Hey, im keepin the 400 and want to get some stuff done to it. Im gettin a 416 kit wit 11:1 piston, a 450R carb, ported and polish, K&N lid, a hot cam,curtis sparks x6 exhaust, and body modifications. I wanted to know whether to go wit the stage one or stage 2 hot cam. what is the differences between the two?? i do a lot of trail riding but it is very aggressive and i hardly ever go slow, i also do motocross and go to the dunes. Im also gettin pro peg nerfs wit heel gaurds,silver plastic, blue K&N graphics kit,+2" a arms, +1"RPM swing arm, axle, metallic blue powdercoating on frame and hubs, steel brake lines, AC bumpers and a few other things. I also wanted to know how good the TCS shocks are. i want to get some good shocks and i was deciding between those or some Elkas but im pretty sure Elkas cost more and i wanna save as much money as i can. any help is needed

 

The stage 1 hotcam is more for low/mid power and the stage 2 is more mid/top end power. I went with the stage 2 because I wanted more top end, with the 416 high compression piston I didn't notice any loss on the bottom end either though. I have the 450R shocks that were revavled by TCS and I'm very happy with those, but I haven't tried the TCS shocks myself.

 

I have a stage II in my 450r. I also do a lot of trail riding and some dunes when I get the chance. You won't lose any bottom end with the stage two, it's just that the gain will be top end not bottom. If I were you I'd go with the stage 2.
You can also get a 450r rear shock off Ebay and it will fit perfectly on the 400ex. You can even send it out and have it revalved to your specs.
I put a stock 450r shock on my 400ex. Will test it out next weekend at the Oregon dunes, Florence.

 

yea i was thinkin bout the 450R shocks but i since im gettin +2 inch a arms im gonna upgrade shocks so that they are good. +1 inch swing arm should help keep the front end down a little bit more i would think and it will still be good on tight trails. With the a arms it will handle a lot better and be around 49 inches wide. good enough for me i just hope i can win races against some 450s and other quads instead of just gettin smoked. What is the difference between holeshot HDs and Razr 2s. which ones last longer and what are better in the mud?? im gonna be on the track a lot and on sum trails that require good lugs. Which ones wear faster? thanks