Quantcast
Jump to content


Ways to Beef-up Your ATV


Recommended Posts

Ways to Beef-up Your ATV

With new ATVs coming out every year, a quad that is king of the mountain one year may fall back to the middle of the pack the next year. And, of course, the more you ride and get comfortable with your ATV, the braver you are going to get and eventually reach a point when you have perfected the art of riding and run into a mud pit you cant cross or notice that some other quads can get the jump on you. Many people simply trade their quad when this happens, but there are a lot of things you can do to your quad to get even more power or custom tune your ATV to suit the terrain in your area or your riding style.

One of the easiest ways to tailor your quad to local riding conditions is to simply change your how you grip the ground. There is a large variety of tires on the market that are made for extreme mudding, sand, and all out speed over any terrain. The most obvious factor you can change about your tires is the tread pattern. Mud tires will typically have a deep, well-spaced tread with a lot of surface area, which allows it to push against slippery mud. Although tread pattern comes into play when playing in the mud, so does sidewall strength and tire thickness. A mud tire with a thicker sidewall will give you more consistent performance when youre axle deep in sludge. Many people find that lighter rims also give them a slight edge in the mud. Like mud, getting through sand is made much easier with tread that can push and grab a lot of sand. However, if youre trying to get faster, especially through the corners, you might benefit from a knobby open-patterned tire that is designed to grip trails without deep mud pits.

You can also get tires to make the ride a little softer or give you a firmer grip, but the tires only affect how you grip the trail. Sometimes its necessary add some muscle to your quad to get the performance youre looking for. Although there were once many people who would change sprockets to get more low-end power or top-end speed out of their quads, most of todays quads have balanced gearing based on weight, engine power, and what it was designed to do. Many riders find that tinkering with sprockets dont change their quads performance characteristics as much as theyd like, and instead turn to performance modifications to squeeze more power from their ride. Although you can go deep into your engine and change cams and other parts that will make your engine even more stout, you can get noticeable results from more affordable and less complicated modifications.

The easiest way to get more power from your quad is by adjusting the airflow through your engine. Simply changing the intake on your quad will give you an increase in power because you force more oxygen into the combustion chamber. Switching to a less restrictive exhaust will get more power to your wheels since the engine doesnt have to work as hard to breathe. Headers are another bolt-on modification that will let your engine work more efficiently and add power to your quad. One popular modification that makes it possible to take on really deep mud holes is a snorkel kit and exhaust extension.

A risk you run when diving into mud is that you will suck some mud through your intake, or it will enter your engine through your exhaust. Getting mud or water in your engine will shut it down in a hurry and may require a trip to the shop to get all the water out of your engine. A snorkel kit may be necessary to get through some mud holes you encounter when riding.

Regardless of what kind of quad you ride, with the horde of new ATVs that come out year after year, sooner or later it will fall to the middle of the pack. The good news is that aftermarket parts are also getting better all the time, which allows you to custom tune your quad without breaking the bank.

Ways to Beef-up Your ATV | ATV Reviews

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Ways to Beef-up Your ATVRegardless of what kind of quad you ride, with the horde of new ATVs that come out year after year, sooner or later it will fall to the middle of the pack. The good news is that aftermarket parts are also getting better all the time, which allows you to custom tune your quad without breaking the bank.

Ways to Beef-up Your ATV | ATV Reviews

I have yet to see a factory quad that can even keep up with me, so there. :tongue:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Forum Topics

    • By McG75
      Sorry I suck at these forums so if you see this submitted under update status, my bad. Anyhow this is a new shock for a 96 Yamaha Kodiak 400 4x4 it fits my 96 Yamaha Timberwolf 250 4x4 perfectly. Little narrower are the bottom than the original but everything else is perfect. I extended it to almost a half in from full extension because I’m pushing 350 pounds.  It rides and hold me well. So if any of y'allRace driven shock. have been looking for one and didn’t want to do the research here it is. 





