Our RZR XP 900 project car has been a lot of fun to build and even more fun to test. To recap for anyone who hasn't been following this build, we started with a stock 2011 Polaris Ranger RZR XP 900 and gutted it, removing the suspension, roll cage, seats, seat belts, wheels and tires.
We then reinforced the RZR's frame and suspension mount points with HCR's frame reinforcement and gusset kit. Next, we installed HCR's XP long travel suspension kit, including 2.5-inch King shocks, increasing our travel to 17 plus inches and our width to 74 inches. For protection, we added TMW Offroad's Intimidator roll cage, prerunner bumper with race braces, TMW half doors (fixed) and its aluminum roof.
For comfort and safety, we installed a set of Twisted Stitch Revolver seats along with Crow Enterprizes' 3-inch padded 5-point safety harnesses. To increase traction we mounted a set of Pitbull Growler tires on ITP T7 aluminum bead lock wheels. For our last couple rides in the sand, we've been running a set of Sand Blaster 26 paddles on the rear and smooth-buff tires on the front.
We have enjoyed every minute of seat time we've been able to log in this car. When behind the wheel of this thing, the desert is our playground.
The suspension soaks up everything you throw at it. When you're going too fast through a technical section of rocks, sand, whoops or even when you find yourself with too much speed, sliding off the road into the brush, the HCR suspension takes it all in stride. Against the odds, this 74-inch wide long travel platform keeps the tires on the dirt and the cage in the air.
We've been impressed with the "point and shoot" nature of this car. Our Growler tires are about the most bullet proof rubber we've had on the ground. If they have a drawback, it's that they're heavy. This is due to their 8-ply construction on the sidewalls and tread. But nothing's worse than losing a tire to a rock and cutting your day short. They grab the dirt and rock like claws and when combined with the power from the turbo, this machine can really climb.
At the dunes, we're able to take advantage of all the power that the turboed powerplant has to offer. The Sand Blaster paddles provide a ton of bite while the smooth-buff tires on front help the car float on top of the sand.
The wide stance of the suspension gives you the confidence to throw the car into corners and slides at high rates of speed.
Landings are as soft and as plush as any we've ever experienced in a side-by-side.
Our Twisted Stitch seats and Crow harnesses keep us locked in and comfy, regardless of what we may find ourselves doing with the throttle at any given time.
This set of Blasters has been "comp cut," which means most of the tire carcass has been cut off to decrease rotational mass.
Kali Protectives Carbon Prana helmet is the lightest weight carbon helmet we've ever worn-not to mention comfortable. If our neck was sore after a ride, it wasn't from the helmet weight. It was from our editor, Ryan Harris, insisting that we run through the whoops 10 times at full speed. Look for the video footage on Facebook.com/DirtToys.
We can't say enough about these Rigid LED lights. They are unbelievably bright. They have a hybrid beam pattern that throws the light long distance while lighting your immediate surroundings at the same time. The only problem we have experienced with these lights has been when we're riding on public roads. The lights' reflection off of street signs tends to be a bit much. Offroad, they're amazing. We'll show you video online at Facebook.com/DirtToys.
We were wondering if our RZR would skim the surface of this small body of water. It's about four feet deep, so the answer is yes. We made it on top of the water all but about 10 feet from the landing on shore, where we only sank about a foot or two. We'll turn the turbo up and dial up the dampening on the shocks and then make another pass at this before the season is over.
We're extremely happy with this project. It's been a lot of fun. Because we hand-picked each component on this car, we can hardly call it work to build it and play with it. We wouldn't do anything differently if we had to do it over. We'll continue to show you photos and additional footage on this project as we test and shoot in different conditions as well as updates we make to it.
Sources
HCR Racing
www.hcrracing.com
(888) 928-RACE
TMW Offroad
www.tmwoffroad.com
(480) 969-9261
Rexburg Motorsports
www.rexburgmotorsports.com
(208) 356-4000
Twisted Stitch
www.twistedstitchinc.com
(714) 773-0233
ITP
www.itptires.com
(888) 368-3059
Pitbull Tires
www.pitbulltires.com
(314) 621-8954
Crow Enterprizes
www.crowenterprizes.com
(714) 879-5970
BoonDocker Performance
www.boondockers.com
(877) 522-7805
ToySkinz
www.toyskinz.com
(855) Toyskinz
Rigid Industries
www.rigidindustries.com
(480) 655-0100
Axia Alloys
www.axiaalloys.com
(480) 216-6266
Kali Protectives
www.kaliprotectives.com/moto
PRO-KALI
GlowWhips
www.glowwhips.com
(561) 662-1971
Fullerton Sand Sports
(Sand Blaster Paddles)
www.fullertonsandsports.com
(714) 484-5996
