Ask The Editors: Making a Mud Monster
Dear ATVC:
I inherited an older Bayou that I’d like to convert for mud bogging. Without a limitless budget, what mods should I consider to make the move from all-terrain vehicle to mud pit monster?
Without knowing your exact budget or the condition of your Bayou, have to be a little generic here but there are some definite areas you can target to make any ATV seriously more mud worthy in hurry. Let’s take a look at these.
Aggressive Mud-Specific Tires
Stock (and even most aftermarket) ATV tires are jacks of all trades, masters of none. The first area you may want to consider is drop kicking the all-purpose meats for some mud-specific treads. What you lose in smooth rolling trail-friendliness, you’ll more than get back with traction in the thickest soup.
Suspension Lift Kits
The absolute best way to conquer the muck is to keep you and your engine above it. The best way to accomplish this is to raise your ground clearance with a lift kit. In addition to keeping your machine above the goo, lifting a quad by the suspension will offer additional wheel-well clearance which will allow for larger/ more aggressive mud tires. It’s a win/win.
Snorkels
Your ability to traverse a mud pit depends entirely on your engine’s ability to breathe as you push on through. Up front you may consider attaching a snorkel to the airbox and CVT (if your machine is equipped with a continuously variable transmission) and some companies offer muffler snorkels as well. Snorkels will allow you to delve deeper into the muck without risking drowning out your ATV.
