Bought a Griont's G9

[frog7151]

I just purchased the G9 & G8 kit. These are my first DA polishers. The G8 should be good for small areas, so do you still recommend switching the G9 to 5 inch backing plate? Thanks

[Bosko]

I just purchased the G9 & G8 kit. These are my first DA polishers. The G8 should be good for small areas, so do you still recommend switching the G9 to 5 inch backing plate? Thanks

What are you polishing ?

[frog7151]

My personal vehicles. Wife’s Chevy Cruze, my GMC Sierra and my 1969 Camaro. Probably be working on the kids cars as well.

[Bosko]

My personal vehicles. Wife’s Chevy Cruze, my GMC Sierra and my 1969 Camaro. Probably be working on the kids cars as well.

Ok
Well I switched to a 5"backer right off the bat when I bought mine, not sure there is much of a difference.
Your pads will be a tiny bit cheaper in the 5" as well as a little bit easier to manage.

[Icarus]

I bought a 5" B&S yellow foam backing plate for my G9 and it fell apart very quickly using microfiber pads (almost exploded on me basically!) If I had the money to get a proper 5" backing plate from Griots I would, but they are hard to get up here and pricey

[vaca22]

What's the general, or preferred, speed setting for working with the G9? Has to be lower than the PC7424 which I think I had to crank to 6 all the time, right?

[Bosko]

What's the general, or preferred, speed setting for working with the G9? Has to be lower than the PC7424 which I think I had to crank to 6 all the time, right?

Depends on the condition of the paint as well as what pad is being used also what product is being used..anywhere between 2 and 6
Hope that clears it up....LOL!!!!

[oneheadlite]

I just purchased the G9 & G8 kit. These are my first DA polishers. The G8 should be good for small areas, so do you still recommend switching the G9 to 5 inch backing plate? Thanks

Do you have pads already? With the G9 I'm a big supporter of trying it with the provided 6" backing plate and seeing how it works for you. Everyone switched "short throw" DA's to 5" backing plates and pads back in the day because the machines didn't have the HP to keep rotation (thus correction) up. While 5" pads definitely have their perks, I feel they're no longer an absolute necessity for a positive polishing experience.

Related Side note - while common logic is also that thin 5" pads are better for contoured areas, personally I've had really good luck with thick pads (5.5 or especially 6.5) in these areas with the G9. Was a surprise compared to what I was used to with my GG6.

If you've already got 6.5" pads, don't be shy about trying them! If you're looking to build your pad inventory, I'd say it would be good to take advantage of the sales going on lately to get the Griot's vented 5.5" plate for the G9 and get some of each size to try. Remember, you're going to want to have multiple pads on hand (even if they're all the same) for paint correction!

I bought a 5" B&S yellow foam backing plate for my G9 and it fell apart very quickly using microfiber pads (almost exploded on me basically!) If I had the money to get a proper 5" backing plate from Griots I would, but they are hard to get up here and pricey

That's a bummer to hear, but given how microfiber pads tend to run warm and how the backing plate is an integrated part of the G9's cooling system, I guess it's not surprising a non-vented plate would break down.

What's the general, or preferred, speed setting for working with the G9? Has to be lower than the PC7424 which I think I had to crank to 6 all the time, right?

Personally, I prefer adjusting speed to find the balance of pad rotation where it's not stalling out while you're working nor is the thing rotating (not oscillating) 9000rpm to try and keep heat down from the chaos that is Dual Action (by nature there's a lot of pad accelerations and decelerations happening). With the G9 I've found I'm usually running around 4.5 to 5. Side benefit is the machine is quieter when you're not running it full bore.