im going to be turning 17 on wed people have been asking me what to get me so i told them money to up my raptor 350. i want to get a full skid plate set, fmf pipe and header, jet-kit, and a hot cam. but i dont know the downsides of a cam and jet-kit. i heard that a performance cam really boosts ur quad but takes some years off its life, is this true? also with the jet-kit will it hurt my quad and will it give my quad worse gas milage?

 

I will try to give you a short answer to a complex question.
To make the best power an engine needs to injest around 12.5 parts of air to every part of gasoline. If you put in a bigger cam shaft, you will hang the valves open longer and wider. This will give the engine more air. If you have more air, volume wise you will need to give your engine more fuel to keep it at 12.5 to 1.
So yes, if you put a bigger cam in your engine it will use more fuel. That is what you need the jet kit for.

About life span of an engine. This is my opinion, so take it for what it's worth. In the grand scheme of things, the mods you are talking about doing really won't shorten your engines life. Most quads get smacked into a tree or are sold long before the engine wears out if serviced properly.

One thing to remember is to call the cam maker up and let THEM recomend the cam you need for the type of riding you do, and the other mods you have on your quad.

 

but will it make my engine run hotter? my atv is just air cooled so....

 

Another hard question to answer.
I would have to say slightly. But with a good flowing pipe and muff like you are going to run I would not worry about it. Even if it did run a bit hot you could jet it up just a little rich to cool things off. If things got really out of hand (it won't for what you are doing) you could even add an oil cooler.
There is plenty of V-dubs around with REALLY hot cams in them with no problems.

 

what exactly is an oil cooler. iv heard people talking about having them but i dont really know what it is.
P.S. sorry for all the questions i know i must sound like an idiot considering iv been riding for about 3 years.

 

agin sorry for another question but whats the deal with aftermarket shocks whats wrong with the stock ones? thanks.

 

An oil cooler is a heat exchanger. In other words, it is a radiator for your oil. Hot oil goes in one end and cooler oil comes out the other. Just like you car water radiator but with oil since your quad is air/oil cooled.
Their is a world of difference in after market shocks. The manufactures have to make quads that will fit people weighing from 125lbs to 350lbs, on the same quad!!!!!!!! Now if you are the skinny guy, the quad will feel like it is a rock. If you are the fat guy; sorry; food challanged, then the quad will bottom out on the smallest bump.
When you go for a custom shock the manufacture will ask you where you ride, how much you weigh and many other questions. This quad will be custom made to your weight and riding style. Al in all you will go WAY faster with a custom shock. They are BIG $$$$$$$$$$ though. Some are around 3 thousand dollars for 3 shocks!!!!!!! For the average person they arn't worth it. For the racer, they mean everything.
Let me tell you something, I have been listening to music for over 40 years. I don't know a damn thing about it, though. That dosen't make me an idiot. Ignorant yes, but not stupid.
Same way with you. Your not an idiot for not knowing a lot about these things. You just have not learn them.
Case in point; I would venture to guess that Bill Gates does not know what end of the spark plug goes in the hole. Does that make him an idiot? Ha ha ha ha ha..........I think not.
At 17, you can go to school and learn a good trade and then when you make big bucks you can pay someone else to work on your quad!!!!

 

what about boring and stroking it. i heard that makes it a little bit faster but you start having problems with ur engine and u have to maintain it kinda like a 2-stroke.

 

Here are my thoughts on boring and stroking.
Boring does not really do much. Sure, it will make more cubes, but not many. If you try to bore it out a ton to get a lot of cubes your going to make things thin and this is not good on a water cooled engine. It is especially bad on an air cooled engine like your 350. Now if you put a big jug on your engine to make the big cubes, that is ok, but that can get expensive.
Stroking can give you lots of power (torque). Nothing wrong with it except the $$$$. You or someone is going to have to split the cases, then install a new crank, new piston, rings, gaskets. The bigger stroke is going to put more side load on the piston so the engine will wear slightly faster. Sure you can make power with a stroker kit, but why not just get a bigger displacement engine in a bigger quad? I don't know what a stroker kit costs, but they aren't cheap.
All in all, get a pipe, a cam and a good aircleaner and go have fun riding.
BTW, Happy birthday, good day to have one, mine too.