Does my dads 2000 AC 400 4x4 have the power to move 27" tire efficiently? Or would he be better off to go with the 26's? Would the 27's help enough more than the 26's in mud to scrafice the power loss you would have going to the larger 27? That is the only reason that we wants to go with the larger tire. And would he need a lift kit with either one of these sizes? He already has ITP wide offset rims for the back but the front ITP's are not set out much. And what tires do you recomend for him? He rides in mud a good bit but he really wants a good mud and trail tire. He and I (I ride it more) do a lot of slow speed crawling too(through creeks, over logs, and up steep creek banks). I know these questions get asked a lot but thanks for the help.

Phillip
99 400 4x4 Scrambler

 

A 400 can pull 27's but of course it would pull the 26" better. Not so much as the weight difference, because its probably not a whole lot, but the difference in the diameter will make it a little tougher. There are a lot of people with 400's and even Big Bear 350's and stuff that have 27" tires. If you go for a light tire like a Mud Bug, then it plays in your favor. If you go with a heavy tire like a Vampire, then it goes against you.

Fender Clearance is not even an issue. Both sizes will fit with plenty of room to spare. No need for a lift. Thats one thing AC has going for them. My 27" tires fit with a lot of room. The fenders on my 500 are no different than your 400.

 

Hey Andy,
Was looking at your pics of your AC. What kinda tire do you have and what size? Do they scrub the fenders when you get a little air? Does your Kimplex bumper allow you easy use of your winch? Can the winch stay mounted on the original Warn plate. And how do you like the Tires and Bumper? Your AC looks awesome. My AC scrub the rear fenders when I ride it hard over rough ground, and I only have 26'' tire. I put the 3/8" spacers on my shocks and that seemed to help. Now it's a little squirrelly.
Thanks for info.

Keith
'98 AC 4x4 454,26"Titan 495's,2000# Warn,Cb,AC boot guard

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/keith_rndmt

 

Retreaver- I have 27" Bi-Claws up front and 27" Tri-Claws on back. They don't scrub unless I jump it about a ft. or so off the ground. Thats not really practical for judging clearance though on a utility. The quad has no problem pulling them either. The kimpex does fine with the winch, but I figure it might rub the cable on it if you were to winch from side angles. Matter of fact, I know it would. It sticks out about 4-5 inches in front of the fairlead.

The winch and kimpex go fine with each other. You can use the regular winch plate as well. The kimpex bolts into the main four holes that the winch plate uses. Its a pain in the *** to get it all on there because its real heavy all together, and they don't bolt directly to each other. They just bolt up one in front of the other with little spacers in between them where the bolts go through. After you get it on, its not a problem, though I hope I don't ever need to take the mess off and put it back on again. Definitely need two people for this, or a couple more hands.

The kimpex hurts one thing. Approach angles. You can hit it on the ground if you come into a steep ditch or something, but I haven't found it to be anything I couldn't live with. The drop down bar for the winch opening is what will hit. The rear kimpex bolts up to the frame and the rear rack. Both bolt on extremely sturdy. I had wondered if they would be flimsy or not, but they are on there good.

As far as the fenders go between your quad and mine, I can say this. My cousin has a 98 model 454, and both quads sit up a bit different. (they both did this as well when they had no add-ons as well, not because of any added weight)
The 454 sits a little higher in the front, and the 500 sits a little higher in the rear. I think the springs on the 454 are a little lighter sprung myself. It will squat easier than my 500 will. That might contribute to a little fender slapping, but I would imagine that your spacers take care of that.

 

That 454 looks pretty damn mean up on that rock.

 

The part that is rubing is the mud flap that drops down. When I had a 700 lb load(525 bs alone on the rear rack) on my cat and I "goosed" the throttle I heard these mud flaps touch the tires when the rear suspension bottomed out.

With my wheels spacers and no lift kit the tires rub a good bit if I hit a ditch or good sized bump to fast. Before the wheel spacers it didn't rub on the fenders, but it made VERY bad noise when the wheels were turned to either side and the front suspension was at full drop. This was caused from the side lug of the Tri-Claws biting the Ox-Lite boot guards.

I got my rear lift finished today. I start on the front lift tomorrow.

 

Andy ,
Thanks for the info.Very much appriciated.Was considering front bumper. But first need to get an aluminum skid plate made. Mine looks like it has been run thru a meet grinder. It gives no support to the frame at the floor boards. I went over a rather large log,with a little to much power and bent the frame on the left side. When I straightened it , it broke the frame. So then I got it welded. It's all better now. Figured a 1/4" aluminum skid plate would help give added streght to the frame in those areas. Know a guy that has a computer plasma cutter that will make one for $100. Just have to go to my local dealer and borrow a new skid plate for an hour or so.Mine won't make a very good template.

Boner,
thanks for the input. But mine is not hitting mud flaps, One is missing from a previous ride and all the plastic rivits on the top of fender are broke, which tells me that it is scrubbing there. Definatly not as bad with the shock spacers.

To bad we all don't live a little closer. I belong to an ATV club of about 60 members and I'm the only CAT owner. Which is good because after every ride they are impressed as to what it will do and the places I take it.We need more Cat owners...

Good Riding
Keith
'98 AC 454 4x4, 2000#warn,26"Titan 495's,CB, AC boot guards.
http://photos.yahoo.com/keith_rndmt

 

Phildogg, I just bought new tires for my 400 Cat. I too was considering the larger tires but after carefull thought and talking with the dealer, I ended up with the 25" Titan 589,s. In a recent tire shootout they performed as well as some 27" tires. They outperformed almost all of the tires on the trail as well. The only place they lost points was going over objects as they had less clearance then the 26/27" rubber. Boner was the one that got me thinking about these tires and I'm glad he did, I was going to by the Mud Bugs, but they did not perform as well as 589's and they ride ruff in comparsion. I'll no for sure next week if I made the right choice. In talking with the dealer there is more to consider than just the lost power, he pointed out that there is also more strain put on the drivetrain components and the ride quality is a factor. Anyway based on what I have read and from listening to people on the Forum, this 25" should exceed my exceptations.

Good Luck on your decision.
Jim

 

JKB
Did you consider putting a Supertrapp Pipe on it? If anyone has put one on theirs how much power does it give you? Is it noticeable? They say that they only make the pipe for the 500. My dad called Artic Cat and they said that the 500's pipe is identical to the 400's and that the Supertrapp would bolt right up to the 400 also.

Phillip
99 400 Scrambler 4x4

 

I almost bought the pipe but I was told it would add a lot of noise, so I decided not to.

Cheers Jim