Please give us guy's the real deal about putting on one of these lift kits...

I can't help wanting one but don't want to make a huge mistake! I have a 2000 RSE SP500.

Do I have enough stock power to run 28" tires?
Is the lift going to tear my quad up?
How much work are they to put on?
Should I just lift the front?
How about wheel spacers?
Does HL make the best kit?

Any help from a fellow rider with experience in these lift kits Pro vs Con would be greatly appreciated.

 

You do have enough power to run 28" tires. By running 28" tires you have to have a lift. The lift and tires will move the angle of your front shaft and put more strain on the cv joints. Only run 10" rims and tires on the front otherwise you will be breaking cv joints quick. I would only run 26's so that way to don't put too much strain ont he cv's. You will also have plenty more power to turn the 26's than the 28's. I wanted 28 outlaws on my xplorer but didn't want to screw up the front end. A 28" tire is only gonna give you one more inch of ground clearance. I don't think that it is worth it. When you put the big tires on there you have to make sure not to turn the tires too far in reverse because you will break your cv's. I have broken 9 cv joints from being too hard on it. You have to make sure you watch the shafts and make sure they don't pop out of the cv joint. I extended my front shaft by 1/2" and haven't had a problem since then. Cv joints are about 200 bucks a piece so you don't want to break any. The lift kit is easy to install if you follow the directions. You will need to run spacers otherwise the tires will rub the springs. If you run 26's you won't need a lift but the tires will hit the fenders a little if you hit some bumps.

i have some pics of my xplorer if you want to see.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/jjtdiceman

 

If any angles on the drive line are changed, you will most likely soon run into trouble. If you make a lift, or buy the right parts, it should be possible to keep all of the angles the same. I would think the quad should be able to turn 28s.

 

Thanks guys. I have heard that you have to keep the drive angle the same as stock but how is that possible with the lift. Also, Meangreenmachine, how did you entend your front drive shaft by 1 1/2"?

Would putting only 26" tires and wheel spacers w/o a lift accomplish almost the same thing as 28" tires with the lift. Would this solve theut the draw backs of the cv's being a problem?

I just keep getting hung up on how to overcome the cv joint busting! Thanks for the advice.

 

Thanks guys. I have heard that you have to keep the drive angle the same as stock but how is that possible with the lift. Also, Meangreenmachine, how did you entend your front drive shaft by 1 1/2"?

Would putting only 26" tires and wheel spacers w/o a lift accomplish almost the same thing as 28" tires with the lift. Would this solve the draw backs of the cv's being a problem?

I just keep getting hung up on how to overcome the cv joint busting! Thanks for the advice.

 

I haven't seen GregSims on here lately. I am not sure if he was banned, or is just not on lately, but I believe he has accomplished making a pretty slick lift. I recall hearing that he was somehow able to keep the drive line angles close to stock. If her can reply, he would be able tell you how to do it.

 

just put a spacer on to of the strut, between it and the metal mount, that way you can run larger tires w/o increasing your CV joint angles!!

 

Polaris says no warranty on any drive line parts if a machine has a lift kit installed. If its out of warranty I guess you are on your own anyway.
Good luck.

 

there has been alot of discussion on lift kits..gregsims had a lift he modified so he could pop it in or out in less than 10 mins..i used his ideas and made my own lift(picture in photo album).. if you just add spacers on the springs and leave the strut cartridge at stock setting your not changing the angle at all..when you add the spacer your preloading the spring so it doesnt squat as it would without..i added 2" spacers and went from a rack height of 331/2" to 351/2" and the angle is the same(tires do not rub anymore)..if you do a search under my name i think youll find info on how i made it..if you cant i can repost what i did or just email me

 

I have been too busy to get on lately. I ran three different tires with the lift kit installed as explained by bowtiepu1 and did not break a single cv joint. I ran the following set ups.

27x12-12 Vamps with spacers

27X10-12 mud bugs

26X10-12 Outlaws

I would recommend a less agressive 26" tire. Even though the cvs will hold up to the abuse with the lift properly installed, the belt will not. I am not saying it will break, but it will glaze over quickly if you run the agressive mud tires in thick mud. The Mud Bug set up I had was not the best mud tire, but it was the best all round and the belt seemed to hold up better. Running big tires causes the belt to get to hot. The belt will hold up for a long time, but will feel an occasional slip under hard acceleration. If you ride 100% mud, I guess that is fine, but alot of my riding is in the mountains and I do not like to feel the belt slip. The difference is very apparent when racing. I rode one weekend with the 27X12-12 Vamps and the bike would not longer ride a wheelie with stock tires... throw a new belt on, and it was back to normal.

Anyway, as far as a lift goes, I would keep it to one inch. You can use a two inch lift, but only pull the strut up one inch. This has the effect of compressing the springs one inch and lifting the bike one inch.

Greg