The Polaris RZR is probably one of the most well-known sport side-by-sides in its class and the industry as a whole. First launched in 2007, the vehicle was originally marketed as a sub-model of the larger, work-oriented Ranger. However, it quickly gained popularity and Polaris dropped the Ranger designation, positioning the RZR as a standalone model.
The RZR came out at the perfect time in the mid-2000s when recreational side-by-side vehicles were first starting to gain traction in the powersports community. Over 15 years later, the model is just as popular as ever, both for its stock characteristics and performance and its ease of customization.
At the 2023 AIMExpo, we were able to check out a custom Polaris RXR Pro R, the higher trim version of the RZR. The RXR Pro R is the industry’s first 2.0L engine powered side-by-side, and the ProStar Fury engine provides the stock model with an astounding 225 horsepower. We stopped by the Optima booth to speak with Alex Ramirez of Weistec Engineering about their RZR, which he says makes close to 400 horsepower.
“We really wanted to focus on speed and performance for this build,” Ramirez said. “We have our Weistec Stage 2 turbocharger on here that’s good for about 175 horsepower; our Stage 1 does about 85 horsepower. We haven’t tested the top speed yet, but we did do some drag racing in Johnson Valley earlier this year and we actually took the win against some Ford Raptors, Rivians, and other vehicles.”
Several other manufactures chipped in for the build, including Sparco who provided the steering wheel, Lifeline Supplies with an emergency fire extinguisher, BFGoodrich provided tires, and the roll cage came from CSD.
To support the added lighting and electrical accessories, the RXR Pro R features Optima’s Quad30 batteries, the company’s largest lithium battery kit. Optima and Baja Designs were also instrumental in helping to lay out the vehicle’s design elements.
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