I was looking at some threads on the Arctic Cat side and noticed that people over there complain a lot about CV joint failures. Could that be because of the extreme angle they run at? I know that when I used to wheel in my Jeep with guys that had Toyotas, they'd only break a birfield or CV (in IFS trucks) when they had the wheel cranked, or they had a really tall lift without relocator brackets. Since most ATV lifts are just brackets to make the shocks 'longer' to push down farther on the suspension, could they contribute to CV failures prematurely?

 

I'm pretty sure that the extreme angles put on cv joints by lifts are damaging to them. The angle has to cause excessive wear, and eventual failure, I dont see how it couldnt. If there is somewhere that I need a lift to get to, I dont need to be there to start with.

 

I'm sure quad lifts put more stress on your CVs. It's like you said w/ an IFS truck. Cranking the torsion bars makes your CV angles steep and leads to premature ball joint failure, CV breakage, etc. I don't think that moderate lifts will do much harm though.

 

Yeah, but have you really looked at how steep your front axles are already?? On my Eiger, they look pretty extreme, on my friends AC500I, they are RIDICULOUS. I'm starting to rethink any kind of lift. Maybe just some 26" 589s.

 

The increased angle is never good for CV's or U-joints. Then figure the reason for lifting something is to fit bigger, heavier tires on, which will strain the joints even more. I'm still gonna lift my SP when I finally get it!!

Most lifts for IFS trucks drop the whole front diff. down, so the CV joints' angle doesn't change. But I still think straight axle swaps are much more stronger.

 

Putting a lift kit on an IRS Cat is a no-no, for that very reason. Most of the Cats that have chronic CV joint problems have had lift kits installed. Don't know why anyone would put a lift kit on a Cat - they sit very high to begin with.

On the other hand, I've put my 02 Cat 500i through a lot of farm work, mostly hauling loaded trailers of firewood. No CV joint failures in two years of that. No failures of any sort, for that matter. No lift kit installed, of course.

 

Wasnt it in the spline and hub area where they had the problem? Sounded more like some cheap or under-engineered equiptment combined with the added stress of a lift kit and big tires that would cause the splines to shear.

 

A lift kit that causes the CV joint to operate at a greater angle than the manufacturer allowed for is a very poor choice. Lets see.... why didn't the manufacturer, who had all the engineering know how to build the ATV in the first place, make it higher? Are they stupid? Is the maker of some cheap add on block and long bolt setup way smarter than the manufacturer? Nooo.... kids it aint so. Run your CV joints at a greater angle than they were designed for and they will break. The guy that said yeah, but I'm going to get them anyway...good. Mow lots of lawns. You're going to need the cash.

 

I don't need the extra $, I just need luck!! I figure a mild 1 inch or so just to keep the fenders off of 27 or 28" all-around tires (not super aggresive mud tires) would hold up fine. I've never been known to lodge a tire in between 2 rocks and apply full throttle, or anything to strenuous on drivetrain parts. I just want the extra clearance and a more "authoritative" look.

Having to work hard to afford a new 4X4 then abuse the hell out of it is just not something I do. But I do appreciate the opinions.......

 

If you replace them with Gorilla Axels then you can have the lift without worries. The Gorillas are what the guys at Birts Dirt works (the guys with 21" of ground clearence) use on their machines. So you know that they must be doing something right. The also replace the OEM u-joint with a CV joint to allow for the extra angle