Taking the Bite Out of the Bumps
Story By: Kyle Callen
Photos by: Brandon Bunch
In our humble opinion, the Polaris RZR XP Turbo S Velocity is the ideal unit for those do-it-yourself’ers out there. Some may see it as the no-frills base model, but we see it as the perfect platform to build whatever we want—all the same upgrades we would do to any other UTV, just at a lower starting price. You have all the advantages of the popular platform to add an aftermarket cage, seats, radio, and other standard bolt-ons but gives you free reign to dive deeper into suspension and electronics.
All the aftermarket items we installed make the car comfortable and stylish, so when Walker Evans Racing (WER) reached out to offer what they could do with the shocks to make it perform better we were all ears. With a background in desert racing, I had an idea of how this car should perform. I was very excited to see if the WER set up would perform to my high expectations. Bolting the shocks on, there were a few noticeable differences, the small green spacer, and the much taller upper spring. Other than those, the shocks looked identical from the ones equipped from the factory.
Talking to Reid Nordin from Walker Evans Racing, there was nothing over-the-top done to the shocks but then again he’s a renowned desert racer himself so we know what his version of the statement could mean. They have long trusted Russ Wernimont with his extensive fabrication experience and lifetime of involvement in desert racing. For this setup, WER summoned the pro to properly valve and tune to the vehicle specifically to produce an off-the-shelf kit that could be purchased through Russ Wernimont Designs based out of Murrieta, CA. My hopes of it being what I envisioned were starting to diminish. However, once in the dirt, our Velocity was a whole new beast and finally living up to its name. The extreme chatter bumps we have here in Lake Havasu were almost nonexistent.
Getting to our 9 mile test loop, the ride quality was outstanding through all different sized bumps. The car was never upset or unstable as we terrorized the desert terrain. Walker Evans sets up all their shocks to work in conjunction with the Walker Sway Bar Link, a small shock absorber that bolts in place of one sway bar link in the front, and one in the rear. The Walker Link works to reduce the effect of heavy stock sway bars allowing more suspension flex and small bump absorption, while adding a bit of body roll. Although we carried considerably higher speeds through the corners, the added body roll took some getting used to—but it never unstable or pushed the tipping point.
Polaris left a lot on the table when it came to shock tuning, but for good reason. It amazed me how much better the performance was by adding a few simple and cost-effective upgrades. Whether you go through Russ Wernimont Designs or an approved dealer, the gains of this upgrade are the best bang for the buck to make your riding experience a WHOLE LOT better. For direct inquiries on this setup, you can contact the RWD shock experts at (951) 698-9495 or www.russwernimont.com.
