First off let me start this thread by saying that I am posting to get opinions and help and not to bash Packard Performance. I will give the details of my situation, post some pics and welcome any advice or opinions on what to do. Here is the scoop... After reading some reviews and doing some research I decided to pull the trigger on a Packard Performance turbo for my 2011 RZR 800 limited edition. I received the kit (not as quickly as I was told, but hey it got here)
I had requested a cannister style filter instead of the open element K/N filter because of the region that I live in and the dry/dusty/wet/muddy elements that we ride in depending upon the season. Upon opening things up, I found a K/N filter. I let them know about the mistake and they sent out the correct filter setup for me.
I laid things out and began installation of the turbo. The instructions appeared to be for a different model than what I have (900 maybe?) but for the most part could be used to install the kit (if you can't improvise and apply some mechanical knowledge you probably shouldn't be installing one of these kits...) Anyway, I got the turbo installed along with the exhaust, got the computer hooked up etc... What was really starting to become a question mark was installation of the intercooler. The instructions I had showed a couple brackets that mount to the rear bar behind the seats to hold the intercooler behind the bar and above the throttle body/intercooler plumbing. Those brackets were not in my kit. Instead I had a couple gusseted brackets that looked like there were designed to bolt to the intercooler and then to a flat surface.
I sent an email to Packard and asked them about the mounting. They said that I had the correct brackets and there should be an addendum to the instructions that explained the mounting of the intercooler and that they would send it to me. The addendum arrived, but it really wasn't all that helpful.
Apparently the new brackets are designed to be bolted to the bottom rail right behind the seats and hold the intercooler under the rollbar and between the seats and the throttle body assembly. For the life of me I cannot see how this is going to work. If you look at the pics I have attached, you will see that there is at the maximum a clearance of 2 inches between the seats and the throttle body and this distance gets smaller going upwards because the seats angle rearward. The intercooler is quite a bit thicker than 2 inches and just won't fit there.
I contacted Packard and was told that they had these kits on many of these models and that I needed to remove my seats, loosen the 4 screws and slide my seats forward. Well, this just isn't a good option for me. I'm 6'1 and I have a 36" inseam, so I feel like I'm already about as tight to the dash and pedals as I want to be. (see attached picture of my knee in relationship to the dash)
I contacted Packard again and told them that moving the seats forward would not work for me and asked if I could receive the brackets and piping for mounting the intercooler to the rear roll bar behind the seats. I told them I would be happy to send the brackets/piping and elbows back that I didn't use.
I also asked if there was a reason that those style brackets couldn't be used in my application and was told that they could be, but they went to the other style because it worked for mounting on the 2 seaters and 4 seaters.
I then received another email saying that they had conferred and decided the problem must be that my seats are "bent" from use and I just needed to bend them back and the intercooler. My rzr does not have that many hours on it and I don't feel that my seats are "bent" back. And it seems odd to me that they would both be bent back exactly the same amount. Looking at the pics do they appear to be bent to you guys?
Bottom line is this...I sent them email asking why they won't send me the brackets and piping to mount to the bar and take care of the whole problem and a day later I still have no reply. Please look at the pics and tell me if I'm missing something obvious on the mounting here that would make this work. I could fab some brackets and get my own piping etc... to make this work, but I feel like I already paid a good chunk of money and shouldn't have to put more into it to "make it work" for my application.
I had requested a cannister style filter instead of the open element K/N filter because of the region that I live in and the dry/dusty/wet/muddy elements that we ride in depending upon the season. Upon opening things up, I found a K/N filter. I let them know about the mistake and they sent out the correct filter setup for me.
I laid things out and began installation of the turbo. The instructions appeared to be for a different model than what I have (900 maybe?) but for the most part could be used to install the kit (if you can't improvise and apply some mechanical knowledge you probably shouldn't be installing one of these kits...) Anyway, I got the turbo installed along with the exhaust, got the computer hooked up etc... What was really starting to become a question mark was installation of the intercooler. The instructions I had showed a couple brackets that mount to the rear bar behind the seats to hold the intercooler behind the bar and above the throttle body/intercooler plumbing. Those brackets were not in my kit. Instead I had a couple gusseted brackets that looked like there were designed to bolt to the intercooler and then to a flat surface.
I sent an email to Packard and asked them about the mounting. They said that I had the correct brackets and there should be an addendum to the instructions that explained the mounting of the intercooler and that they would send it to me. The addendum arrived, but it really wasn't all that helpful.
Apparently the new brackets are designed to be bolted to the bottom rail right behind the seats and hold the intercooler under the rollbar and between the seats and the throttle body assembly. For the life of me I cannot see how this is going to work. If you look at the pics I have attached, you will see that there is at the maximum a clearance of 2 inches between the seats and the throttle body and this distance gets smaller going upwards because the seats angle rearward. The intercooler is quite a bit thicker than 2 inches and just won't fit there.
I contacted Packard and was told that they had these kits on many of these models and that I needed to remove my seats, loosen the 4 screws and slide my seats forward. Well, this just isn't a good option for me. I'm 6'1 and I have a 36" inseam, so I feel like I'm already about as tight to the dash and pedals as I want to be. (see attached picture of my knee in relationship to the dash)
I contacted Packard again and told them that moving the seats forward would not work for me and asked if I could receive the brackets and piping for mounting the intercooler to the rear roll bar behind the seats. I told them I would be happy to send the brackets/piping and elbows back that I didn't use.
I also asked if there was a reason that those style brackets couldn't be used in my application and was told that they could be, but they went to the other style because it worked for mounting on the 2 seaters and 4 seaters.
I then received another email saying that they had conferred and decided the problem must be that my seats are "bent" from use and I just needed to bend them back and the intercooler. My rzr does not have that many hours on it and I don't feel that my seats are "bent" back. And it seems odd to me that they would both be bent back exactly the same amount. Looking at the pics do they appear to be bent to you guys?
Bottom line is this...I sent them email asking why they won't send me the brackets and piping to mount to the bar and take care of the whole problem and a day later I still have no reply. Please look at the pics and tell me if I'm missing something obvious on the mounting here that would make this work. I could fab some brackets and get my own piping etc... to make this work, but I feel like I already paid a good chunk of money and shouldn't have to put more into it to "make it work" for my application.