Where is your rental location? Who did the automatic conversion?
I must admit being in Texas, I doubt if I'll use your services, but If I'm ever in the area, I might be interested in trying an automatic, just to see what it's like.
Posts by BKL
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If adapted for the Slingshot and used to provide cooling while stopped at a light, I'd think a single unit could blow air on both the driver and passenger. Faces most probably, torso and/or lower extremities, maybe.
If situated in the glovebox area, the radio area might also be needed for ductwork. If used only for the head areas, it might be possible to get it mounted on both sides of the fin or replacing the fin and the ducting could then aim towards driver and passenger faces. Maybe with a switch that automatically activates the unit at speeds below 15-20 mph. The ducting could travel from the fin area forward and down the center column where the 2nd cigarette lighter port is now, allowing the ducting to be relatively short and not having to blow cool air thru a large volume to hit the intended target. The biggest drawback to the fin location would be the cost of replacing the rear deck covering that currently houses the fin. If the adapting designer were smart, a template to modify the existing rear deck to cutout the fin area and a new covering would be included. The AC unit itself could just discharge any water it removes thru a hose to underneath the Slingshot as is currently done wit he fuel tank vent system.
Another possible mounting area might be the current radio cubby area, although that location would require relocation of any radio and would also require modification of the dash top and windshield mount. -
If you just want cold air when stopped, this would probably be relatively easy to adapt to the Slingshot. It's already battery powered and pretty compact.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1253665084/zero-breeze-the-worlds-coolest-portable-air-condit
IIRC, I think I posted about this over on TDS. -
Ah yes but the question is ... Would you be willing to give up the glove compartment ?IMHO room can be found under the hood for the compressor and the condenser but the most logical place for the evaporator,blower and associated duct work is the glove compartment.
Actually, I'd e more concerned about the drain on the electrical system as it will take a heck of a lot of cold air movement to keep any feeling of cold in the open cockpit.
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Given the Slingshot's limited traction and ability to use much over 300 HP, I'd give up 100 HP for a decent AC system if I had a snmuch HP as the extreme forced induction folks like @rabtech and gang.
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Sad, but true!
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The Polaris survey was to help them decide what to do in the future. Originally, Polaris only hoped to sell around 2,000 Slingshots per year and they were quite surprised (and probably unprepared) to sell around 6,000. There could be several reasons behind Polaris developing an in-house motor. One, maybe the GM motor is getting more expensive or, Two, Polaris is desperate to further reduce the Slingshot's weight to give them more flexibility in what options they can offer. Their hypothetical weight limit to meet motorcycle classification is around 1750 lbs, although I have never found any such restriction in any law within the US or the 50 States.
Personally, if I went to buy and found the Slingshot came with a Polaris motor instead of the GM unit, I'd look for a used Slingshot. Who knows, Polaris may surprise us all. -
IIRC, the Polaris marketing survey I took in 2015 implied they might eventually offer multiple engines to fit different price/performance points, so even if they develop their own motor, Polaris may still offer the GM motor, hopefully, maybe....
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Polaris seems to be bent on building their own, presumably lighter weight motor putting out closer to 200 HP, IIRC. Unfortunately, Polaris doesn't have a stellar track record as far as their engine designs go. A new, Polaris designed/built motor may help increase our resale value. The GM motor/transmission was a factor in my purchase decision.
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Came across this: Polaris SlingShot T3T4 Turbo Kit Ecotec 2.4 | eBay
I no nothing about turbos, but $1,200 & free shipping seems cheap? Again I no nothing just came across it and it's probably been posted here? lolYou may get lucky if you buy that kit. Assuming they have all the tubing, intercooler and exhaust manifold, etc., properly sized. You then need to buy the Turbo ECU reflash and hope you can guess which of the available turbo reflashes will work best with the particular turbo model they threw in with the kit and hope the different specs that affect the turbo's operation are properly matched for that tune. Also, keep in mind that you'll need to figure out some kind of exhaust hookup which may well also impact how the turbo performs even if it has been nicely matched to the engine. Just be prepared to fork out $4000 if things don't luck out.
I'm NOT an expert on turbos, so I bought from one of the recognized name brand kit folks, Hahn in my case, but Alpha also makes a great kit. At the current time, I don't believe there are any other reliable turbo kits out there. If you catch one of Hahn's "Slightly Warm" specials, they typically offer a traded-in exhaust system free with purchase of their Stage 2 turbo kit, usually saving anywhere from $1000 or more compared to the other turbo/superchargers out there. My Hahn "slightly Warm" sale kit came to just over $4200 with exhaust and pre-modded oil pan included. The other turbo and SC systems start around $4900 and then you need to add on the cost of the exhaust which can go as high as $2K, depending on which exhaust system you go with.
Here's some articles that explain some of the differences about turbos -
Turbo Basics
Turbine housing A/R and sizing | Turbobygarrett
While the low-cost can seem attractive, I wanted the known engineering of a name brand kit. Good Luck.
I just got an email offering a name brand turbo kit for an older Mustang and it was still priced at just over $5K! -
I was trying to edit my post and include some pics when you responded.
