Just wanted to get some feed back in terms of Scrambler 400's more specifically 2 X 4 versus
4 X 4. Information reguarding handling, acceleration, suspension etc comparing the two would be great.... May be a stupid question but would it be more cost effective to simply buy a 2 X 4 and put a winch on it? Last question what is the weight difference !

Thanks in advance this post is a result of riding a 2 X 4 after a day of trail riding with my 400ex where I got more excercise than hoped for tuggin and pullin it out of the mud holes....

 

I have a 99 Sport, the predecessor to the Scrambler 2X4. I rarely, and I mean rarely get stuck. The ground clearance, combined with the power, will take you just about anywhere. I know mine weighed in at 474 lbs. and the 4X4 was 519lbs. The handling is a tad different, due to the front differential. One of my riding buddies has the 4X, and you can tell the difference. His is stock, and it hauls butt. They are very easily modified.

 

I have the 4X4 an love having it helps in alot of areas like going over logs where you need the fron tires to grab the ground an pull the rear to the log. I would get the 4X4 agine an not 2X4 I love the idea of the extra 2 wheels puling. They handle good.Right now all you can get as far as a 2001 is the 500 scrambler 4X4 they are not making it in a 400 so you would have to get a 2000 for the 400 scrambler 4X4

 

Thanks for the input guys. I am sure a lot of it has to do with personal feel and riding areas too. As far as the 4 X 4 how is the reliability of the front wheel drive system ie.. engagement switch or have most of the bugs been worked out. Right now I am leaning towards the 2 X 4 since I mainly ride trails with many creek crossings and hill climbs, I am thinking with the savings of going with the 2x4 I might be able to throw some mods on right off the top. Do the 4 x 4's respond as well to engine modifications in terms of the front shaft drive system? Any further input is always appreciated have a great weekend and if you are in Missouri good luck bagging a monster buck !

Thanks again,

Triston

 

Just found an old copy of the April 2000 4-wheel atv action lying around and read the article with the 300 ex versus the Scrambler and I thought I would see if anyone had read that article and if so had any opinion on what they said? They were very harsh on the Scrambler in many areas and it left me wondering !

Thanks,
Triston

 

My personal preference would be the 2X4. My buddy has had a trouble or two with the front differential. I would take what the mags say with a grain of salt. I have not had one thing go wrong with my Sport in the two years I've had it. Get the 2X4, throw an HPD pipe and clutch on it, and you will be amazed.

 

I have had no problems with my front wheel drive on my 98 scrambler an have riden pretty hard to most the time it is in 4wheel drive then being out of it. My friend has the same year scrambler 400 4X4 with the HPD race mode motor in it an I can tell you it has big gains when we ride side by side an im wide open he is at 1/4 to 1/3 on the gas compared to mine full on.As far sas you riding creeks an hills I would use the 4X4 just my opinion

 

I love my 4x4 scram 99 all stock does more then a quad should. Absolutly no drive line problems.

 

Hey TDBRPH~
You can't go wrong by buying a scrambler...2 or 4 wheel drive! My scrambler has had a couple problems, but it is a 96 model. The check valvein the oil line coming from the oul tank was faulty. But for 10 bucks I got a new one and now it uses hardly any oil. The muffler on my scrambler got all plugged adn I just found out a few months ago taht polaris had a recall for those mufflers. I got a new AAEN muffler put on and now it runs just like new. I feel it could keep up or beat a new 400 scrambler. I have heard the 4x4 is slightly quicker right off the line, but the 2x4 will take honors on top speed by a couple mph(due to a 36 tooth rear sprocket on 4x4 and 34 tooth on 2x4). Suspension, well both models use the same shocks and springs so the 2x4 will be a little better jumping due to the lighter weight(479 lbs vs 519 lbs). I have had no problems with my drive line components and I could get by with just 2 wheel drive if I didn't have to deal with any snow. The snow is the major reason I decided on the 4x4 instead of the 2x4. I see you live in Missouri, so 2 wheel drive should be fine for the riding you do. The stock tires on the scramblers(titan 489's) are great stock tires. They bite real good in almost any situation! The scrambler 2x4 will go places your 400ex would easily get stuck due to the higher ground clearance. Well, hope some of this info was helpful. I think the main reason I had those 2 problems with my machine was because it was only the 2nd year of production. Polaris is now in their 7th year of producing the scrambler, so 99.9% of the bugs are worked out of them.

 

Hey TDBRPH~
You can't go wrong by buying a scrambler...2 or 4 wheel drive! My scrambler has had a couple problems, but it is a 96 model. The check valvein the oil line coming from the oul tank was faulty. But for 10 bucks I got a new one and now it uses hardly any oil. The muffler on my scrambler got all plugged adn I just found out a few months ago taht polaris had a recall for those mufflers. I got a new AAEN muffler put on and now it runs just like new. I feel it could keep up or beat a new 400 scrambler. I have heard the 4x4 is slightly quicker right off the line, but the 2x4 will take honors on top speed by a couple mph(due to a 36 tooth rear sprocket on 4x4 and 34 tooth on 2x4). Suspension, well both models use the same shocks and springs so the 2x4 will be a little better jumping due to the lighter weight(479 lbs vs 519 lbs). I have had no problems with my drive line components and I could get by with just 2 wheel drive if I didn't have to deal with any snow. The snow is the major reason I decided on the 4x4 instead of the 2x4. I see you live in Missouri, so 2 wheel drive should be fine for the riding you do. The stock tires on the scramblers(titan 489's) are great stock tires. They bite real good in almost any situation! The scrambler 2x4 will go places your 400ex would easily get stuck due to the higher ground clearance. Well, hope some of this info was helpful. I think the main reason I had those 2 problems with my machine was because it was only the 2nd year of production. Polaris is now in their 7th year of producing the scrambler, so 99.9% of the bugs are worked out of them.