SideXSide Action - February 2008 - (Page 33)

air box and taking a dremel tool to widen your exhaust tip are two power upgrades you can do to gain up to 1 HP for free. If you are going to drill into your air box, make sure that the filter is removed before drilling. Also keep in mind that more dirt and debris will now enter into your air box, so check the air filter more frequently and clean as needed. This next power upgrade tip might seem simple and stupid to most people (and might not really even sound like a power upgrade), but anyone who has done it will know why this is on the list. One of the biggest free upgrades you can do to any vehicle you own, and works especially well on SXSs without paddle tires, is airing down your tires in the sand. While this does not improve horsepower, it does maximize traction and the more traction you have, the faster you can travel. The difference in a set of fully-aired tires in the sand and a set of tires aired down to 4-5 lbs. can be like night and day. It sounds ridiculous, but trust me, if you’ve never aired down your tires in the sand, you will be kicking yourself after you try it. So there you have it, a couple simple upgrades you can do yourself for no money out of pocket. Computers like this ECU box for the Polaris RZR are instant satisfaction upgrades. www.mountainperformance.com install or replace your existing box with to adjust air-to-fuel ratios, increase the RPM range, and remove the governed speed controller (governor). These programmers and CDI boxes can range anywhere from $175 up to $400 and can be installed in less than 30 minutes. Just make sure that, when purchasing a programmer, it is the right programmer for your specific machine and is not a fake or for a different model using the same engine. A bad ECU or CDI Box could cause your engine to detonate, leaving you with a much larger bill than you want to pay. The next easily accessible bolt-on power upgrade is a filter kit. Filter kits come in a variety of stages and can be cheap (or expensive), depending on how much power you want and what you want to spend. There is the basic filter replacement, which replaces the filter you have now. Then there is an intake kit, which replaces the whole intake box, filter, breather tubes, and intake cylinder going to the carburetor or fuel system. Obviously, the direct filter replacement is going to be cheaper and an easier upgrade to install. This air intake kit replaces your entire airbox. Use an outerwear for extra protection. www.knfilters.com However, you will only be receiving about 1 HP (max) for this type of upgrade, where many of the aftermarket intake kits will be giving you about 2-3 HP gains. Many of the aftermarket intake kits will use the same mounting brackets as the stock intake box. However, more and more companies are changing their mounting locations to give the filter more airflow and a cooler source of fresh air (outside the engine compartment). Remember that most filter replacements will not require jetting, but an intake kit could require additional jetting to get the right fuel-to-air mixture. If you are looking for a bolt-on performance upgrade for power and sound, then your next step would be an aftermarket exhaust system. Exhaust systems are similar to intake systems in the sense that you can do a simple swap or a full system. There are about three different exhaust systems avail- Basic Bolt-Ons No, not those kind of bolt-ons. Those will only get you in trouble. I’m talking about engine performance bolt-ons – affordable engine hop-ups you can install yourself in as little as 15 minutes to an hour that will produce a couple additional horsepower. The first thing that many people scavenge for as soon as they purchase their new UTV is a CDI box or an ECU programmer. These little boxes are aftermarket programmers, just like you can purchase for your car, truck, or motorhome, and will re-program your engine’s computer system to different specifications. Due to carb issues, many vehicles today are tuned mildly and their full potential is locked away inside the computer brain. This is especially true for fuel-injected machines. So aftermarket companies have re-programmed new boxes that you can able in the SXS market. There is an exhaust can replacement, which will just replace the baffle or canister part of your exhaust. Then there is a single full system that will replace the baffle, headers, and pipes. There is also a dual exhaust system, which uses two baffles. All three systems work well, but the full replacement system, whether it is dual or single, is going to work the best because you’re replacing the header pipes, allowing for more air to be pushed out of the engine, which in turn allows more air to be brought back into the engine. This is why, if you’re going to do an exhaust Single exhaust systems like this one from Big Gun for the RZR can be easily installed in your own garage. www.bigunexhaust.com See our exhaust shoot-out in the July/August 2007 issue. 32 SIDE X SIDE ACTION MAGAZINE http://www.pwr-performance.com http://ance.com http://www.albaaction.com http://www.mountainperformance.com http://www.knfilters.com http://www.biggunexhaust.com http://www.bikemanperformance.com http://www.bikemanperformance.com http://www.albaaction.com http://www.pwr-performance.com http://www.sidexsideaction.com/backissues/ http://www.bajadesigns.com http://WWW.SIDEXSIDEACTION.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SideXSide Action - February 2008

SideXSide Action - February 2008 Contents Mailbox News Tips & Tricks Rhino 700 YFI Join the Club Snowbound Fun Power Upgrade Camping Buyer's Guide Overcoming the Odds Product Reviews HID Light Shoot-Out Company Spotlight: John Deere History of the SXS History & A Ride Places to Ride WPSA Round 10 Clutching 101 New Product Section Calico To Laughlin Project Race Rhino: Final Chapter On the Go Photo

SideXSide Action - February 2008

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