# 22 Polaris Ranger 1000xp northstar



## wruebs (Nov 18, 2003)

Finally got a chance to put a few miles on my new Ranger. First impressions are not good. It seems I have to really get the engine rpm's up to attain any speed. Could the drivetrain be tight and just need some use to loosen up? I don't think the centrifugal clutch system seems to be working properly. I have about 19 miles on it now and it does seem to be slowly getting a little better. I have to rev it up to 6500 rpm to attain 28mph. The fastest I had it up to is 41mph, briefly, because I don't want to rod on it too much while in break in. Because of the high rev's to relative speed, it is very loud (engine whine) in the cab. I wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation over 25mph. For the record, I do have my seat belt buckled, in high range and in standard mode, (briefly in performance).
I never had any side x side experience and mostly went off the advice given in this forum. I have two polaris sportsmans and the ride experience is certainly better than this ranger. I'm thinking I may need to take it back to the dealer to have it checked out, which I won't have a chance to do any time soon. Or is this just the nature of this vehicle? 

I have a case of buyers remorse at this point, especially for the price I paid.....


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## bowhunter426 (Oct 20, 2010)

Unfortunately all that sounds fairly normal. Engine whine is always a problem in the cab. My Ranger and Can AM was not a place of conversation when driving around.

Once you hit 28mph what RPM was required to sustain?


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

Sounds about normal but maybe a little extreme. You should be able to run up to around 60mph fairly easy. If you’re expecting it sound like a car at 40mph then your expectations are off. 

They aren’t built for speed remember.


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## LGB (9 mo ago)

Normal in all UTVs. Engine noise drowns out conversation when on the gas. Idling is the only way conversation is easy. It's not a Polaris exclusive problem. The throttle/RPM issue doesn't sound right. My neighbor has a Pioneer and we ride in it together sometimes. His is exactly the same as mine in terms of throttle response and rpm/speed. Good throttle response and rpms do tend to be pretty high. I've had my 900XP around 65 mph but rpms are high. That's normal but not achieving top speed isn't.


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## LGB (9 mo ago)

wruebs said:


> Finally got a chance to put a few miles on my new Ranger. First impressions are not good. It seems I have to really get the engine rpm's up to attain any speed. Could the drivetrain be tight and just need some use to loosen up? I don't think the centrifugal clutch system seems to be working properly. I have about 19 miles on it now and it does seem to be slowly getting a little better. I have to rev it up to 6500 rpm to attain 28mph. The fastest I had it up to is 41mph, briefly, because I don't want to rod on it too much while in break in. Because of the high rev's to relative speed, it is very loud (engine whine) in the cab. I wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation over 25mph. For the record, I do have my seat belt buckled, in high range and in standard mode, (briefly in performance).
> I never had any side x side experience and mostly went off the advice given in this forum. I have two polaris sportsmans and the ride experience is certainly better than this ranger. I'm thinking I may need to take it back to the dealer to have it checked out, which I won't have a chance to do any time soon. Or is this just the nature of this vehicle?
> 
> I have a case of buyers remorse at this point, especially for the price I paid.....


One thing I'd recommend with a Polaris anything. Take it back during it's warranty period for anything you feel isn't right. After the warranty is over, they will not help you. You'll be paying yourself so address whatever bothers you before the warranty ends. I had a crack show up on the foot board of my Sportsman 850XP quad during the first winter. The below zero temps caused it to crack when I stood on the edge of it. It was just out of warranty and they turned down replacing the part. While I love Polaris products mostly because they've never let me down mechanically, the company is not going above and beyond like others will. Get use to that or change manufacturer's. Plain and simple.


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## wruebs (Nov 18, 2003)

bowhunter426 said:


> Unfortunately all that sounds fairly normal. Engine whine is always a problem in the cab. My Ranger and Can AM was not a place of conversation when driving around.
> 
> Once you hit 28mph what RPM was required to sustain?


What I did after hitting 28mph (6500rpm) was let off to ease the rpms down to 5000rpm and maintain. The speed settled to 22/23 mph. Guessing about 5800 to sustain 28mph, started to lose speed around there.


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## wruebs (Nov 18, 2003)

I certainly never expected it to be as quiet as a car, but I do recall a post here saying that he could carry on a conversation at 55mph. The topic included how polaris had improved the engine heat affecting the passenger seat (and also noise) in the 2021 model.
I'll put more miles on and see if it loosens up some more before I take it back to the dealer.... I just don't have time for 3 hour round trip (x2) anytime soon.


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

I have an xp1000 2018 ranger with glass front and back plus vinyl doors. I can drive 20-40 mph and have a conversation. Something seems wrong with yours, my buddy has the 2021 Northstar crew and it's a lot more sound proof than mine. Nice machine but it sounds like you need to take it back.


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## LGB (9 mo ago)

I can talk at any speed and be heard. I just can't do it at normal talk volume. I have to speak a bit louder but my wife and I can talk to each other. Having front/rear windows will help as will side doors. Tough to talk when riding on a quad with another person also. They aren't air tight at all. Sounds gets in.


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## BMARKS (Nov 6, 2017)

wruebs said:


> Finally got a chance to put a few miles on my new Ranger. First impressions are not good. It seems I have to really get the engine rpm's up to attain any speed. Could the drivetrain be tight and just need some use to loosen up? I don't think the centrifugal clutch system seems to be working properly. I have about 19 miles on it now and it does seem to be slowly getting a little better. I have to rev it up to 6500 rpm to attain 28mph. The fastest I had it up to is 41mph, briefly, because I don't want to rod on it too much while in break in. Because of the high rev's to relative speed, it is very loud (engine whine) in the cab. I wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation over 25mph. For the record, I do have my seat belt buckled, in high range and in standard mode, (briefly in performance).
> I never had any side x side experience and mostly went off the advice given in this forum. I have two polaris sportsmans and the ride experience is certainly better than this ranger. I'm thinking I may need to take it back to the dealer to have it checked out, which I won't have a chance to do any time soon. Or is this just the nature of this vehicle?
> 
> I have a case of buyers remorse at this point, especially for the price I paid.....


i had a 2020 xp 1k ranger for two years, sold and bought a rzr. none the less, you should expect around 5k rpm to maintain speed, 6500 is high. also i would run it in performance throttle mode. it takes less input to get the same throttle position, i always felt that in standard and work modes it took a lot of throttle input to get going and felt unnatural to me. so i suggest running it in performance mode.


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## Fishfighter (Dec 20, 2009)

Sounds like a clutch problem to me not shifting out like it should. Might just be a problem of the spring being to stiff and needs warn in. The other thought is I know some belts need warn in before they start shifting right.


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## LGB (9 mo ago)

Just checked out the newest Honda Pioneer 1000/5. WOW. I gotta say, those SxS's are phenomenal. Polaris needs to take a page out of Hondas UTV build book. I love my Polaris. The ride and power is great. Load capacities etc are great as well. Those Honda's have really kicked it up a notch in terms of bells and whistles.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

My buddys polaris always seems to be high rpm related to not going very fast. Seems odd almost like its slipping. Maybe they are all like that. I didn't care for it. Seemed noisy and slow.


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