Hey I am new here and Just bought a 2004 arctic cat 400 2x4 I wanted to know what if anything I could do to make my suspension stronger and what could I do to make it stronger gear wise. Any and all help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

If you mean by "make the suspension stronger" to stiffen it more than the factory adjustments on the shocks you can pre-load the springs with a hockey puck.

Drill a 1 1/4 inch hole in the center of a hockey puck, remove the shock/spring assembly. Using a spring tool (safest way) remove the spring from the shock. Slide the hockey puck down onto the adjustment collar. Reinstall spring and the shock assembly. This pre-loads the spring by about an inch and takes care of any spring sag from the weight of the machine.

Gear wise? Not too sure here I think you mean clutches? There are kits to make the transmission engage better if that is what you are looking for?

Swampy

 

Swampy first off thank you for yr reply. my best friend has a 4x4 honda and he idles through a lot of mud holes and that is in 2 wheel drive and it seem like i have to be in the throttle pretty hard through just about anything that is semi deep when muddin. just thought i would ask what can i do to make mine stronger thatnk fpr your help! I am going to try the hockey puck out thanks for the advice.

Cope

 

being stronger will not help get through mud holes. Tires are the number one necessity. A tire with an aggressive pattern or semi aggressive pattern is whats gonna get you through easier. Is yours independant rear suspension? most arctic cats are so your ground clearance is gonna be better than his already and should not drag if his doesnt. On the other hand,if your suspension sinks alot when you sit on it then your shocks may be blown. im 145lbs and mine hardly squat at all when i sit on it.

 

Mudslinginfool is right about the tires. A tire that is a little wider (1-2 inches) front and rear actually floats the ATV through some mud holes. Then deeper lugs clean themselves out better and dig to get more traction.

What you described about idling through mud holes instead of being on the gas is exactly what happened to me when I switched from the stock dunlap tires to mud lite XL's.

I did not mention it but if you have an auto tranny you need to rev the engine up to engage the clutches. There are spring kits you buy to change that.

Swampy

 

thanks guys! Yes my ride has independent suspension. what tires do you recommend? and do i have to change my rims if i change the stock tires what do you reccommend that's some what affordable for tires that if possible I can put them on the stock rims if not i will save and get new rims.thanks for yr help guys it rained for the last 24 hrs here so were going ridin next weekend can't wait!!

 

You can look online and see the different type of mud tires and choose a pattern you like best. Just google "atv mud tires". A few to mention are itp 589s, itp mudlites, interco swamplites, them are some popular tires for trail riding and mud holes. The hard core mud tire are something like zilla's and some others just cant remember what they are.