Sonic Off Road IRS

[Pale Rider 270]

For those of you who have been considering an IRS system for your next quad but really like the agility and toughness of the TRX 450r you need to take a look at this.

The guys at Sonic off road installed their IRS system for me a few months ago and I have been putting it through the paces ever since. The level of control and smoothness on the trail is amazing! My wife (she rides an Outlaw 525 IRS) and I just got back from a week trip to Hatfiled McCoy and were able to go much further in a single day than we have ever been before we both stepped up to IRS. In the five days that we were there we logged over 200 miles and never felt better.

The system is expensive but IMO it was worth every penny. It only added about 10 pounds to the overall wieght and the traction and acceleration is just nuts. I can go a lot fatser than I did before the IRS and I don't feel like I am going to get bucked off. This machine gives me the confidence to really push it and I never feel out of control.

[dobber21]

you should post up some pictures of the system

[dobber21]

just wondering if you could post up some pictures

[Pale Rider 270]

Here you go.

[Shawthy33]

I think we're going to need more than one oversized picture....give us some more details

[Pale Rider 270]

This is the only picture that I have the can be uploaded to this site. All of the rest are too large.

This sytem basically replaces the entire swing arm assembly and bolts right on. It comes with gorilla axles with custom made CV joints, a new 2 pison rear brake caliper (it is off of a Rino), full floating rear brake rotor and a stock TRX 450 rear sproket. The housng for the drive line is all machined billet as are both of the rear spindles. The tubing is all chromoly steel and all of the connections are made with hiem joints. It is extremely strong. I put a large dent in the lower control arm on the third trip out (Tower City PA is really rough on the equipment) and it did not affect the geometry of the uspension at all. I have since had Sonic bend up some custom skid plates to protect my investment. I don't have pictures of that yet.

The sytem replaces the rear shock with an adjustable strut that keeps the whole system rigid in the chasis so the rear shocks (Axis racing shocks) can handle all of the work. The system also includes an adjustable rear anti-sway bar that helps deal with some of the body roll associated with IRS systems. Sonic also makes a front sway bar and I did not install it because it is more for track use. I spend all of my time in the woods and the front sway bar would only reduce articulation which would not be good in the woods.

Once you get used to the body roll you can use it to your advantage. It took me about a day to get used to that. There is some understeer at slow speeds but blip the throttel and it will turn on a dime.

The cost... Expect to pay in the $5K range but when it is done it will smoke any other IRS quad out there even the Outlaw 525 with the KTM engine. The traction is amazing and it is very linear. It will lift the front end with ease but only if you want it to. Another huge advantage is the ground clearance. 11'' inches vs. the stock 4''. It makes it a lot easier to avoid the big roks.

[kawabunga]

So how much weight does this add?

[dobber21]

he said in his first post that it added about 10 pounds but thats a lot of stuff to bolt on there and only add 10 pounds.

[Lynch01ex]

Im not much for IRS but that does look pretty sweet and looks like a very well done conversion.

[Sjorge450R]

Originally posted by dobber21
he said in his first post that it added about 10 pounds but thats a lot of stuff to bolt on there and only add 10 pounds.

yeah but you remove alot of stuff from the quad.

[dobber21]

basically all ur eliminating is the swingarm and the axle u then bolt up the subframe/ frame 4 aarms 2 shocks 2 half shafts sway bar the adjstable linkage it just seems like a lot of stuff and only add ten extra pounds but thats my opinion not trying to pick a fight just its hard to figure that out

[Pale Rider 270]

I know what you are saying about the weight but that rear swing arm assembly, shock and axels are pretty heavy. I still have them and can reinstall in 30 mintues if I want to. I was skeptical also until I rode it. There is always a trade off with something like this but honestly it does not feel much different (weight wise) than a stock 450r. It is also about 3'' wider in the rear and about 2'' longer in total wheel base.

As I mentioned before all of the tubing is very light chromoly steel and evrything else is billet. It is all pretty light and very strong. This system uses geometry for strenght instead of mass.

For those of you who are not fans of IRS I would suggest spending some time on one (sport quad IRS). I find that I can do everything faster and the acceleration is much better because both wheels are on the ground at all times. I rode this machine for five years in some of the worst terraine imaginable before I made the conversion and I can honestly say that it is much better now for the riding that I do. I have not tried it on a track yet but I can only bet that landing will be much easier.

[IcutMetl]

Hats off to you for taking a leap and throwing down that kind of cabbage; looks like a very well planned and engineered conversion. Definitely doesn't appear to be hacked together one bit. I would think most of us on here probably couldn't give an honest opinion because we've never ridden one...but I would certainly be open to try.

[dobber21]

yeah thanx for the info this would be a hell of an upgrade for someone that really loves the power of their 450 but wants the comfort of the IRS

[Brauap]

I'm sorry, I know this is old.. but I just looked it up.. and it is $4400 for this swap... are you sure it is worth EVERY penny? Thats 440,000 pennies...

[coryatver]

also seems like that would be a lot more stress on the upper rear shock mount

[Pale Rider 270]

I was in WV at the Hatfield McCoy trails back in Sept. and really gave the system a workout. It performed flawlessly and I found that at the end of the day I was not really worn out. I put over three hundred hard and fast miles on that machine in 4 days through some of the worst stuff that most people have ever laid eyes on and that suspension made everything easier. I do have a frame of reference because I also did the same trip on a stock 450r.

It is worth every penny. When you consider what it would cost to buy anything like it (about $9,000 for a Honda 700XXX) and then you have to deal with the extra weight. The handling is amazing but takes some getting used to because it is different than a straight axle setup. Different and better once you get used to it. The grip it substantailly better and that really effects your acceleration. A friend in WV who is really experieced told me that it was the fastest 450r he had ever ridden and I have yet to do anything to the motor.

If you give a Sonic a call ask for Andy. He designed and built the system. Tell him Bill Lorenz sent you.

[07black400ex]

Actually you can get a 700XX for $4300 new at Southern Powersports in Chattanooga right now.

[racer 557]

well another plus i read cause i had a topic on this awhile back but something i read is sopposally this same one will fit on any quad with just few parts change it says that on there website i believe

this is straight off the site

Once you buy the Sonic Spider Kit you will be able to adapt it to any sport ATV you buy in the future. Many out dated components must be sold at a large loss but the Spider kit can be used for years to come.


heres the site

http://sonicoffroad.com/Atv%20IRS.html

[trailhouseowner]

Originally posted by Pale Rider 270
I was in WV at the Hatfield McCoy trails back in Sept. and really gave the system a workout. It performed flawlessly and I found that at the end of the day I was not really worn out. I put over three hundred hard and fast miles on that machine in 4 days through some of the worst stuff that most people have ever laid eyes on and that suspension made everything easier. I do have a frame of reference because I also did the same trip on a stock 450r.

It is worth every penny. When you consider what it would cost to buy anything like it (about $9,000 for a Honda 700XXX) and then you have to deal with the extra weight. The handling is amazing but takes some getting used to because it is different than a straight axle setup. Different and better once you get used to it. The grip it substantailly better and that really effects your acceleration. A friend in WV who is really experieced told me that it was the fastest 450r he had ever ridden and I have yet to do anything to the motor.

If you give a Sonic a call ask for Andy. He designed and built the system. Tell him Bill Lorenz sent you.

What trail did you ride?

[rustzuk]

The kit looks awesome. But there is no way that 450 is faster than the outlaw 525. I'm not just saying this cause I own a 525 but my brother had an 08 450r and after he lost every race we ran, he sold it to buy the outlaw 525 irs.