    • By Mikey69
      Heres my story. Kinda long. I guess I was a late bloomer when it comes to quads. I had never ridden a quad in my life. Rode Dirt Bikes as a kid growing up. Back in Oct of '06 I found a Mustang on craigslist. Took it for a test drive one morning before work. Fast car. 351 Cleveland. I had planned on meeting the guy again after work. For some strange reason thats still to this day beyond me, I stopped in Hillsboro MotoSports on the way home from work. I had 6 Grand on me. There was a left over '05 sitting by the front door. It was on sale for $4999. It was $5499 OTD. I didnt even look at anything else. I knew nothing about quads accept I thought it really looked coool and I had the money in my pocket to buy it. I was sitting on it when the salesman walked up and asked... "Can I help you?" Without hestitation I pulled 60 Ben Franklins outta my front pocket and said "I want this Quad. Load it up in my truck." It was just about dark by the time I drove away from the shop. BTW, I didnt bother to ask my ol lady if I could buy it. LOL. Anyway, I took it by the house and showed her. She was kinda stunned but not mad. We drove over to a friend of mines house and unloaded it. I took it to the field across the street from his house. HOLY CHIT!!!!! I was surprised by the power. I had it for about 2 weeks and took it to Sand Lake. I was there a few hours and rolled it on a banked turn at the top of the bowl right before you get to the one-ways. When it rolled, I flew off and landed on my belly. The quad came bouncing and landed on my back. For a month I couldnt even walk. I was scared of it. I considered trading it for a 250EX. Went back to the shop. The salesman said..."Dude!!! You dont want a 250EX!!! Trust me. Just get used to it" I still wasnt convinced. I put it on craigslist for $4000. Calls were coming in. I had a guy that wanted to come look at it that evening. I decided to take it for one last ride at Browns Camp before I sold it. I was still afraid of it. After about 5 minutes I started feeling comfortable on it again. I decided right then, I loved my Honda 450 and would learn how to ride it instead of selling it. That was late Nov of '06. Work was slow for a Painter in Oregon. My new job everyday? Going to Browns Camp and ridding my Quad. I bought my Girl Friend an '02 Blaster. I rode my 450 for 4-6 hours almost every single day for 3 months. And yes, I know my way around Browns Camp pretty well. LOL. In March I bought her an '06 TRX250EX (Thank God I didnt trade my 450 for one of those) LOL Since then, I have become totally addicted to quads. I love them. Couldnt imagine not owning at least one quad. Luckily I have two. My "07 was $6500 OTD in July of '07. Bought it for my Girlfriend. Traded in her 250 EX. A month later we broke up. So, I wound up with two Honda 450's.
       
    • By mehim
      Hi everyone. 
      Let me explain the thread title. 
      My husband and I are very active in the nudist community, and we have stayed at many and most of the mainstream nudist and clothing optional campgrounds in the USA. We are now approaching our retirement and would like to start a podcast to share those off the road / backwoods / little known camping areas where nudity is allowed. We have purchased a 5th wheel camping trailer with a rear garage for the ATV and now need some good reports on the one to buy. 
      We are most interested in a side by side unit but would love to get your thoughts. 
      Feel free to stop by and say Hi and ask anything you would like to better understand what we are looking for in an offroad unit. 
      Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you. 

    • By hardcastle
      My friends KQ 300 starts fine and runs, as soon as you put it in gear and try to accelerate its bucks and farts like crazy, not moving... I cleaned carb and it worked good for 1 day... now back to same problem.... could it be such as a bent valve????
    • By Gwbarm
      I have been exploring all the options available, so many, its hard to choose. I have kind of narrowed it down to the Honda Pilot, Subaru Outback, and Kind of looking at the Outlander, although its a little small,  the new one is nice looking. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations or gripes with any of these rides. I have driven Jeeps for the past 25  years and they have been great, but their price point has gotten to high. Expieriences good or bad would be helpful. Thanks!
×
×
  • Create New...