Polaris RZR Forum - RZR Forums.net banner

900XP Shocks on RZR "S" ... time to revisit this

35K views 52 replies 14 participants last post by  yamahablue98 
#1 ·
Alright guys....not trying to beat a dead horse here but lets hear why this cannot be done. I've read the threads and even saw where one guy welded up new shock mounts on the front A-Arms and flipped his rear lift kit.

What lift would be achieved IF you did NOT move the shock brackets or flipped the lift kit? Im in the South and we obviously set our machines up differently than those out west. 3" lift kits are pretty typically.

There is no doubt the stock axles (well...the CV's anyways) would have a short life...due to the angle. I'm running the Rhino axles.

I don't believe the "lift" will be the issue....It seems to me the issue will be CV breakage at full extension. Input??

Will overall travel be increased??

The rear looks like no modifications should be needed....they're REALLY close (S vs. XP).

Here's the links I've read....

http://www.rzrforums.net/rzr-s-specific-discussion/62190-xp-shocks-rzr-s-2.html

http://www.rzrforums.net/forced-induction/62529-my-homemade-turbo-rzr.html


I've already bought a set of 900XP shocks.....this is gonna happen, just trying to figure out the best way to do so and predicting the overall outcome.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Lot of people looking at this but no replies.....surely SOMEONE has some good info on this.

I've discovered that the rear shock (in theory) might be stiff due to the XP having trailing arms. I say "in theory", because I've found 3 people that have accomplished this conversion ( in 3 totally different ways) and no one has complained about the ride being harsh.

Here's what each person did....

1) swapped the rear and front shocks, but keeping the springs in the stock locations (took the springs off and swapped them). This was done on a RZR4...the added weight of the 4 seater might be a little more "forgiving" as far as ride harshness goes. He did say they were a VERY tight fit. He's running no other lift

2) Moved the shock mount on the front A-Arms and flipped the rear lift kit bracket. He did mention he had some outer boot issues on the front.

3) Fabricated new upper shock support.

Option 3 seems like the CORRECT way to do it.

I know if you increase the angle of the rear shock it will basically decrease the overall effectivness of the spring, so it should create a bit of a softer ride.
 
#4 ·
I can tell you what I did, I'm running xp900 shocks on a 2011 rzr s. I simply moved my lower mounts out 2" on the front and rear..that way, I kept the same ride height and I can also run a upper bracket lift kit if I want to... I have put over 300 miles on it with no issues, it took awhile to get them dialed in . But overall this thing rides so much better than With the Sachs shocks . Definitely a good upgrade and a lot cheaper that buying someone's wore out fox s shocks


Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
 
#6 · (Edited)
THANKS for the input longhair. Just can't beat opinions from people with first-hand experience. I didn't even think about the wheels hitting the relocated shock mounts. Hmmmm, could be an issue. I'm currently running a 31 x 9 on 6" ITP's and a 2" Highlifter Signature Series Lift now.

Just out of curiouslity....did you try to install the shocks before you moved the mounts?
 
#7 ·
Here are the measurements I found here....the rear looks like it would work with no modifications at all???

.........................RZR "S"....RZR "XP"....Difference
Front Compressed...13.............15............2
Front Extended.....19.25.........22.75........3.5
Front Stroke.........6.25...........7.75.........1.5
------------------------------------------------------
Rear Compressed.....15.............16............1
Rear Extended.......21.25...........23.........1.75
Rear Stroke...........6.25.............7..........0.75
 
#14 ·
You may have hit the nail on the head....

I was looking at it again and there's just not enough room to move the upper shock mount upwards (without relocating all kinds of stuff).

Moving the lower shock mount on the a-arms out some and installing limit straps may be the answer.
 
#15 ·
Just an FYI....my shocks just came in and we have a ride scheduled Saturday. I believe I'm going to try "option 1", swapping the front and rear shocks. It really makes no sense to me WHY this would work, but I've been told it will. Since it won't cost me any cash (only time) I'm going to give it a shot and get a full days ride out of it. I'll take measurements, fully extend the shocks, fully compress em...etc etc etc
 
#16 ·
Got my shocks and they literally look brand new. Quick THANKS to All Show (on this forum)...super fast shipping and the shocks were perfect. Wish everyone was that honest and easy to deal with!

I may have to retract my statement about there being too much in the way to raise the upper shock mount. I was using my old shock (Sach) and the spring would hit the radiator/hood suppirt if raised. Forgot that the springs are towards the bottom on the Fox shocks (seing my beautiful new Fox shocks reminded me)...there MIGHT be enough room....MAYBE
 
#22 ·
UPDATE....

I tried to mount them on the RZR with no modifications. Well, I actually swapped the shocks (after swapping the springs) as suggested by another member that has actually done this to his RZR4. Maybe the RZR4 is slightly different but this approach gave my standard RZR WAY too much downward travel. I simply do not see how this would work long-term.....the ride would be EXTREMELY rough and the CV would be in a constant bind.

My next approach was to remove the factory shock mount on the upper/front A-Arm and move it down about 2-1/8". This increased the overall travel by approximatly 3"....BIG DIFFERENCE. If you spend alot of time in off-camber situations I believe you will have CV issues, but for normal mud riding/cruising you would have the benefits of the added travel and a softer ride. I discovered that shocks that are at a greater angle tend to ride softer and with the shock mount moved down the angle is increased over stock. I'm not 100% what kind of lift this gave me (yet).....I took the factory lift off before making the modification and only modified the driver-side A-Arm (so far). At this point, I'm trying to decide whether I should move forward or not. The drop is considerable and scares me a little. My RZR (even with 31's) seems to be very dependable and I have no desire to change that.
 
#28 ·
I dont understand,why buy xp shocks for your S knowing there were going to be mounting issues and possible breakage of other parts? Why not buy and install a better shock that is made for the S? I'm not trying to be a smart ass just trying to understand why.
 
#29 ·
No offense taken. The XP shocks are available at half the price of the regular "S" shocks.....you can usually pick up a set of takeoffs for around $600.

Suspension travel is the other reason. I want the maximum amount of suspension travel (without breaking CV's).

Is this swap worth it? I honestly don't know yet. It could be a total waste of money or, if you have the skills/equipment, could be a great upgrade from the factory Sach shocks...even better than buying regular "S" Fox shocks.

For me...it's still too early to tell if this was a good idea or not. If it doesn't work I'll sell the XP shocks I just bought (for what I bought them for) and only be out a front/driver side A-Arm.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top