Well, I'm new to these forums, but I've been reading them for a couple of weeks. I came here looking for some answers about my Wolverine, and I got some, but I'm still confused about some others. Keep in mind that I'm quite ignorant when it comes to modifying ATVs. My Wolvy is still completely stock.

What I've learned so far is that Titan 489 XTs are probably the best replacement tires for the Wolvy. I've been running on the stock tires for 3 years and they aren't the best at NOT getting flat. My tires are filled with so many plugs, fix-a-flat, and Slime it's not even funny. Just out of curiosity, should I stick with the stock size 23s or bump it up to 24s? I'm definitely not going with 25s since I can't really afford power mods right now.

Speaking of power mods, do you have to jet if you get a new pipe? Can't you just get a replacement pipe? A friend of mine, who knows a little more than I do, suggests an FMF pipe. Would you agree? I also heard somewhere (about 2 years ago) that it is not very wise to jet a Wolvy. Any truth to this, and if so, why?

Also, I have a question on air filters. Everything I thought I knew was telling me to go with K&N, since that's pretty much the same in the car world, which I'm a bit more knowledgable in. My question, though, is, I probably spend about 25% of my time in mud and water. I thought I read that K&N is not a good choice for the mud. Any suggestions for a good replacement filter?

Thanks in advance. Hopefully I will get some helpful advice.

 

I would stick with 23" Tires.

You do NOT have to rejet if you install a pipe. I had a 97 Wolverine and added a DG Exhaust and ran it for 2 years and never did rejet however you will notice very little if any power gains unless you do rejet and your motor will run hotter than it needs to in most cases. So do yourself a favor and rejet [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] FMF is an excellent exhaust for the Wolverine.

Get a K&N filter and use an Outerwears brand pre-filter on it. This works fine in mud sand and snow/water. I wouldn't even bother venting your airbox lid unless you decide to do internal engine mods or somthing.

 

My tires on my Wolvy are Maxxis all tracs They say 25" on the side but with 3-4 lbs of air (what I always run) they barely measure 24" really closer to 23 3/4" My pal has been running the 489s 23" on his and is about due a new set so we hare been mesuring tires a lot lately. He's like you and doesn't want to run a taller tire. I have been looking for a 24"x10x12" with no luck can't find them with a 12" wheel size. I didn't like my stock dunlops either. Take a look at the Maxxis tires you may like them.
As far as rejetting...I didn't when I added the K&N but I had to when I added the pipe. If you are worried about water use an outerwear filter cover...but I never had any trouble with mine. I even went thru a very very deep water hole last night....I thought the water was going to come over the front fenders[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] but still didn't have any filter troubles. Hope this helps ya cause it's just my $.02

 

I don't have a Wolverine anymore, I really miss it at times, but I got to the point I had to get some more power. The jets can be bought by themselves for about 2-3 bucks, so why not try some if your going to do the pipe and filter swap? If you take the stock one out, go up in size by 2 or 3 and try that. Or find someone on here that has bought a jet kit and beg them to share the instructions. Remember, its safer to go alittle rich than alittle lean. Uni makes a good foam filter that works well.
Pipes can be confussing. About 2 years ago, there was a article comparing the top 5 pipes for a Wolverine and the conclusion was, with out a dyno, you really can't tell a difference. Now I know alot of people swear by "their brand" And will blow you full of smoke, but the truth is, almost all aftermarket pipes are better than stock, and from there, get what you can afford and like and enjoy.

 

Thanks for the replies. They're all pretty helpful. Any truth to the rumor I heard about jetting being bad? I also heard it is completely unnecessary on the Wolverine. Don't know if there's any truth to this.

At the risk of sounding completey ignorant, can someone explain to me exactly what jetting does? Does it decrease fuel economy? Is it better to go with a dial-a-jet system?

 

Normally, what jetting refers to is changing the fuel metering device. On your machine, for Wide Open Trottle, that is a small screw looking device in the bowl on the carburetor (this is called the "main jet". This device has a precision drilled hole in it that when your engine is running allows fuel to be siphoned up and into the airstream in the carb. By changing this jet, you are changing how much fuel is allowed into the engine. jetting lean means making this jet orifice smaller. Jetting rich means making it larger. If you jet properly, you will be right in the middle. In the middle means that your engine is not running too hot. If it runs hot, you can take years of performance from your engine. Running rich helps it to run cooler, but will not allow you to get the maximum power or fuel economy you machine is capable of.

Jetting can be done for a number of reasons. Some want to be on the edge and extract the full potential power from their machine. If running rich, you can not do this. Other times it is done because of a machine modification. If a large enough mod is made, you machine will no longer run right. WOT can cause your bike to miss our or sputter. Jetting can correct the problem.

Besides the Main jet, you can adust your needle position which in turn affects the mid range performance. Moving the small c-clip upwards (away from the pointy end of the needle) will lean your mixture. moving it toward the pointed end will richen your mixture. The same reasoning applies. performance gains or driveability issues.

The next adjustable circuit is done via the pilot jet. It is the jet that affects how your machine idles. Typically, this circuit is not affected much by macine modifications. Most people don't even mess with them. As they are jetted rich from the factory.

As for not needing to rejet with a modification, you can be fooling yourself. If you simply add an aftermarket air filter, you could be putting your fuel mixture right on the line. If you add an aftermarket exhaust, you could push it over the edge and make it too lean. Thus the potential to have a meltdown. A spark plug check can get you in the ball park. Do a search on reading sparkplugs. I am sure it has been discussed before.

As for the Dial-A-Jet. this is an externally adjustable device that allows you to change the jetting of the machine without having to take the carb off. It can not correct for a machine that is adjusted too rich. It can however make up for being jetted to lean. The proper installation will be to tune your machine as closely as possible without the DAJ installed. Then, drop 2-3 main jet sizes and install the DAJ. With the DAJ in the middle setting (there are 5) you should be close. As the temperature changes or you find yourself navigating different altitudes, you simply need to adjust the DAJ to make up for required jetting changes.

My rule of thumb is to jet as close as possible and install a DAJ. One is not meant to be substituted for the other. A bike can run with one or the other tuning setup. But it will run better with both.

If this is not long enough, read it twice. lol

Hope it helps.

Ride On.

 

Wow! Great explanation. Thanks 95Wolverine.