P1000 New P1000-5 owner kind of disappointed.

[2Ladiesdad]

I purchased a 2020 P1000-5 base 2 weeks ago. We originally went to look at a 700-4 base model and decided the 1000 had all of the options I needed and wanted (high & low range, power steering, tilt wheel, middle seat belt in the front, ect.). I purchased my pioneer the same day a close friend of mine purchased a Rzr 900s, since then 3 other friends have bought side by sides as well (can-am X3 turbo, rzr 1000XP and a talon) yes I know those machines are in an entirely different category than mine and I bought mine because I can haul the wife and kids while riding and also use it around the house, I wasn't looking for strictly a go fast toy. We all rode about 60 miles in the mountains yesterday and I came to realize that I truly dislike this machine. It rides worse than my diesel F350 truck, everything rattles, and it handles like a boat. I expected it to handle a little sloppy due to its size so that's not a huge deal, it rode so rough that my daughter wound up riding 15 miles back to the parking lot with a friend and I put the pioneer back on the trailer and got in with a different friend for the remainder of day. I know I can't blaze down the trails like a rzr but even moving at a moderate speed was miserable, they would stop for a break and be almost done with their drink by the time I caught up. I don't want a sport machine because they are only usable as a toy, I will likely put a plow on this for the winter months and use to to haul around some wood also. Does anyone have any recommendations as far as suspension upgrades? Spending 2k on suspension is a hard pill to swallow but not as hard as taking a several thousand dollar loss on trading in a brand new machine. Sorry for the long post, thanks for any input.

 

[Admin]

 

[HondaTech]

The rattles can be fixed, they should've never made it that far but everyone already knows my opinions on lazy dealers.

While I've never ridden in a Pioneer in enough offroad terrain to comment on different suspensions, I do know the Fox upgrade off the LE is a decent option just based on the small riding ive done.

My GM had the Walker Evans on his '16 and said it wasn't worth the money, it was still under sprung and would be in coil bind before the preload could be adjusted enough to stop from bottoming.

 

[Cuoutdoors]

Well the suspension on the base model blows. They ride like a lumber truck. The fox shocks are a great improvement and fox shocks with different springs are even better. Better yet are elka stage 5. It probably steers like a boat because the toe is not correct on nearly every pioneer from the factory. Set your toe and change the shicks its a whole new machine.

 

[Hostile1]

Trying to ride with sport utv's will always make you feel this way. Its like a mustang trying to do a cross country cannon ball run with exotics.

 

[Russ989]

I purchased a 2020 P1000-5 base 2 weeks ago. We originally went to look at a 700-4 base model and decided the 1000 had all of the options I needed and wanted (high & low range, power steering, tilt wheel, middle seat belt in the front, ect.). I purchased my pioneer the same day a close friend of mine purchased a Rzr 900s, since then 3 other friends have bought side by sides as well (can-am X3 turbo, rzr 1000XP and a talon) yes I know those machines are in an entirely different category than mine and I bought mine because I can haul the wife and kids while riding and also use it around the house, I wasn't looking for strictly a go fast toy. We all rode about 60 miles in the mountains yesterday and I came to realize that I truly dislike this machine. It rides worse than my diesel F350 truck, everything rattles, and it handles like a boat. I expected it to handle a little sloppy due to its size so that's not a huge deal, it rode so rough that my daughter wound up riding 15 miles back to the parking lot with a friend and I put the pioneer back on the trailer and got in with a different friend for the remainder of day. I know I can't blaze down the trails like a rzr but even moving at a moderate speed was miserable, they would stop for a break and be almost done with their drink by the time I caught up. I don't want a sport machine because they are only usable as a toy, I will likely put a plow on this for the winter months and use to to haul around some wood also. Does anyone have any recommendations as far as suspension upgrades? Spending 2k on suspension is a hard pill to swallow but not as hard as taking a several thousand dollar loss on trading in a brand new machine. Sorry for the long post, thanks for any input.

Welcome to the club, sorry to hear about your disappointment. As you said, it’s not a sport machine but it’s the best pound for pound sport utility machine out there in my opinion.

 

[2Ladiesdad]

Trying to ride with sport utv's will always make you feel this way. Its like a mustang trying to do a cross country cannon ball run with exotics.

Yes I've been telling them I bought the mini van and they bought the corvettes.

 

[Remington]

Easy on the F350 ride comparison, people that ride in mine say it rids nice lol
now for your rig, like @Cuoutdoors said, the stock suspension blows and check your toe end. It’s also a farm rig and a base model. New shocks will help a lot.

oh..I see you just joined. Welcome and pics or it didn’t happen

 

[2Ladiesdad]

Welcome to the club, sorry to hear about your disappointment. As you said, it’s not a sport machine but it’s the best pound for pound sport utility machine out there in my opinion.

That's what I was going for, I've ridden quads and SXS for as long as I can remember. I don't know what I was expecting but I was expecting it to be a bit better than it is.

 

[Remington]

That's what I was going for, I've ridden quads and SXS for as long as I can remember. I don't know what I was expecting but I was expecting it to be a bit better than it is.

Did u test drive it before u bought it?

