I am purchasing either a sportsman 400 or magnum 330 for my son and wanted to upgrade to the largest mud tire available. What will fit and what do you suggest?

 

26 or 27 inch outlaw with liftkit and maybe some liftsprings. k&n powerkit, hmf pipe, +2 wheel spacers.
snorkling is a must. get him the sp400 if you want it for muding, the irs is better in the mud. anyway the 330 has no *****! im me i have so much info on this it's all i do wen i am not riding or working. fourwheelferdi is my sn on aol.

 

the SP400 is gutless and has very very limated power, i suggest getting atleast a SP500 H.O. theres a extremely large power gap between the 400 and the 500 mainly because the 500 is the only motor in the polaris line up to be a 4 valve SOHC, all others are 2 valve push rod.

 

The SP400 is not gutless (At least not my 04.5) but definately does not have anywhere near the top end of the 500. The 400 is excellent if you are going to use it as a work ATV or one for the wife. Actually, it runs a lot better then the smaller 4x4's out there.

 

The SP400 also has a SOHC 4-valve engine just like the 500 does. The problem with the SP400 is it is way too heavy! It has to carry the same weight as the 500 but with a smaller engine. There is nothing with that engine it, but Polaris could always hop it up. Getting rid of some weight would be the best solution to its problem.

 

The 500 is much improvement over the 400....but I can go anywhere you can with mine

 

Back to the original question...with the 400 I would stay with 25" maybe 26" and go with 589's , mudbugs, something along that line

 

The SP400 is actually a 425cc so it is only a little smaller than the SP500. The difference is only about 5mph on the top end, and as far as pulling, you will run out of traction before you run out of power with the SP400.

 

The SP500 accelerates much quicker then the 400 right from the midrange up. There is nothing wrong with the 400. If you wanted to make it quicker just put a clutch kit in it like kushman did. The 500 not only has 75cc's on it but it comes with a higher compression piston and also has a much bigger carb. They are both good quads that will get the job done. Pick what best suits your needs and just have fun!!

 

Tmorris1 got it right. The sp400's now come with the 425 engine which is the same engine that is in my old polaris xpedition 425 cc 5 speed that they don't make anymore. But that's the engine you get. I have
3000 miles on my engine. Still running fine.

Remember, he said he was getting the atv for his kid right. So the sp400 machine should be fine.

26 inch tires are the biggest you can put on with out other mods. Like a lift kit which I do not recommend as they break down so much. Or you could get progressive lift kit for the front. and 27's would then fit as 27's would fit in the rear but not the front without the progrssive lift, about 1 and 1/2 inches.

The problem is. I cannot remember for sure, you should check before you buy. 25's use a 10 inch rim
and I know forsure that 27's use a 12 inch rim. I cannot remember if 26's need a 12 inch rim. I do think they do. Are you sure you want to deal with that much extra expense. rangerchet