Hi folks,
we finally got our Defender for a shakeout cruise up to 10,600' where we're building an off-grid cabin. It's ski/sled access only six months a year so the Can Am is a crucial piece of equipment to make all that possible. But...confused on several bits of conflicting info and wondering if folks here can help?
Thing One: Break In Period. Dealer said don't worry about it basically. Manual says 250 miles. YT has suggested couple tanks of gas. Curious if having the Backcountry tracks on it, plus a snowplow is already putting it under more strain than would be ideal for breakin?
Thing Two: What settings can/should you run the LT tracks in? Dealer said any/all--2WD rear, 4WD, High/Low, Rear diff lock. Manual said only and always 4WD.
Thing Three: RPM and top speeds. Highest we got was about 20MPH at 5400 RPM. It's at 10K' plus so has lost a chunk of power to elevation, but it doesn't feel punchy enough to float/stay on top of/power through snow much deeper than a foot or two (and we get that a bunch up where we are).
Thing Four: Elevation, octane and timing. One forum said 87 is spec'd. A Can-Am specific post said 91. Is the engine EFI so lowering octane doesn't boost high altitude power, should we stick w 87 vs 91 and how bad exactly is ethanol content b/c it seems the only ethanol free stuff we can get is 91. (ideally I'd try 85 ethanol free up here)
Thanks for any/all help!
Jamie
Can Am 2023.HEIC