Expedition ADV Northstar Noise Issue

[wayne6685]

Being a long time ATV person, I was lucky and got one of the first two seater ADV NorthStar last fall. As we all know, these are great machines but the noise is incredible. So I worked with two dealerships and the local Wisconsin Polaris rep on some solutions. We went riding last night and a few people said I would not have that expensive machine since it is so noisy inside. I let them ride in it and they were amazed. Now its still a bit noisy, but you can a least have a conversation with the wife at 30-60 mph. So I thought I would share what we did. Now in the mean time Polaris has come back with kind of a fix on the RPM, but it still does not do enough. You can argue with these, but it works. We did these in steps to see the noise reduction in the cab. The dealership is now doing this for customers who want it. Polaris is aware and would assume they will fix this as the GM had heard rumors of some fixes coming.

a) change the tires from 30 to 32. I went with BF Goodrich KM3. It reduced the noise a bit and I was surprised.
b) Clutch Kit with Aftermarket Assassins. This was a $1300 add on. They did a great job. Basically does what Polaris did by reducing the and moving the RPM band so at higher speeds the motor is spinning as much. It got me better low end torque and took a couple of MPH on the top end, but I really liked. I plow with my machine and it was great this winter even though I only plowed twice. Warranty wise, yes technically it is a problem with the dealership. But like the dealership said, if it comes to that we can put everything back in and there will not be a problem which I thought was cool. Again, this brought the noise down quite a bit but the wife wanted more.
c) So I bought the package of 9 sheets (18 x 32) of Dynamat 10455 on Amazon for about $200. I did the whole bed down to under the seats, middle area between seats. It took about 6 -7 sheets, cutting out all the compartments, etc. This is where it took the noise down where we can talk at 60.

I hope this helps someone. The machine is great if you can afford it. We went with a big group yesterday to dinner. Everyone was dusty and hot and we got out of our A/C SUV on the trail and it was damn near awesome.....

Take care.

 

[Jbaumshelter]

That is my plan exactly! I have done that exact tire setup. Need to sell my Northstar Ranger and then I will do the Aftermarket Assassin's kit. I was on the fence about the Dynamat. for $200 maybe I just do it. Thank you very much for your input. Nice to hear that somebody executed my plan and like the results. Very Helpful.

 

[tdeperte]

I installed the Gillomen Innovations clutch kit on my ADV 2 Northstar and reduced the rpm 1500-2000 rpm across the board. With added insulation the noise reduction is amazing. I am really happy with this machine now. I had purchased a set of rugged radio headsets which I no longer need. I don't have to crank up the stereo any more just to hear it. The wife and I can easily have conversations now, don't know if that's a good thing! $200 bucks, easy install. The only cons are reduced engine breaking in high gear, and it takes a little longer to get to to top speed. Low gear I can easily run up to 15-17 mph and still not have the noise like before. The fuel economy has increased greatly. This mod should also increase engine life due to decreased rpm.

 

[johndeerefarmer]

Being a long time ATV person, I was lucky and got one of the first two seater ADV NorthStar last fall. As we all know, these are great machines but the noise is incredible. So I worked with two dealerships and the local Wisconsin Polaris rep on some solutions. We went riding last night and a few people said I would not have that expensive machine since it is so noisy inside. I let them ride in it and they were amazed. Now its still a bit noisy, but you can a least have a conversation with the wife at 30-60 mph. So I thought I would share what we did. Now in the mean time Polaris has come back with kind of a fix on the RPM, but it still does not do enough. You can argue with these, but it works. We did these in steps to see the noise reduction in the cab. The dealership is now doing this for customers who want it. Polaris is aware and would assume they will fix this as the GM had heard rumors of some fixes coming.

a) change the tires from 30 to 32. I went with BF Goodrich KM3. It reduced the noise a bit and I was surprised.
b) Clutch Kit with Aftermarket Assassins. This was a $1300 add on. They did a great job. Basically does what Polaris did by reducing the and moving the RPM band so at higher speeds the motor is spinning as much. It got me better low end torque and took a couple of MPH on the top end, but I really liked. I plow with my machine and it was great this winter even though I only plowed twice. Warranty wise, yes technically it is a problem with the dealership. But like the dealership said, if it comes to that we can put everything back in and there will not be a problem which I thought was cool. Again, this brought the noise down quite a bit but the wife wanted more.
c) So I bought the package of 9 sheets (18 x 32) of Dynamat 10455 on Amazon for about $200. I did the whole bed down to under the seats, middle area between seats. It took about 6 -7 sheets, cutting out all the compartments, etc. This is where it took the noise down where we can talk at 60.