Here's a pic of me and my Daughter in my 2015 Titanium Metallic Slingshot before and after I had it painted Yellow ( I've also got a Twist Dynamics Top to help protect me from the Texas Heat - it was over 80F here today).Personally, I really like the Black pieces and how they contrast wit the Yellow body.
Here's some close-ups of the flaws I mentioned. Their typical size is less than 1/4". -
I have another dumb question, ive seen some slingshots in different colors like yellow? Is that a body kit or a paint job or what?
Sent from my iPhone using Polaris Slingshot Info
Looking for a less expensive paint job and not having the proper tools to do it myself, I found a local shop in Houston that rents their paint booth and tools for around $125/day. This basically means do your prep off-site and then have a marathon painting session and take your parts home to finish drying and reassemble. When I went to see them, they also said they have a painter in-house and I though this meant he'd be painting there using their facilities, but he really did the painting in his apartment. He was a young guy, probably mid-20s who had recently started his business doing low-cost body/paintwork for people who had limited incomes and was hyped about the opportunity to paint the Slingshot and show his efforts to some former co-workers. He said he'd paint it for $800. I wanted a less-expensive (cheap) paint job and that's what I got. I'd rate it about a 3-5 ft paint job. Any closer than that and flaws can be seen in daylight or bright lighting. Just driving by, it looks fine. This being the first Slingshot he'd painted, I think he underestimated how much prep work was going to be involved and it ended up taking him over 2 weeks to get it painted. He was really proud of his efforts and I didn't have the heart to rain on his parade, but I felt the paint job was less than professional. I'd say I got what I paid for, but may eventually try to paint it myself. Before I had the kid paint mine, I got estimates from several local shops, ranging from about $1200-2000. You also need to deal with the fact that if the painter has never done a Slingshot before, he may have trouble disassembling the body to paint each piece individually. It seems most painters are accustomed to painting an assembled body, but the way the Slingshot body is assembled, there are too many nooks and crannies for paint to accumulate and later crack. In my case, it took me several days to take the body apart, but I wanted to make sure it was done carefully. You might find a discount if you disassemble the body and haul everything to the painter. I have a 2013 Ford Edge and was able to haul all of the body panels in the back of my vehicle in one trip. I bought some used bedspreads from Goodwill for padding. Several folks have posted how-tos on removing the body panels on the various forums and YouTube.
There's a couple of dealers in the Houston area who will wrap the Slingshot for around $800-1200+ depending on the wrap color/material. Generally speaking, most owners who've wrapped their Slingshots seem to end up having them painted because the wrap doesn't seem to adhere well to the Slingshot's sharp creases/bodylines.
Some folks have tried dipping their Slingshots using a material similar to the plastic coating some mechanics put on their tool handles. Again, problems have typically been reported in areas where clothing or skin tends to rub against the dip, primarily areas in & around the cockpit.
Helmets are optional here in Texas, and I typically don't wear one, but I have a relatively tall MadStad adjustable windshield that I can look thru or over depending on how I sit. I still occasionally get hit by stuff and always eye protection of some type, typically my daily wear eyeglasses with shatterproof lenses that provide pretty good eye protection. I have 3/4 open-face helmet with shield, as well as a modular helmet with flip-up shield and several 1/2 helmets, some with shields or integrated drop-down shields. -
@BKL, it may depend on your speakers; I'm running 3.5 inch and 6.5 inch Memphis Audio speakers and they are loud! They are in the front stock pods... I hear them well, even on the highway at 90mph+ (I have an f4+ windshield).
The front speakers may be part of the problem. I added some cheap Boss Audio 5.25" 3-way speakers in place of the factory 5.25" and just disconnected the wiring on the remaining 2 factory speakers. In the Hoop Pods behind my head, I have Rockford Fosgate 6.5" 3-way speakers several other folks on here have. The RFs are 91 dB sensitivity and the BAs are almost the same at 90 dB. After I soldered each speaker connection, I did a simple continuity test by connecting the speaker cables to a 9V battery and got a simple noise showing the circuit conducted electricity, but when I hooked up the stereo, the front speakers just didn't sound as loud as I had expected. I just may need to do a little troubleshooting.
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nice write up sir. Thank you.Let us know what you think of the amp over time.
Since it is designed to be a 4 channel Bluetooth amp, I have mixed feelings about it as installed. It is grossly over-rated in terms of claimed power and it simply doesn't have enough power to drive the speakers at a loud enough level to hear music at Interstate speeds or anything much over 40-45 mph. Sine there is no way to balance the four speaker outputs, the front speakers can't be heard at any volume unless you get out and stick your head next to them , so why even use them?
If it can be bridged to run in 2 channel mode at a higher power output, then the behind-the-head speaker location of the SSV Works speaker pods will be loud enough to hear and I will be happy with the unit.
The Bluetooth works fine and reconnects to my phone each time I start the engine and turn on the ignition switch. As I said earlier, I also like the ease of installation since the factory power harness can be used.
