[Maxpolaris]

I'll get a pic for you Gerb - might be tomorrow now. I'm all locked up & put away today. No upgrades to my RC at this point, since new I believe last spring. I gotta put it on my flatbed and drive it 20 miles...

 

[Gerb4653]

I'll get a pic for you Gerb - might be tomorrow now. I'm all locked up & put away today. No upgrades to my RC at this point, since new I believe last spring. I gotta put it on my flatbed and drive it 20 miles...

Also a pic from under the hood.

There is a kit available to make this work and the harness really should have been included or maybe installed in the kit you bought when you got the RC install kit (thinking p/n 2882872) if you got the one with the cameras.

Another thing to check for is to trace the autostop fairlead two wire harness and see if it only routes to the winch contactor on the passenger side of the front bumper area. If it appears to plug into another harness like a jumper harness thats great news.

As for the updates if you have a computer and usb stick handy and know where the usb cord is at from the RC head unit, updates are pretty easy and you wouldnt need to take it anywhere. The latest update will get you some new screens that have some configurability to what is displayed.

 

[Maxpolaris]

Here are a couple of pics for @Gerb4653 as requested re my odd model Northstar.
What am I looking for Gerb?? Thank you.

 

[Gerb4653]

Here are a couple of pics for @Gerb4653 as requested re my odd model Northstar.
What am I looking for Gerb?? Thank you.

View attachment 133762
View attachment 133763

Under the hood you have that box. See where it says winch in and out? Pop that cover and see if there are relays in those locations.

 

[Gerb4653]

Here are a couple of pics for @Gerb4653 as requested re my odd model Northstar.
What am I looking for Gerb?? Thank you.

View attachment 133762
View attachment 133763

I just noticed a winch contactor under the hood. So i went back through this discussion and found what appear to be the factory installed winch. So im confused what that is for under the hood. Maybe something cool i need to add.

 

[Maxpolaris]

This Gerb. Sorry I have been slow. Trying to stay away from the interwebs a bit this year.

 

[Gerb4653]

This Gerb. Sorry I have been slow. Trying to stay away from the interwebs a bit this year.

View attachment 133881
View attachment 133882

That looks good in there. Right now i believe it is down to one harness either being installed or not and that runs down to the autostop fairlead. Also need to know about that winch type contactor up under the hood on the d/s. That is not the factory one or mounting location for the winch you have.

PM me if you would like to converse through a different method. Might be delayed a bit this week as im working nights but i have high confidence we can still figure this out.

 

[Aross_Northstar]

With 300 miles on our '20 2 door XP1000 Northstar, I am getting to know it and see how things are wearing in.
Enough for a review. With slight comparison to our traded in '16 Rzr 570, very well tricked out.
So hear it goes. ...Where to start.

Power. Plenty of power for me. Breaking in well and seems very smooth in power delivery. In standard power mode its works suitable. In performance mode it jumps right to it! But in reality I think it just moves response quicker at the gas pedal. Like in half inch of movement (performance) vs 1 1/2" inch of movement (standard). Thats ok.

Active Decent Control. ADC is a danger in my opinion. When you are going downhill, crawling, on loose ground (sand, gravel, loose shale etc) that back end will swing around. ...Not safe! If you know, your turn into it (like a powerslide). I hope people know that. If not you stand the chance to roll in a downhill slide sideways situation. Again, not safe at all.
I wonder if Polaris tests a vehicle in this situation. If Gilomen reduces ADC, that will be my main reason to reflash.

Suspension. Plush enough for me. Absorbs decent going slow, and then going faster it absorbs chatter (rocky roads) even better. It articulates well in the undulating gullies for me.
I have not pushed it into whoop de doos or jumps... And probably won't lol...
Slides well, on demand almost, very fun! (I put it in 2wd posi for slides)
My Ranger is a tractor. It hooks up and grabs on a couple of rocky trails I know. I won't try to be a rock crawler, but sometimes you meet a stair stepped trail, you have to go through. I feel it (and me) can do most.