I hope this helps someone. The machine is great if you can afford it. We went with a big group yesterday to dinner. Everyone was dusty and hot and we got out of our A/C SUV on the trail and it was damn near awesome.....

Take care.

You need to learn to work on your stuff yourself. The AA Cruiser clutch is around $500 depending upon the options. They charged you $800 labor to install it???

 

[Jbaumshelter]

Forgot to ask, did anyone do the tune along with the cruiser clutch?

 

[Icehog]

I installed the Gillomen Innovations clutch kit on my ADV 2 Northstar and reduced the rpm 1500-2000 rpm across the board. With added insulation the noise reduction is amazing. I am really happy with this machine now. I had purchased a set of rugged radio headsets which I no longer need. I don't have to crank up the stereo any more just to hear it. The wife and I can easily have conversations now, don't know if that's a good thing! $200 bucks, easy install. The only cons are reduced engine breaking in high gear, and it takes a little longer to get to to top speed. Low gear I can easily run up to 15-17 mph and still not have the noise like before. The fuel economy has increased greatly. This mod should also increase engine life due to decreased rpm.

What RPM does it run at in high gear at 30mph? 1500-2000 drop seems crazy.

 

[Ryan]

I would suggest saving some money and using a better product than dynomat extreme. I know many think its the best but it is far from it. You can get NVX stealth in all black for half the price with double the performance on Amazon. That said, the Dyno Deck on the floors and Dyna Pad to replace the Polaris pad under the bed mat helped out a lot. I used Resonix pro between the motor and wall to backseat, that completely removed all the heat coming from behind the seat and helped with sound as well. One thing to look at that is completely hidden but can significantly help is behind the rear seatbelt spools, mine had a half inch gap on each side that you can see the straight to the engine compartment. I removed the belt spool and finished it with NVX and CCF. I found the holes on a wet muddy ride, had mud splashed all over the back seat. I said to myself, I'll be dam, if there's that much water and mud coming through, sound is too.. Sealed it.. Note, I also used the Resonix lead barrier under the dyna deck and dyna pad in the bed but I dont know if that was worth the cost. That stuff is pretty expensive.

 

[tdeperte]

What RPM does it run at in high gear at 30mph? 1500-2000 drop seems crazy.

I'm not with the machine currently but if my memory is working about 4000 rpm. It's not crazy, it's beautiful. Quiet and plenty of power.

 

[shaded2]

I would suggest saving some money and using a better product than dynomat extreme. I know many think its the best but it is far from it. You can get NVX stealth in all black for half the price with double the performance on Amazon. That said, the Dyno Deck on the floors and Dyna Pad to replace the Polaris pad under the bed mat helped out a lot. I used Resonix pro between the motor and wall to backseat, that completely removed all the heat coming from behind the seat and helped with sound as well. One thing to look at that is completely hidden but can significantly help is behind the rear seatbelt spools, mine had a half inch gap on each side that you can see the straight to the engine compartment. I removed the belt spool and finished it with NVX and CCF. I found the holes on a wet muddy ride, had mud splashed all over the back seat. I said to myself, I'll be dam, if there's that much water and mud coming through, sound is too.. Sealed it.. Note, I also used the Resonix lead barrier under the dyna deck and dyna pad in the bed but I dont know if that was worth the cost. That stuff is pretty expensive.

I used resonix every thing on the firewall of my xp5, 3 layers inside,2 outside. Lead barrier and other stuff. Awesome stuff & results. I also found the seatbelt leaks the same way you did...mud flung everywhere