I'm interested in widening my 400ex. I was wondering if anybody has used a wheel spacer kit and if so what was the outcome? Do you sacrafice anything by not getting new axle and a-arms? How much width do you actually get for the $70 or so dollars.

 

400exinfl,
I think if I were you, I'd shy away from the spacers..I've heard too many horror stories about broken axles due to the added stress placed on them by the width added to the axle.You didn't mention whether you were considering front or rears but I would imagine adding spacers to the front would add additional stress there, beyond what the original design called for.
A- arms and axles usually come in +1 or +2 lengths with one significant requirement: a fat wallet .



------------------
THE AZ HARD PACKER, calmiller@kachina.net

save the public land FOR you, not FROM you..join the Blue Ribbon Coalition online @ www.sharetrails.org



[This message has been edited by hot_shoe_cv (edited 12-27-1999).]

 

Actually, what I would like to do is use the spacers in front and purchase the axle for the rear. What kinds of horror stories have circulated regarding use of spacers in the front. I ride mostly trails and mx tracks. What I'm looking at is cost to replace broken parts or cost of A-arms, brake lines, installation and so on of new arms. Also performance pros and cons.

 

Puts some extra stress on spindles. But the extra width helps a lot. But here's a cheaper way to get it. Take tire off of rims. Remove the valve stem and drill the same size hole on opposite side of rim put in a new valve stem and put another valve stem inside out in the old hole. This will enable you to flip your rims around and gain about 2inches on each wheel because of the offset. You have to switch the valve stems so the disc brake won't rip it off.

------------------
Garrett Lowman; CT240 Blaster, YZ490

 

blaster668,
I did that on my blaster and did get extra width but turned the wheels back around when people started warning me about bent spindles. Thanks for the advice though.

 

Blaster,

Will not the air still come out of the inverted valve stem?

------------------
Shane

'97 Honda 300 4X - Vamped, Locked, & Lifted

 

There's no need to drill any holes. Just take the right wheel and put it on the left side and the left on the right.

------------------
95 Warrior
95 XR250
97 Kodiak

</img>



[This message has been edited by Tranz455am (edited 12-27-1999).]

 

TransAm, you can do that on a Blaster but not on any quad that has disc brakes because they will rip off the valve stem.

No it won't leak because the needle inside the stem has to be depressed for air to go in or out.

We've done it to a warrior, Mojave, 300EX, Banshee but never on a 400EX.

------------------
Garrett Lowman; CT240 Blaster, YZ490

 

But they only have a single disk in the rear. The fronts on my Warrior won't flip around without doing all that drilling you mentioned.

------------------
95 Warrior
95 XR250
97 Kodiak

</img>

 

I don't really understand where you are coming from TA455, but we have done this on a 400EX. If you get some shorty, street rod style valve stems, you can run them on the inside without problems.

The only consequence we have had from the reversed fronts is 1 smashed upper control arm. I believe it was pre-stressed though from 2 previous events, Honda warrantied it, and we haven't had trouble since. The only problem we really see is tie rods, I don't know if they have also been stressed by other events, but he bends & straightens them often.

This bike gets heavily jumped by a 200+ lb rider who has incedentially also broken the cast aluminum swingarm, stripped the rear subframe bolts, blown a front shock, squished a set of factory handlebars, broken headlight mounts, bent the axle, smashed an upper control arm, and fubar'd many wheels, all from putting distance between himself and the ground....

------------------
Gabe

'86ATC250R
'86ATC350X
'00TRX400EX