Chatter and squeaks, clicks and clunks... If I was blind folded, and put in my XP, I would think I was in a well worn 10 year old SxS. Not a new 2020 model.
The suspension or cab squeaks, quite a lot of squeak actually. Springs, bushing or rubber, I am not sure. There is rattle coming from under the bed. Probably tin rubbing on itself.
Clunking from the front end. Is it the differential, or suspension or steering? I am not sure, but I can provoke it by whipping the steering wheel from left to right. I would say its increasing with time.
As we know the springs sag quick - I feel mine are at 300 miles. I'll tape measure it again to see.
If this much noise came out of a 32k Subaru you would return it. But a 32k Polaris Northstar and you get what you get.
Piss poor IMO.

Comfort and interior. Very upright seating as compared to my 570 Rzr (with Beard seats). But also very comfortable over time. Good cushion in the seats. No complaints with seating.
Gauges with Ride Comand/Gps/stereo. And good, great gauges and info IMO. Simple to toggle through for this old fart.
There is enough interior noise from the engine that the basic stereo (my setup) is worthless unless stopped with the motor off.
And to me, 300 watts of upgraded stereo is a waste to try to get quality sound over a roaring motor. I was hoping for better, but its about the ride, not just the tunes. Gps works everywhere. Mapping your route is awesome with colored routing. Bluetooth works most everywhere too. I have killer pandora channels! (when parked motor off lol)
Shifts, steers & brakes just fine. A responsive machine IMO.
Now the windshield, specifically the wiper & washer. The wiper works fine. Now for the washer... Poor design!
It sprays down, and after you spray then wipe, fluid continues to drip down. Its a non ending cycle - spray, wipe, drip, spray, wipe, drip. Then the washer itself clogs. Not a good spray at all - mine is clogged. Also when I spray it drips on the inside, down on my legs. WTF. Cheap Sh/t.

Width. Its a pretty wide vehicle at 65". I knew that going in, so I may miss out on fun narrow trails at some point (if I go to Utah or Idaho). Non issue around my area.

In conclusion, I sound rather critical. Its just a 15K Ranger, right?. But with factory upgrades of a Northstar, it becomes a 30K plus investment. So yes I am critical.
Overall I do love this vehicle. Power and comfort.
Dust free. Did I say dust free? It is dust free inside. That is what makes it for my wife and I.
Our neighbors just bought a beautiful Honda Talon, and on their maiden outing with us, they came back dust bunnies. I feel for them.

So... Power, comfort (suspension and seating), and dust free. Winner.
The details mentioned above... Polaris is off the mark. They should knock 5K off the price for such a squeaking clattering machine.
I am fine with it, its a keeper. Upgrades to come, and did I mention dust free??!!!
Have at it!

 

[Aross_Northstar]

My buddy & I just gutted our interiors & added sound deadening material & then then foam over top of that. It helped a lot with the engine noise & also helps keep the heat & air in. It was well worth the 2 evenings it took in my opinion. I also removed my floor boards & spray foamed the pockets on the bottom side of the floor boards themselves. Let it dry & cut it flush. That was mainly for insulation though, not sound. Congrats though. They are very nice machines with a few dumb designs. Would it kill them to add an intermittent windshield wiper setting!?!?

 

[Max H]

Any pics of the sound deadening material install ..what type did you use ?
Did it reduce the noise by 50 % more or less?
Your not worried about the foam holding moisture ?

 

[Maxpolaris]

My XP seems to hold heat well & the heater kicks butt (while plowing snow anyway). Not sure about the a/c though. But with large window space, plastic roof and with a gaping hole underneath the seats, I'm not sure how much the insulation will help keep cool in. Couldn't hurt though. Hope it works well for you A_N!

Mine has gone to summer work tool. Pulling a trailer, yard maintenance tools. Makes work funner. 😎
Snow still in the hills & tracked vehicles get the space- no outback running yet...

 

[Aross_Northstar]

Below is the sound deadening sticky mat I used. I can say it helped, but I’m not sure it that helped enough to justify all the work it took. I’d like to ride inside another Northstar now to compare. I really wish I would checked the decibels before & after. The foam I used is very very thin & does not seem like it will absorb very well

 

[Max H]

if you had to guess was the noise reduced by 10% , 20% 50 % ?

 

[Aross_Northstar]

if you had to guess was the noise reduced by 10% , 20% 50 % ?

