We get asked this a lot. With so much cool aftermarket stuff available right now, it’s tempting to go overboard buying goodies that don’t really much change the way your ATV or SxS works.
If your ride is bone stock and you’re happy with it, that’s great! Today’s ATVs and side-x-sides are pretty well equipped from the factory and calibrations are surprisingly precise.
However, when things start to wear out – things like tires, clutch parts and shocks, it just makes sense to look at replacements offering more than what you had before.
Here’s a couple of suggestions we’ve found make good sense:
First, the best thing you’ll ever do to your off-road vehicle is to upgrade the tires. You need to figure out which tires offer the max traction for the way you ride, though.
If you’re scaling rocks and riding hard surfaces most of the time, don’t buy mud tires. Check out tires with strong sidewalls and good side-grip.
On the other hand, if you live in a quagmire and need big-time bite, there are a lot of great tire choices that will likely outlive your former stockers’ service life and perform incredibly well in the deep goo.
Here’s another thing about round things on your wheeler: If your rims are bent, egged-out or dinged, get new ones when you replace the tires!
If your CVT is wearing out, it’s a great time to order up a replacement kit that gives you better power – this is especially true if you’ve done the above tire upgrade. Aftermarket companies have a good handle on what you’ll need and can be a big help.
The biggest deal with shocks is to buy replacements that offer more adjustability. You can buy aftermarket dampers that offer easy compression and rebound adjustability and once you’ve found your personal set-up, they will make a huge difference in your level of enjoyment of your ride.
An upgrade to gas or gas cell shocks from hydraulics will make a night-day difference, too.
We’ll be making more suggestions so stay tuned.
