Installation and Ride Review on the RZR XP Turbo Dynamix Edition
Story & Photos: Casey Cordeiro
You have seen us cover suspension adjustments several times here in Tech Time. You can look forward to other items covered in this column in the very near future, but we wanted to cover at least one more suspension upgrade installation.
For those of you who have driven the 2018 Polaris RZR XP Turbo Dynamix Edition, you’ll likely realize that this neat on-the-fly suspension adjustment technology can be readily felt from the driver’s seat. We gave kudos to Polaris in our initial review of this machine, which you can see in the August 2017 issue, but we also said that there was still room to improve in the shock department. Specifically, we realized that the spring setup was very similar on the Dynamix Edition as it is on the Fox Edition XP Turbo. In essence, our ride review revealed that drivers weren’t enjoying the full capability of this innovative and extremely smart suspension system. As with most of RZR’s in stock form, the rear of the vehicle will buck in the back when going over whoops or any other hard impacts at speed.
With those thoughts in mind, we started contacting some of our partners, including Fox directly, about upgrading the spring setup to a true dual rate system. Our initial inquiries were met with hesitation because of all the digital technology incorporated into these shocks. After more research and in-depth conversations, we decided to try out Eibach’s Dynamix Edition upgrade kit, which was developed on the Dynamix Edition specifically by the trusted Eibach engineers and incorporates a true dual rate system with crossover capability as well. The pros at Eibach asked us our primary terrain and riding style (we said this was our regular test car so expect it to be driven and tested pretty hard), so they sent us an accurate dual rate spring setup to fit up to our 2-seat, high performance RZR XP Turbo Dynamix Edition.
Here is a list of items included in the Eibach spring kit (Figure 1):
- New front and rear, dual rate springs (250 over 300 in the front, 200 over 225 in the rear)
- Crossover nuts (stop rings) for the shock body
- New spring sliders
- Installation Instructions
INSTALLATION
The instructions provided in this kit serve as a great guide for installation. As a note, it would be helpful to have a spring compressor, but it is possible to get this new setup on without one. If we were to do this again, we would definitely use a compressor.
Installation starts with jacking up the vehicle and putting it on 4 secure jack stands. Once the weight is completely off the vehicle, we loosened the top shock collar and unscrewed it towards the top of the shock (Figure 2). Put a little solvent on the shock collar that holds the spring so it is easily moved up the threads. This is done in an effort to take the tension off of the springs and loosen the preload all the way up to the top of the shock body. Do this to all 4 shocks. Then, remove the top and bottom bolts on the shock and remove all 4 shocks completely from the vehicle. Doing this will make the installation much easier. Plus, when reinstalling, you’ll want to put a thin layer of grease on the bolts that hold the shocks since Polaris doesn’t do this at the factory, yikes.
Once we had the shocks removed (make sure you unclip the deutsch connector at the top of the piggyback reservoir), we moved the springs up the body, all the way to the top, and removed the lower spring holder (Figure 3). Once removed, slide the stock springs off the shock.
At this point, your Eibach kit is now ready to install.
First and foremost, screw on both of your crossover nuts onto the shock body (Figure 4). Then, we mocked up the new Eibach front spring setup on the ground (Figure 5) with the two springs (250 pound spring on top – this is identified via a stamp on the shock with the last 3 numbers of the stamp – and 300 pound spring on the bottom) separated by the spring slider. With the shock right side up, slide the new Eibach springs onto the body from the bottom. This is where the spring compressor helps. After sliding on the springs, you have to slide on the bottom spring holder back onto the body, and it can be done without the compressor but it would make your life easier if you had some more room to work. Once there, slide the bottom spring retainer underneath the spring and back onto the shock body.
Follow the same procedure for the rear of the vehicle. Before you install the shocks back onto the vehicle, apply a thin layer of grease around the top and the bottom shock bolts. Tighten everything down, plug your deutsch connectors back in, and you are ready to set up the shocks to ride.
For setup, please refer to Figure 6 (Courtesy of Fox) for how to measure the Installed Spring Length and Crossover placement. In the front, we set up the Installed Spring Length to be 17.5” and the crossover to be at 4.25”. In the rear, the Installed Spring Length should be 26.25” and the Crossover should be at 4.75”. This should give this vehicle an ideal setup between driveability and ground clearance. If you want more ground clearance, reduce the Installed Spring Length on the rear to approximately 25.5” to 26”.
RIDE REVIEW
There are several things we were trying to alleviate with this spring kit: bump absorption when hitting square edges, compliance over the little washboard bumps in the trail, and more ability to hit the whoops at speed without the stock RZR bucking sensation.
Since this is a kit that turns the shocks into a true dual rate system, the compliance over the washboard roads is night and day different, better in every way. The car puts the power to the ground much easier, more effectively, and without the inherent chatter that results from the stiffly sprung stock rear suspension. On the big hits, the crossovers come in at just the right time, providing a very progressive feel throughout the suspension travel. Also, since these changes are coupled with the Dynamics suspension technology that automatically adjusts on the fly and increases/decreases compression based on 7 different inputs from the vehicle, the harder hits are made easy because of the progressive springs and the automatic compression adjustments made on the fly. This car can now blast through the whoops, and it tackles those washboard roads without jarring the driver & passenger with car shake. Our favorite ride mode was still “Sport” on this car after these changes.
Our favorite part of the adjustment is the fact that this thing can be driven harder than stock because it handles so much more confidently than stock. Pushing the RZR into corners just as hard or harder is an easy task with minimal body roll and predictable handling to where picking back up off the brakes and onto the throttle rewards with easily modulated oversteer and plenty of power to rip a massive slide with ease. We even removed the front sway bar and enjoyed the same confidence. Confidence is key when you are driving, and this RZR is set up more confident than ever, because the suspension works with more fluidity no matter where it is at in the stroke.
Unless you are going to run fully custom shocks on your vehicle, which we wouldn’t recommend on a RZR Dynamix Edition because you would buy this vehicle for its clever suspension, then this is one of the most cost effective upgrades you can make to your RZR.
For more information on this Eibach kit, click over to their website: https://eibach.com/us
