv out and have ridden them all! Yes they all have some strong points and weak points. Polaris just happens to have the most good points.</end quote></div>

I'm sure the polaris "AWD" works just fine, but to believe that it is superior to a traditional, locked-in 4x4 system is foolish. The only advantage is the convenience of the vehicle thinking for the rider (if you like that sort of thing.) There is a reason that you don't see Ford Escapes or Toyota Hilanders on offroading trails. Because their AWD systems don't even come close to the capability of a true 4x4. If you start to spin a tire, by the time the front automatically kicks in, it is usually too late. This is the same for electronic traction control in trucks and SUVs. It simply cannot compete with a true locker.

 

Guys the Polaris AWD works more like a Detroit locker than anything else! If you know how a Detroit locker works?
The front wheels can turn faster than the rear wheels but the rear cannot turn faster than the front.
This system is nothing like the 4wd system on any other brand atv or suv. John Deere Gator also has the AWD system! Just because it says AWD doesn't mean it isn't 4wd, maybe Polaris needs to rename it so you can understand it has 4WD.
Instead of repeating hearsay do a little research and get the facts!

 

My 04 has 4x4 writen on the side maybe they should of stuck w/ that.Some people just will never understand! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

Hey Rick... my mind is always open... I haven't had a chance to ride the newest Sportsman's yet... but I will as soon as I find someone that's got one... I will try to get some seat time...

When you get a chance to ride a PS'd grizz 700, I'm certain you'll be impressed. I do think the engine braking works better... (I own an 02, and did have an 06 660 before I got the 07 700...) I never need the brakes unless it's practically straight down... (and I'm not exaggerating)

Even with all of the added features, the polaris is still too heavy for me... I'm also a dif-lock guy... so until they switch to that, I won't be getting one. Btw... How is the wiring on the 07-08 models? Marine grade yet? That's always been a concern as well...

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: RickCJ7
No I haven't ridden a new Griz 700 with PS, but I have ridden a couple newer 660s. Did they change the drivetrain? I don't think they changed. If you lock the front diff in going downhill or uphill it will be very hard to steer. Yes power steering would help this.
Have an open mind there are other atvs out there. Once you ride them all you may come to find one you like better!</end quote></div>

Rick,
they changed just about everything on the Grizzly 700 compared to the Grizzly 660. Mass centralization is much improved with the configuration of the fuel tank, engine, and drivetrain (differentials and suspension a-arms). The mass centralization makes the ATV feel lighter, and helps it handle alot better, even though it weighs the same 600 lbs that the Grizzly 660 did. Center of gravity is also much lower, because the engine is lower in the chassis and leaned forward more. The shocks have been relocated from the upper a-arms to the lower a-arms. And the gas tank has been moved down by more than a foot, and is more centralized. The engine is also an all new engine (redesigned originally for the Raptor 700), and has dual counterbalancer shafts, so it is much smoother running than the 660. When you ride the Grizzly 700 it doesn't feel at all like the 660s did. It feels like a much more refined, and much more balanced ATV than the 660 ever did. If you ride one I think you'll be impressed. I had owned three 660 Grizzlys, and when I test rode a Grizzly 700 I could tell it was a lot better before I had even ridden it across the parking lot at the dealership. It really is a night and day improvement. I hope you get the chance to try one out one of these days.

[edit] As for steering with the diff lock on ...
I would say that steering effort on the power steering equipped Grizzly 700 with the front locker engaged is approximately equal to steering effort required on a Brute Force 650 that is in four wheel drive, but does not have the front locker engaged. In other words, there is a little more steering effort required in four wheel drive with the locker engaged than there is with the ATV in two wheel drive. You can still tell the ATV is in four wheel drive when the locker is engaged, but it is all but impossible to tell that ATV is in four wheel drive without the locker engaged. I have ridden for miles and miles in four wheel drive because I didn't realize I was still in four wheel drive until I looked at the digital dash and noticed that the 4x4 signal was illuminated. But even with the locker engaged the steering effort is the same or less than a non power steering equiped ATV that is in four wheel drive without its locker engaged.
DV

 

I have a question about the AWD system on Polaris ATVs. And I know how a Detroit locker works, ... I've got one in both differentials of my Jeep, and I just did a one hundred mile road trip, with another 30 miles of slickrock and sand dunes at the end of the road trip today. So I'm particularly familiar with Detroit lockers at the moment. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Is the rear differential of a Polaris AWD ATV geared differently than the front differential?

In other words, does the rear differential have 4.10 gears in it, and the front differential have 4.27 gears in it, or some similar discrepancy?

