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So we took our YXZ out to a good testing loop here in AZ and spent all morning driving the snot out of it and seeing just how much our new suspension and bigger wheels/tires could take. We put about 75 race pace miles on it, and it just continues to make us happy.
The kit we have on it was designed for all around desert/dune riding. It's a plus 3.5" wider, without really extending the wheelbase at all (this is our WR Edition kit that we got together with LSR and had made that was on display at the sand shows). We paired it with 30" tires because we know that a lot of consumers will want to run the bigger tires, and we wanted to see how everything would handle the extra leverage ratios and rotating mass.
We are using the factory FOX 2.5's with the factory springs. We adjusted the ride height a bit and tweaked the shock settings a bit, until we found a setting that worked the best for the terrain we were running around in. That terrain was desert trails/roads with a lot of g-outs, some whoops, some jagged rock and wash sections, some slower speed twisty stuff through the cholla (ouch), and some high speed dirt road stuff.
My immediate impression when heading out for my first lap was that I could feel the 30" tires, but as soon as I hit the trail, I was happy they were there. It's no secret that a bigger tire will smooth out terrain, and the mix between the 30's and the long travel suspension was fantastic. The closest I can compare this to is a Trophy Lite truck's suspension - it surprised me continously on what it could take. There were some g-outs and rain cutouts that I wanted to slow down for and pussy foot through, but Jason just told me to hammer down, and I did......and it soaked everything up so well it was crazy. I couldn't even FEEL about 70% of what we were driving through. We bottomed out one time, at about 45 mph, but if I had taken it a bit faster the YXZ would have skipped right over it. The other times, I would brace for it, and it would never come....the ride on this machine is just that good.
When desert racing or dune riding, my goal is to run in the highest gear possible, at the lowest RPM possible, to achieve the highest speed that I want to run at (this is great for longevity). Having a manual transmission allows this to happen, and the YXZ transmission is amazing. AMAZING. Yes, you can shift without using the clutch, and you can do it quickly and precisely thanks to its short little throw. As fast as you can lift off the gas and get back on it is how fast you can shift. You just have to be in the right RPM range, which is pretty easy to do with this machine. It can be deceptive if you aren't used to it, because you can be hauling ass at 70mph, but it doesn't SOUND like it if you are in a lower RPM range. You can also wring its neck and run around at 10,000 RPM, and still go the same speed....but that's never my goal in the desert.
For the low speed twisties, the YXZ is nimble and fun, and in two-wheel drive I still like to drive with the throttle. The 30"s still break traction, but it's bit harder to do with the larger tire......much easier with the stock tires that come with it.
No, we didn't do any low speed rock-crawling technical stuff on this run.....but I'd like to go to another testing place I know of that has a bit of that as well the next time we go out. I'd also like to compare the long-travel stuff to totally stock on the same testing loop on the same day and take some notes. I'd like to play around with some more tire sizes, too.....
So, in a nutshell, testing went great! We came back each lap amazed at what the YXZ can handle, and can't wait to get it back out and try some more stuff!
The kit we have on it was designed for all around desert/dune riding. It's a plus 3.5" wider, without really extending the wheelbase at all (this is our WR Edition kit that we got together with LSR and had made that was on display at the sand shows). We paired it with 30" tires because we know that a lot of consumers will want to run the bigger tires, and we wanted to see how everything would handle the extra leverage ratios and rotating mass.
We are using the factory FOX 2.5's with the factory springs. We adjusted the ride height a bit and tweaked the shock settings a bit, until we found a setting that worked the best for the terrain we were running around in. That terrain was desert trails/roads with a lot of g-outs, some whoops, some jagged rock and wash sections, some slower speed twisty stuff through the cholla (ouch), and some high speed dirt road stuff.
My immediate impression when heading out for my first lap was that I could feel the 30" tires, but as soon as I hit the trail, I was happy they were there. It's no secret that a bigger tire will smooth out terrain, and the mix between the 30's and the long travel suspension was fantastic. The closest I can compare this to is a Trophy Lite truck's suspension - it surprised me continously on what it could take. There were some g-outs and rain cutouts that I wanted to slow down for and pussy foot through, but Jason just told me to hammer down, and I did......and it soaked everything up so well it was crazy. I couldn't even FEEL about 70% of what we were driving through. We bottomed out one time, at about 45 mph, but if I had taken it a bit faster the YXZ would have skipped right over it. The other times, I would brace for it, and it would never come....the ride on this machine is just that good.
When desert racing or dune riding, my goal is to run in the highest gear possible, at the lowest RPM possible, to achieve the highest speed that I want to run at (this is great for longevity). Having a manual transmission allows this to happen, and the YXZ transmission is amazing. AMAZING. Yes, you can shift without using the clutch, and you can do it quickly and precisely thanks to its short little throw. As fast as you can lift off the gas and get back on it is how fast you can shift. You just have to be in the right RPM range, which is pretty easy to do with this machine. It can be deceptive if you aren't used to it, because you can be hauling ass at 70mph, but it doesn't SOUND like it if you are in a lower RPM range. You can also wring its neck and run around at 10,000 RPM, and still go the same speed....but that's never my goal in the desert.
For the low speed twisties, the YXZ is nimble and fun, and in two-wheel drive I still like to drive with the throttle. The 30"s still break traction, but it's bit harder to do with the larger tire......much easier with the stock tires that come with it.
No, we didn't do any low speed rock-crawling technical stuff on this run.....but I'd like to go to another testing place I know of that has a bit of that as well the next time we go out. I'd also like to compare the long-travel stuff to totally stock on the same testing loop on the same day and take some notes. I'd like to play around with some more tire sizes, too.....
So, in a nutshell, testing went great! We came back each lap amazed at what the YXZ can handle, and can't wait to get it back out and try some more stuff!