 

[2Ladiesdad]

Easy on the F350 ride comparison, people that ride in mine say it rids nice lol
now for your rig, like @Cuoutdoors said, the stock suspension blows and check your toe end. It’s also a farm rig and a base model. New shocks will help a lot.

oh..I see you just joined. Welcome and pics or it didn’t happen

My 2011 F350 rides like a F350 lol, I rarely drive it unless I'm towing my camper or something else. I have a beater truck I drive every day.

As far as the picks go I don't have many, I'm not as excited about it as I was at the moment. I just need to make a few upgrades hopefully.

 

[2Ladiesdad]

Did u test drive it before u bought it?

Yes but the dealer doesn't exactly let you take a brand new machine out and rip it up the mountain.

 

[2Ladiesdad]

Well the suspension on the base model blows. They ride like a lumber truck. The fox shocks are a great improvement and fox shocks with different springs are even better. Better yet are elka stage 5. It probably steers like a boat because the toe is not correct on nearly every pioneer from the factory. Set your toe and change the shicks its a whole new machine.

Yeah I've been looking at the elkas, I used to run elka suspension on a few 450R quads years ago and loved it, they used to be the gold standard for atvs. The stage 5 being just north of $2800 is a little disheartening after just buying a brand new machine.

 

[Russ989]

That's what I was going for, I've ridden quads and SXS for as long as I can remember. I don't know what I was expecting but I was expecting it to be a bit better than it is.

The 1000 gets better with time FYI. I’ve had all three pioneers and I can tell you for sure that if you’re dissatisfied with the 1000, the 700 would have really let you down. Give it some time to break in, it really does get better.

 

[Ohio4x4]

That's what I was going for, I've ridden quads and SXS for as long as I can remember. I don't know what I was expecting but I was expecting it to be a bit better than it is.

When we bought our 1000 @Lisa86 was feeling the same way after buying a 15k machine. We did the fox shocks and it is a night and day difference. She was willing to beat around at tackett for three days with me after a little work to improve the ride. My next move will be to change the spring rate to fit my machine and use better.

 

[Russ989]

Yeah I've been looking at the elkas, I used to run elka suspension on a few 450R quads years ago and loved it, they used to be the gold standard for atvs. The stage 5 being just north of $2800 is a little disheartening after just buying a brand new machine.

I put a spacer lift on mine and some 30s, night and day different!

 

[Cuoutdoors]

Yeah I've been looking at the elkas, I used to run elka suspension on a few 450R quads years ago and loved it, they used to be the gold standard for atvs. The stage 5 being just north of $2800 is a little disheartening after just buying a brand new machine.

I hear ya. I used to race a 450R. As you know suspension has always been expensive and stock options aren't all that great.

 

[Vikes79]

What psi are the tires at? I ran my base P1k5 12” tires at 10-12 psi and it really softens up the ride.

 

[8ball929]

It's a change if you're used to sport sxs. I don't think they are horrible stock. It actually surprised me a little how soft it rides stock. I think it's far from being stiff like a logging truck. To me mine actually has a lot of body roll and it doesn't seem hard to bottom out the front shocks on bumps or dips at moderate speeds. Best I could describe is it's like driving an old land barge kind of car. Like your just running on tired springs with almost no damping from the shocks. lol

I plan on doing some changes to the suspension also. Not sure what yet. Shocks? Wider a arms? Shocks and progressive or dual rate springs? If that's even an option for a pioneer. I don't know yet. But I definitely would like it to handle a little better at speed and still not beat me to death at low speed.

Regardless though, you have to remember your sitting up right on a bench seat in a machine with 10" of suspension travel. It's not going to ride like a sport sxs with laid back suspension seats and 15"+ of travel. I have to tell myself that too because that's what my last sxs was lol.

 

[GPR1500SC]

I feel your pain, the cure is going to be expensive!!!
My experience has been this way we planned a trip to Colorado so I bought a pair of Fox shocks for the front using them around the farm loved them so much I bought the rear one's too, fast forward to CO out there I soon was hating them I was constantly adjusting them up and down the final straw was when we were coming down the back side of Italian off Flag Mountain it started to sleet and rain so hard the ground turned white and it turned into a race back to the camper I was following a loaded four seater RZR 1000 and he wasn't getting away but needed to stop adjust my shocks again because I was bottoming the shocks out horribly!!!
When I got home I took off my like new Fox shocks and sold them and put on Elka 5's and was glad I did, if you are going to ride with sport machines the Pioneer's need all the help they can get Don't buy Fox's you are going to need high and low speed compression adjustment.

Cure 1 trade new Pioneer on a sport machine

Cure 2 upgrade the shocks, put bigger tires on, and reflash the ECU

Both cure's will cost about the same money, good luck on witch ever route you choose to take you will find the side by side sickness is worse than Covid 19

 

[BigOL3]

What psi are the tires at? I ran my base P1k5 12” tires at 10-12 psi and it really softens up the ride.

AND ....... get some really good 8 ply tires and beadlock wheels, 12x28 and run 8 psi ...... makes a world of difference on removing the harsh ride and adds great traction.