The reason I ask this, is because I have watched Polaris ATVs in mud pits, and it looks like the rear tires are continually turning faster than the front tires. I've owned two Polaris AWD ATVs before (Scrambler 500 4x4 and Sportsman 500 HO), and I noticed the same thing with these ATVs. If I was in snow or mud where tire spin was continuous, I could watch the front and rear tires, and the rear tires always seemed to be turning faster than the front tires.

What engages the front wheels on a Polaris AWD ATV? If the rear tires turn faster than the front tires, the front end engages and starts pulling, ... right?. But do the rear tires have to continue to turn faster than the front tires for the front end to STAY engaged? It looked like that was indeed the case to me. And if that was the case, it just didn't seem like a good idea for high traction surfaces where you needed pulling power from all four wheels equally, and didn't want the rear wheels to slip before engaging the front wheels, ... such as on the slickrock I was on today. Anyone care to clear this one up for me?

Thanks.
DV

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DesertViper

I have a question about the AWD system on Polaris ATVs. And I know how a Detroit locker works, ... I've got one in both differentials of my Jeep, and I just did a one hundred mile road trip, with another 30 miles of slickrock and sand dunes at the end of the road trip today. So I'm particularly familiar with Detroit lockers at the moment. [img][/img]



Is the rear differential of a Polaris AWD ATV geared differently than the front differential?

YES, this is how it unlocks, the fronts will disengage when the tire speed is the same.



In other words, does the rear differential have 4.10 gears in it, and the front differential have 4.27 gears in it, or some similar discrepancy?
YES



The reason I ask this, is because I have watched Polaris ATVs in mud pits, and it looks like the rear tires are continually turning faster than the front tires. I've owned two Polaris AWD ATVs before (Scrambler 500 4x4 and Sportsman 500 HO), and I noticed the same thing with these ATVs. If I was in snow or mud where tire spin was continuous, I could watch the front and rear tires, and the rear tires always seemed to be turning faster than the front tires.



What engages the front wheels on a Polaris AWD ATV? If the rear tires turn faster than the front tires, the front end engages and starts pulling, ... right?. But do the rear tires have to continue to turn faster than the front tires for the front end to STAY engaged? It looked like that was indeed the case to me. And if that was the case, it just didn't seem like a good idea for high traction surfaces where you needed pulling power from all four wheels equally, and didn't want the rear wheels to slip before engaging the front wheels, ... such as on the slickrock I was on today. Anyone care to clear this one up for me?

Once the front locks up it will continue to pull untill the load is reduced, traction gained and the front disengages. The rear wheels only turn 1/5 of a rotation to lock the front in. It works great on slick rock! Only engages when needed and disengages for easy steering. It kicks in and out so fast you don't even realize its working.
I have a Tera 2wd low kit in my 231, I just bump it in 4wd when needed and back to 2wd when not. Sorta the same thing with the AWD but does it automatically.



Thanks.

DV</end quote></div>

 

Rick,
I have an Atlas II in my Jeep, and shift the front drive in to neutral quite a bit while on slickrock as well.

Thanks for the information on the different differential gearing front/rear on the Polaris ATVs. I had always assumed that was the case, but didn't know for sure. Here is a video that shows the Polaris AWD system engaging, and shows the very slightly different gearing of the rear tires compared to the front tires. A video is worth a thousand words, and there is no arguing that the AWD system works well pretty much everywhere.

AWD Polaris ATV in the mud [edit] I realize the ATV in this video is in two wheel drive initially. Just watch until you see the rider engage AWD, then you can see really well how quickly the front tires lock in each time he gets on the gas. Its a pretty good video for showing how it works.

I personally don't care for the Polaris AWD system. I think it is overly complicated compared to having the same gearing in both differentials and a locking front differential. And since Polaris is commited to staying with their AWD system, they then had to re-invent all wheel engine braking to get that to work with their AWD system. So they then have two overly complicated systems. It doesn't really matter though, because their system does work well, except for in snow. I found that in deep snow where I did not want any tire spin, and wanted to instead stay on top of the snow, that the requirement for the rear tires to be constantly turning slightly faster than the front tires made the rear end dig in too easily, and Polaris ATVs would not stay on top in deep snow as easily as an ATV with a conventional 4WD system. Of course the extra 100 to 150 lbs that the Polaris ATV weighed didn't help the ATV stay on top of the snow either. But I felt there was a definite handicap that was from the AWD system. But only in snow. Everywhere else the system is seamless, and works as well as anything else.

Have a good one. Gone to go Rhino riding today...

DV