If I can't run the amp in bridge mode, then I will be looking for an amp with more power and a stand-alone BT controller if the amp doesn't include BT. -
I've got a similar amp from Planet Audio... There are like 3 or 4 versions of this amp from what I saw on Amazon...
Left my cubby storage and this controller fit perfectly between the top panels in the center dash!
I like what you did with the BT controller. I may try doing the same if I keep the amp. Once I install my turbo, though, I want to install my Boost gauge, controller and Digital voltmeter and maybe a small cubby space in the current cubby area.
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Display Moreeven if the stock harness is made to handle 25a and your amp only uses 15a it is highly recommended to use a dedicated power line.
Stock wiring uses low gauge wiring not intended for long term sustained loads like an amplifier would require.
If you use stock wiring to power your amp you are very likely to melt the wires and unleash a type of electrical gremlin that you don't really want.
An amp kit is too cheap of a peace of mind not to use it.
I understand where you're coming from, but I've also learned that a 15A fuse means the device should use significantly less than that. Based on the wiring used to supply power to the factory radio in the Slingshot, that wiring, IMO, is large enough to handle a 15-20A draw. Assuming a properly sized fuse will typically be operated at about 70% of its rated capacity, a 10A fuse would normally be used on a circuit that draws around 7A, so a 15A fuse should only be handling around 10-11A under normal conditions and should be well within the amperage limits of a circuit fused for 25A. As long as the current remains does't exceed about 70% of the fuse's rating, the associated wiring should be fine. I know Polaris has some very tight bean-counters (look at the original headlight circuit placing over 20A current draw not including the 1A or so required for the headlights' shutter operation and then using a 20A relay "protected" by a 30A circuit breaker - that worked out well, didn't it?), but just looking at the wiring for the radio power, the wire clearly looks capable of handling a device fused for 15-20A, and hopefully the rated 25A.
If I were to move to an amp that draws significantly close to the circuit rating, I would definitely feel the need to run a direct-battery circuit for power. Hopefully, I won't end up in an "I told you so" situation.
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I was originally going to use a Lanzar Round Marine radio with video display and a Clarion XC2410 amp. I was too lazy to ever get started running the dedicated battery connection to power the XC2410 amp when I came across the Boss Audio MC900B Bluetooth amp that has a 15A fuse, meaning I could hook it directly to the Slingshot's radio wiring which can handle up to 25A. I ordered the radio harness from Slingmods and and the MC900B from Amazon and finally got started.
The attached PDF shows what I did to route my speaker wires and how i ran the wires into the Infotainment cubby area. In an earlier project, I posted what I did to insulate the cubby area to keep engine heat out and protect the electronics I was thinking about installing, so I didn't want to start making holes in the cubby area that might allow heat back in. The PDF file also provides some tips on using presentation software such as MS Power Point or the free Open Office software's Impress Presentation to design a printable template for use in cutting a radio mounting plate.
Hope this helps someone.
A final tip - It's important to keep your wire polarity straight. Reversing a speaker wire's connection can cause muddled sound. The Copper colored lead in speaker wire is customarily the Negative wire and the clear wire is usually the positive wire.
RadioWiring.pdf -
OK. I finally ordered the Nitto 555 G2 315/35R17 tire from Discount Tire Direct and had it mounted at my local Discount Tire. I put it on the Slingshot a few hours ago and went for a short 15 mile ride. I included a couple of pictures showing the side view of the tire/wheel and a mounted pic of the Nitto on my American Muscle 10th Anniversary Cobra 17 x 10.5" Cobra Wheel. The AM wheel has an offset of 28 mm compared to the Slingshot's 45 mm offset and according to Willtheyfit.com should be offcenter by about 3/5", but it doesn't look bad to me. The wheel was $150 or so and the tire was around $240 with tax and road hazard coverage.
I forgot to mention I also used hub-centric adapter rings with an inside diameter of 66.1 mm to adapt the hub to the AM wheel's hub-bore of 70.3 mm. I got them from JustForWheels.com.
Here's the link to WillTheyFit for a visual comparison of the two tire/wheel combos - Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit -
My favorite Paxton line is in Aliens when his character asks the female soldier if she's ever been mistaken for man and she replies, "No. Have you?" Absolute classic!
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Regardless of the speed, you will probably be much safer in a Slingshot than on a motorcycle if you have an accident.
In reference top the fuel pipe, I assume you are referring to some folks having trouble filling the gas tank due to poor venting. Turning the gas hose handle so its upside down usually helps fill the tank faster.
To me, the ONLY advantage the factory sound system has is that it links vehicle speed to radio volume. I just installed a Bluetooth amp which has to be really cranked up to hear anything at highway speeds, and, as a result, it's pretty loud at stop signs since the volume is NOT linked to vehicle speed. If you think you really need that feature, buy a used Infotainment system from someone who's upgraded theirs to aftermarket. You'll save alot of $$ compared to buying new. Another complaint I have about the factory system is I feel the factory speakers intrude too much into my leg space.
The only real difference for the SLR is the wider rear tire. To me, the biggest drawback to the SL model is its relatively narrow rear wheel.
