Im new to riding four wheelers ive rode 3wheelers and dirtbike all my life my freinds just bought new kingquads and they are trying to get me to buy one but I was set on buying the 400i but when i test drove one it seemed to sit very high i was just curious if it was stable and would i be better off with the kingquad with the locking front diff? any replys would be appreciated.

 

400i all the way!! it feels high because it is.. 12" of ground clearance baby!! But it is PLENTY stable too. I know what you mean though about it feeling really high like it was asking to tip over.. but this is not the case. you will soon get used to it like anything else and will only reap the benefits of the GC! You'll have soo much more power with the 400i and it is a great bike. These "i" models are unstoppable.. or pretty darn close! you really can't beat a cat. stay with your original plan and get the better bike.. you know you waaaannnit! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

In the King Quad's defense, the locker feature is awful nice. Buuut, I'd go with the 'Cat, but hey I might be a little biased. If you're using it for trail riding.. you'll find that the locker isn't something you would need very often if at all. You may also find that your buddy's may get stuck before you because you have more ground clearance.

You'll also find the 400i to be wider than the KQ which compensates for the higer center of gravity of the 400i. By putting 10" tires in the front you actually widen the bike another 3 inches or so in the front. Put 27" Dirt Devils on it and you have one mean SOB quad!

Good luck on your decision, either bike is a good one. I'd try sitting on the AC then sit on the KQ, which one is more comfortable for you? I'm 6' 3" and feel like I'm sitting in a Go-Cart on the smaller quads which was part of the appeal of the AC for me.

EtherNut

 

Though both quads are full indepedent, the AC has a far superior susension. The King Quads suspension is stiff and the turning radius is terrible. But In my situation the King Quad is the better choice, riding in swamps and bayous a locking front diff. is a must have. The Cat is too wide for these tight trails.

I have 14" of ground clearance with a custom lift kit and 28" Vampires in the back and 27s in the front. You would have far more ground clearance with the Cat no lift and 28s.

The new Cats are very stable because of the width.

Someone will probably soon build a locker for the new Cats.

If you don't really need a locker (right now) and you want better a ride, better handling with the ability to outrun your friends KQs on top end and not to mention poor resale value of the KQ. Its a no brainer. Get the Cat.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

thanks I think that I just needed a to here what I already knew I was also wondering I talked to my dealer and he said that he would get rid of the dunlops and put aftermarket tires on this machine for no aditional cost but I have to stay wiht a 25 inch tire what would you suggest?

 

Anything BUT a Kingquad!!

I notice you live in Nevada. Is there much mud out there? Just curious why you would not want the Dunlops.

 

newfiebullet: you mean if given the choice between stockers and after market tires for no extra cost you would have to THINK about it? Your curiosity, for why he would want them, makes me curious.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] The after markets have stiffer sidewalls for better handling, have thicker plyed rubber and better treads. Plus, apparently, the dunlops aren't that great. I will stick with mine.. but that is only because they ARE tires and they came with the bike for free.

Catcrazy: I would choose between Bearclaws and Dirt Devils. This is because i wouldn't want a huge tread since I do more trail riding than mudding. But if mudding is more your thing and better traction is a must, i would probably get Mud bugs or 589s.


Enjoy your ride!!!

newf

 

Newf, you really didn't answer the question at all.
The Dunlops are worth at least $130CAN each plus tax to replace. The Bearclaws and Dirt Devils that you recommend I can get for much cheaper. I just priced out a set of Dirt Devils (25&quot and after taxes they only come up to $316 with installation. Obviously the dealer would make the exchange for free. But they won't offer a better ride or better handeling.

As for other types of aftermarket tires, there are always advantages and disadvantage.
If you're going to be spending 90% of your time in the mud, then yes, go with a mud tire. For the rest of us, they just don't make much sense. Even if you like to go into the mud, you still have to get to those mud holes, and aggressive mud tires are not very good for trail riding.

One of the problems is that it's very easy to pull up to a mud hole and see that a Vampire or an Outlaw will outperform a Dunlop in the mud. What's much harder to see if how much more unpleasent it is to ride a quad with the mud tires on.

At work a couple of years ago we had a bone stock Honda with the stock tires, and another with very heavy, aggressive mud tires. The bone stocker was at a disadvantage in the mud, yes, but if you had to travel any distance the one with mud tires was very scary to ride. Any rut in the road would throw you off course, and if was almost impossible to ride the thing in fifth gear.

My neighbor tried a set of mud tires on his 450ES, and couldn't climb up this sandy hill that normally we go up with no problems at all. They just robbed too much power.

I know two other people, one with a Kodiak and one with a 450ES that looked at those aggressive mud tires and had them installed before they left the shop with their quads. After the forst trail ride they went back to get the stock ones installed because the mud tires were too rough.

There's a very good reason that all the manufactures use the all purpose tires that they do, and it's not to save money obviously. It's because for most people they are the best tires for 90% of the riding they do.

I agree with you that Bearclaws and Dirt Devils are a good compromise between a trail tire and a mud tire, but depending on the type of riding you do they might still be overkill.

And as I said earlier, they're a much cheaper tire to buy, so I wouldn't trade a brand new set of Dunlops for them.

I'd be really curious to know why you think the Dunlops "aren't that great"? I've been very satisfied with mine. They wear slowly, and I've never had a flat with them, and that's after thousands of kms and countless hours of use.

That said, I will be trying out a set of Dirt Devils this spring, but only because they are so cheap that my curiousity is piqued.

 

A more aggresive tire will change the handling of the quad. A stiffer side wall will take some of the body roll out of the quad. The older Titans were a much better tire than the Dunlops. I will never leave the dealer with stock tires again. We need people like you though to sell our stockers to when we replace them. I got 2 sets of Titan 489s that I would sell, 25x10 and a set of 23x8 & 24x9 off of our 250. Any takers?

 

newfiebullet:

hmm i didn't realize at all that those stock tires are more expensive than bearclaws or DDs. I checked into it, (stock polaris tires against DDs) and, yes, they were a bit cheaper. I guess i learned something new today. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Every time I ever looked at tires I must have been comparing larger after market ones to smaller stockers (this would give me the impression the after markets were more expensive.

I still say it would make more sense that the DDs and BCs would be more expensive because they have bigger, more defined treads and most are 6 ply rated as opposed to 2 ply stockers.

But i do agree that stockers are good. If I came across as though I had something against them, then it wasn't unintentional. A friend of mine still has his stock tires on his 98 polaris and they are doing pretty good considering how much they have been through.

But just because I like stock tires, doesn't mean i like them enough to turn down bearclaws if they were offered for free.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

newf