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Polaris RZR Tender Spring Upgrade

Tender Spring Upgrade

Off-roaders upgrade their UTV’s suspension for a variety of reasons, whether it be to gain back ride height after adding accessories, replace sagging, worn-out springs, or upgrade to the highest-performance, race-winning setup.

If you own a Polaris RZR XP1000, RZR XP Turbo, RZR Turbo S or RZR Pro XP, chances are you have a shock with an upper tender spring. These vehicles come with a dual-spring setup with an upper spring that is very soft and most often completely collapsed at normal ride height. These collapsed upper springs are most often referred to as a tender spring and their primary purpose is to provide tension on the spring pack when the shock extends. Under normal load, this spring was designed to be fully collapsed. 

Tender Spring

The lower spring, or “Ride Spring” as labeled above, is designed to do all of the work in this system, with the upper tender spring solely being used to fill the gap.

New tender springs are a popular upgrade amongst some of the Polaris RZR community –– in part due to their affordability –– yet leave much to be desired compared to a true Dual-Rate Spring Kit. While upgraded tender springs can result in marginally improved ride quality and ride height, the system also has limitations. While indeed a dual spring system, the design lacks a crossover ring and therefore uses a combined spring rate as opposed to a true dual rate system. Put simply, a dual-spring does not guarantee a dual-rate.

Polaris RZR Turbo S Spring Upgrade

Polaris RZR Turbo S

When it comes to aftermarket improvements, many off-roaders choose to invest in their suspension. For the vehicle shown above, a Polaris RZR Turbo S Spring Upgrade provides substantial benefit to overall ride quality. 

Polaris RZR XP 1000 Spring Upgrade

Polaris RZR XP 1000

E.g., the Polaris RZR XP 1000, as shown above, also comes with tender springs stock from the factory. A system that utilizes a tender spring will have a combined spring rate. While one can purchase an aftermarket tender spring with a higher spring rate than that which came stock to gain ride height back after adding accessories, it will not be a true dual-rate setup. Its spring rate will be linear, and will not change since it does not have a crossover ring. Likewise, a Polaris RZR XP 1000 Spring Upgrade makes for a great choice. 

 

Polaris RZR Pro XP Spring Upgrade

Polaris RZR Pro XP

Another vehicle that comes with tender springs stock from the factory would be the RZR Pro XP. Similarly, a complete Polaris RZR Pro XP Spring Upgrade would provide far better improvements to the overall suspension compared to a tender spring swap or upgrade. 

Polaris RZR XP Turbo Spring Upgrade

Polaris RZR XP Turbo

Finally, the RZR XP Turbo also comes with tender springs. Thus, a Polaris RZR XP Turbo Spring Upgrade would eliminate the tender spring and provide a truly dual-rate system in its place.

While a more premium quality product than many tender spring upgrades on the market, a Dual-Rate Spring Kit provides substantive benefits. True to its name, a dual-rate system allows for two different spring rates — likewise, the suspension system can more effectively respond to a variety of terrain. Thus, a dual-rate spring kit can provide plush and smooth ride quality throughout small bumps, chop, and chatter, while still providing more resistance against the large forces of jump landings and bottoming out.

The design of the system –– specifically the arrangement and location of the crossover ring –– allows for fine-tuning its performance to meet the terrains and riding style of each customer at hand. As the springs compress you can control when the system gets stiffer with the location of the crossover ring, where the heavier spring rate of the lower spring engages. By changing this engagement location, you can bring the stiffer spring rate in at the perfect time –– keeping your UTV plush when you want it and stiffer when you ramp up the speeds and terrain.

If you have a Polaris RZR XP1000, RZR XP Turbo, RZR Turbo S or RZR Pro XP that came with an upper tender spring, a dual-rate spring kit is far superior to a tender spring upgrade or tender spring swap.

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