i ride mostly trails in the woods which are tight and rocky at times but i also ride out in sandy areas...what a-arms(length) should i consider for all around great performance in woods/trails and in wide open terrain?

will the factory a-arms and elka shocks cause any negative performance....is it necessary to even replace a-arms when upgrading suspension?

need to have some feedback, cause Monday is deadline for my order info....these are 1 expensive upgrade are they worth it over stock?

thanx

a-arms i am considering

 

id get them if i had the money they are awesome they look better and are stronger and have better performance

 

Quicksand a-arms are some of the best in the business, and are priced awesome compared to some others of the same quality and they have excellent customer service. I dont know about the Alba a-arms performance wise, but I have heard their customer service is horrible. Unless your trails are so tight you have a hard time getting through them now, you could go to +1 or +2.

 

You have two choices, get the elkas that mount in the stock shock mount locations or get the extended length shocks that move the bottom mounting point of the shocks further out, requiring new a-arms. In either case, you can get extended length a-arms with the standard or extended length shock mount locations. Or keep the stock a-arms and make sure you order the correct shock. I ride in similar conditions as you do and have a set of works shocks up front. Had I ordered the A-arms and shocks together, I would have ordered the extenden length shock/a-arm combo. Couldnt stomach ditching the works with the hit of buying new a-arms so I have standard length shocks on +2 a-arms.

I did not see that the Alba a-arms you are considering have the two shock mounting location options, standard or extended length. That may make this decision easy. Check with Alba for the final answer on this one.

You do not need to replace the a-arms but I found it a big improvement to the handling of the Raptor. Got mine from ATV Racing and have been very happy with them.

The elkas will make an improvement on your ride.

 

You will notice a huge improvement in handling by using the Elka shocks with your stock a-arms. I raced XC that way for a whole season and it works great in the woods. It will lower you front end by 2-3 inches and also widen it by 2-3 inches just by using the Elkas with your stock a-arms.

Later I got a free set of +2 a-arms and they worked great for MX and dunes, but they really slowed me down in the woods. Just too wide.

My advice is - get the shocks and keep you stock a-arms for now. I am sure you will love it. If in the future you decide you need to go wider your Elkas can be revalved to work with the wider a-arms. Forget about the "long travel" or "long shock" a-arm setup. It is not worth the huge extra expense unless you have to have the ultimate amount of performance for MX racing.

RR1

 

thank you very much for the replies...ordered the elks for stock a-arms and maybe in the future will widen...at least the option is there..

i have only ridden 6 hours or so and have hit countless trees due to width of the trail so i think this is my best option...just put on a yoshi full exhaust and wow[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] what a big improvement....pulls so much harder in 1st 3 gears...hard to keep front end down now[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

will post more pics later when i get shocks on in a few weeks...thanx again

 

Yep, now you need a +2 swingarm to keep the front end down. I use a +2.5 for woods racing. It helps tremendously with going up hills and sliding around corners! Have fun with your new shocks, adn PLEASE call the Elka customer service if you need any help setting them up. They are very friendly. Good Luck!

RR1

 

i want new a-arms but cash is tight right now[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]