Slingshots Were TERRIBLE. Then... - The Smoking Tire

The original Polaris Slingshot was a novel and exotic-looking concept that, in reality, lacked the sports car dynamic credibility that we were looking for. It had poor steering, a lazy engine, and was generally set up for Miami Beach cruising and not canyon blasting. But in 2020, Polaris brought in some big-brain racing talent to re-engineer the whole product from the ground up. There's a new engine, new suspension, new steering, and overall about 70 percent of the entire vehicle has been worked on or improved. So Matt and Zack had a go to find out of their efforts have paid off.

Polaris provided the vehicle, insurance, and a tank of fuel for this review.

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Can a Bunch of Race Car Engineers Fix the Polaris Slingshot? - The Smoking Tire
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[MrHeisenbrg]

Id love to see these guys review a Polaris with the rear end conversions.

[CruiseControl]

I drove the new Slingshot R and took it around mountain roads here in Colorado and it was great as long as it didn’t rain. Once the road was wet I could not maintain traction very well even with light throttle application. Overall it was a great experience, the engine roars to life (sounds like angry bees), and everyone in town waves at you since it’s so unique looking.

[artblakey]

As a long time sport bike rider, we avoid the center of the road as it has far more oil, water, debris, then either of the wheel tracks, so locking your drive wheel in the center of the lane is...less than optimal.

[miljan]

I keep watching these videos which I normally wouldn't be interested in - just because you guys put them out. 10/10 every time, honestly.

[RyTrapp]

I can only imagine that getting the stickiest tire you can stand to drive on the street(re: tread for rain, especially with just 1 out back) for the rear would be a good idea. Might be sketchy trying to pair a different compound front and rear, maybe just go with the widest rear possible and adjust front tire width to fit the handling balance? I'm sure the Slingshot community has all that figured out, kinda want to pick one up for as cheap as [reasonably] possible - maybe a K-series swap, play around with the stock suspension config, maybe get out the ol' welder & death wheel after that... I couldn't bear to have one of these to drive around stock(or even stock-ish) for any significant amount of time though they just don't appeal to me in their as-designed form, but I could totally see myself turning one of these into some ridiculous, probably even more sketchy project. Shout out to that 3-wheeler loophole(that I would likely exploit with a 4th wheel, after I got it registered & plated)!

I may not be Polaris's customer, but I'd rather these things exist as an option than not exist at all

[TheOffroadCamper]

I have designed and manufactured multiple three wheeled vehicles, both human powered and motorized, generally speaking on a reverse trike configuration with rear wheel drive you want to use a motorcycle tire in the back. That way you can get a super sticky tire with a rounded profile so that when the front suspension does its job, the rear tire is still gripping. Otherwise, you have to have a compromise in your front suspension settings and your roll center because of the automotive style square profile, rear tire. However, there are other variations on Trikes that would do better than a non-leaning reverse track with rear wheel drive. Also noted in Europe, several companies offer conversions to turn the slingshot into a four wheeled vehicle.

[charlieshankles]

I just rented an old one while at the beach. I did so because of you talking about this. It was fun and glad I did, but I'm also glad I don't own it.

[SensationofSpeed]

This is not as good as three wheeled vehicles get and I can prove it. I have a Scorpion Motorsports P6 Turbo which I would be happy for TST to review if you ever come out to Colorado. It will pull more than 1.5 lateral Gs on street tires and produces almost 200 bhp from a mid mounted semi-stressed 636cc inline-4 motor. It only weighs 715lbs. It is very compliant and the rear wheel grips very well, will even slide around safely if you want it to while keeping in the lane. It is also street legal of course. Three wheeled vehicles can be things of beauty!

[marcosairtravel]

Great video! I like this format a lot.

Would you ever review a Campagna T-Rex? It’s a similar vehicle to this.

[ChrisBrooks-kjqz]

This is super informative, unbiased, and frankly FUNNY AF!!! I love it!!! The video that is. I'll wait for the other wheel before I'd ever consider buying one.

[RBallarddesigns]

My 11 year old is in love with these. I will probably end up buying a used one at some point. … gotta get him to think I am cool for a little while…. Then I would sell it and get an older proper 4wheel

[Cloxxki]

Props for asking the critics to have another go.

[Stuka]

As the front end leans into corners, the rear tire is going to experience camber change, because it has a fixed camber. This means because it has an automotive tire in back, its going to have a smaller contact patch as the vehicle leans in corners. It really needs a motorcycle tire, but there is likely none that handle the weight of this vehicle.

[richardyoung]

The most important thing is how fun is it to drive.

[dennylafoss]

I have a 2015… I put aftermarket coil overs and sway bar and it handles like a dream…. I don’t know how anyone can say they aren’t engaging unless you want something that’s fast off the line

[thegirthquake]

Fun fact: There are companies that make these 4 wheel cars lmao

[zcrom]

Thanks its about time someone from the car world talks about the slingshot.

[supercuda]

If you are watching this video, do yourself a favor. Don't listen to these non-owners try to second guess Polaris' engineering. Instead go out and test drive one. If you don't like it in the first 5 minutes, you just don't like it. If you don't want your Wife claiming your Slinger, don't buy one. If you don't want a continuous smile on your face, don't buy one. Hint...the "R" model is overpriced. Even the base model is more fun than any bike or sportscar. As the owner of a Slingshot, for me, this is one of the best purchases I have ever made!

[MountainMasella]

The sauce is to just rent one of these on Turo. I'm in Denver and there are a bunch of them <$150 a day; you can go carve canyons all day and then not actually have to live with the thing afterwards. I rented the previous model a few years ago and had a blast taking it through RMNP on a gorgeous summer day.

[Phtalvyriz]

I've ridden these a couple times when a local powersports dealer does demo days and the bike i want to ride is being ridden. I think if something happened and I couldn't ride anymore but could still drive, one of these vs a miata would be my 2 choices for replacing bikes.