I would honestly say no, as much as I hate to admit it. I could me wrong, but it wasn’t as quiet as I was hoping it to be. As soon as I get a chance to ride in another Northstar, I’d love to compare the difference. If you do decide to do it, it takes 2 boxes of it to do everything I did on a 2 door. FYI. It’s not hard, just time consuming. I did it all over the course of 2 long evenings.

 

[Max H]

Thanks for the info... it looks like it would be a real pain, and mine is a crew so 4 boxes would be required . I also have my doubts that it would be worth it?? But maybe the insulation would be a real added benefit in the summer trying to stay cool ?
Did you insulate the roof under the liner ?

 

[Aross_Northstar]

Thanks for the info... it looks like it would be a real pain, and mine is a crew so 4 boxes would be required . I also have my doubts that it would be worth it?? But maybe the insulation would be a real added benefit in the summer trying to stay cool ?
Did you insulate the roof under the liner ?

I hope it helps in the Summer. The heater is fantastic in these things. Haven’t got to use the A/C much, but the couple times I did, I could see it possibly struggling when it got really hot & humid. And I figured while I was doing all of the sound deadening, there’d be no better time to go ahead & do it. Yes, I sound deadened & insulated the roof, the back panel, the trays under the seat and the front under the seats, the tunnel & the side panels behind the doors. I also pulled up the floor boards & I used expanding spray foam on the bottoms of them. The next day I took a really big knife & just trimmed it flush with the bottoms. I seen someone else do that on a Ranger DIY page. I did not do the inside panels of my doors though. That looked like more work than I was willing to do. 😂

 

[Max H]

That's a crazy amount of work ..but I bet it is better then you think , you probably just dont have a good comparable...maybe you got used to it ? I bet if you jumped in a stock one you would notice a difference
You should go down to the local stealership and take a test ride in a 2021 with your Phone DB app running of course ....

I'm like you ..the heater kicks ass ..but am am curious to see how well the AC will hold up without the insulation like you have .

Keep us posted ...

 

[Gerb4653]

That's a crazy amount of work ..but I bet it is better then you think , you probably just dont have a good comparable...maybe you got used to it ? I bet if you jumped in a stock one you would notice a difference
You should go down to the local stealership and take a test ride in a 2021 with your Phone DB app running of course ....

I'm like you ..the heater kicks ass ..but am am curious to see how well the AC will hold up without the insulation like you have .

Keep us posted ...

You’re right the heater is great. The AC can be so so at times. I have heard some complaints and when we went on a 50 mile cruise one warm bright sunny day the AC didnt seem to keep up on the crew after about 35-40 miles. A few weeks later i had the windows tinted (whatever legal is for a car in SD). The weather has not been nice enough or sunny enough to retest things out.

Anyone out there with firsthand before and after experience with tint and AC performance? TIA

 

[Aross_Northstar]

You’re right the heater is great. The AC can be so so at times. I have heard some complaints and when we went on a 50 mile cruise one warm bright sunny day the AC didnt seem to keep up on the crew after about 35-40 miles. A few weeks later i had the windows tinted (whatever legal is for a car in SD). The weather has not been nice enough or sunny enough to retest things out.

Anyone out there with firsthand before and after experience with tint and AC performance? TIA

My buddy just bought a Ranger crew & the guy he bought it off of ceramic tinted all of the windows, including the front tip out window. That guy said it made a huge difference! We haven’t got to see for ourselves yet though as it hasn’t been warm enough yet. That’s my next thing to do is to tint my windows.

 

[BPS]

Below is the sound deadening sticky mat I used. I can say it helped, but I’m not sure it that helped enough to justify all the work it took. I’d like to ride inside another Northstar now to compare. I really wish I would checked the decibels before & after. The foam I used is very very thin & does not seem like it will absorb very well

I used to install high end car audio systems and this product was similar to what I used. I believe that it is more for reducing the sound caused by harmonic vibration than sound deadening. In a car the sound system would cause a thin metal door panel to vibrate and at certain frequencies would cause an unwanted harmonic noise.

Maybe an acoustic foam would be better for sound deadening in a Ranger but would be more difficult to install.