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Ricochet Offroad Skid Plate – Polaris RZR – Product ReviewPolaris RZR 2008-2009 P/N 7112
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One
of the first things I always do with any new ATV is to replace the
factory skid plates directly after the machine arrives at it’s new
home. I have always chosen skid plates from Ricochet Offroad.
Ricochet makes some of the best undercarriage protection for your ATV
or side by side that I have ever used. Not only do Ricochet skid plates
provide the ultimate protection for your frame, A-arms and CV joints,
they also provide greater support and rigidity for your frame.
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First Inspection
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Upon arrival, the Ricochet Offroad
skid plates were individually packaged. The A-arm guards came in a
smaller 12x 16 size box while the belly skids came packaged in a much
larger box.
I
was initially shocked at how heavy the second package was. But the
Ricochet skids for the Polaris RZR provide complete coverage for the
underbelly of the vehicle. Measuring in at 5/16” the Ricochet skids for
the RZR are definitely a very heavy duty option for your RZR.
The
belly skid offers much more coverage than the OEM skid plate. This gave
us some piece of mind knowing that the underside near the rocker panels
were protected.
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Installation
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Installation
begins by first removing the factory skid plates. Removing the A-arm
guards on the Polaris RZR is not necessary as the Ricochet skid plates
will clear them just fine and may provide an extra level of protection.
An
inventory was taken to ensure all fasteners and pieces were included.
The quality of fasteners have been improved to a new zinc plated T40
Torx bolt which is provided with the complete set of skids. This is a
vast improvement over their older hex head bolts. I had once considered
using stainless, but the type of fasteners available locally were made
from a very soft grade of stainless steel and would have most likely
caused more problems later on.
The
instructions from Ricochet read something like stand the vehicle up on
it’s rear. This would have been easier said than done as the RZR weighs
over 1000 pounds. We found simple automobile ramps were adequate for
the installation. Starting with the front differential skid plate and
working our way back we began “armorizing” the bottom of the Polaris
RZR.
Install
time took about 2 hours total and required minimal tools. The install
time could have been shortened even more with the use of an impact
wrench or motorized nut driver for the belly skid which re uses all of
the same mounting points as the plastic Polaris RZR OEM skid.
Ricochet
recommended that you use blue Locktite for the belly skid to prevent
the self tapping screws from coming loose. Along with using the
Locktite we also used anti-seize compound on all other fasteners to
prevent them from seizing up later on.
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Another
great thing about these skids is that they allow complete access to all
of the service points on your RZR. This prevents you from having to
remove the skid plates in order to perform general maintenance like
fluid changes.
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Ride Report
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With
our first trip in the RZR being with the skid plates installed we
immediately realized how essential the Ricochet skid plates are on this
particular machine. The longer wheelbase and lower stance makes the RZR
hit a few more rocks than quad does.
We
hit large rocks during our test; I thought for sure that the Ricochet's
skids were going to have dents in them. Remarkably, our inspections at
the end of our ride revealed no damages to the skids.
The
front a-arm guards protected the vital CV boot area fairly well with
the rear section open to allow for easy run out of water, mud or snow.
I really liked this feature of the front a-arm guards. The rear a-arm
guards completely enclose the CV boots and axles area. This area will
easily get packed with mud and snow, so some care needs to be taken in
some circumstances to keep the area clean.
At the end of the day it was clear that skid plate protection is a must for any extreme riding in rocky areas.
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Conclusion
I
am a firm believer that anyone who rides an ATV or side by side a lot
whether it be for work or pleasure needs to have a quality set of skid
plates installed on their machine. The cost of frame damage and torn CV
boots alone, or simply the idea of being stranded out on a trail can
justify the cost of a set of skid plates from Ricochet Offroad.
Another thing we felt worth mentioning was the availability of different colors for Ricochet skid plates (black or green).
For more information on Ricochet Offroad Products contact them with the following information.
Ricochet Offroad Armor®
3375 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115
1-866-273-1197
This review was reproduced with permission from
ATVTorture.com
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