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Posted by: zrt1000
I had the K&N on my 00. I did not rejet(riding 0-3000 ft)with no problems and did not notice a difference in power.. Bill
Posted by: BONER
The HL Power kit gives you alot of power, but the racing core is extremely loud. But you can get a quiet core, like dakotart said. I know of atleast 5 people with this and all but maybe 2 have complained about the noise, so I recomend the quiet core. But NONE complain about lack of power. They all love the power gain.
Now getting a K&N Power kit will help the power considerably, but nothing like the HL performance kit (that includes the K&N power kit). With the filter alone there was a 1999 AC 500 owner that ran his side-by-side with his freind's identical (besides the filter) Ac 500 (bought the same day) and the K&N pulled away from the stocker at the line and gained more ground as it reached top speed. He said it gave him about 3 mph on top end. Thats with no jetting changes at all.
About the aluminum wheels, don't even waist the time. The stockers are maybe about 1-3 lbs heavier per wheel. IF you notice a difference it will not be much. And certainly not worth the cost.
Andy has ITP chrome wheels, not aluminum and no other mods. But he also has a 5 speed, and the 5 speeds DO have more power than the Auto models.
About gutting the muffler. Niteowl is the first person I heard of doing this and someone else did it, not sure who tho. But niteowl said it wasn't to loud and the other person claimed it was very loud. Both said it was a very noticeabe gain in power tho.
The biggest gains I have heard with our motors is useing only parts of the original head gasket (made of 3 layers-- throw 2 of them away and it helps power) and porting and polishing the head. Niteowl and a local AC mechanic did this to there bikes and noticed BIG differences in mid-top rpm power. Niteowl also did the WEBCAM while he had his apart and this GREATLY helped low end power.
I know a 454 2wd owner that ported, polished his head, did the gasket mod, put a web cam in , put an HL power kit, and used a larger carburator(that actually hurt the power) and it still dynoed 30.6 HP at the REAR WHEELS. Just to compare, the 400ex puts out about 26.5 HP at the rear wheels.
Well I think thats about it, if you have any other questions don't waist anytime before asking.
Posted by: cowboy
Do you happen to know how much your new 589 M/T's weigh each? How wide are they? I'm running 27" Bi/Tri Claws on my 'Cat, you can notice a slight power loss going up hills in high range, but in low range, no difference at all. I'm still towing and hauling/working just the same as I used to before the tire change, only I'm able to get into and out of more places easier now. Just curious how heavy those things really are.
As for the wheel swap, unless you really want to spend that much money, I'd probably not even bother with the wheel swap. You might ask Boner about that, but I really doubt you'll notice that much increase in performance by simply changing rims. Oh, I think Andy may have gone with the aluminum rims as well, he could probably tell you. To date, I don't think he has any performance mods either, such as the pipe or jet kit you're thinking about.
I can't remember for sure exactly, but I was pretty worried about the extra weight myself, and seriously considered switching to aluminum rims when I bought the 'Claws. My dealer and I looked into the actual weights of the stock AC wheels, they weren't that much more than the aluminums-hard to believe, but they were pretty close.
And, in all honesty, I don't think it's the weight that's making the difference. I'd be willing to bet the power loss you're noticing is due to the heigth instead. The 'Cat is geared in the differentials for the stock 25" tires. When you increase to a 26", or the 27" in my case, you're asking the smaller gears to do the job that ordinarily a taller gear would do, thus giving the effect of the power loss. Just like in pickups, when you lift the truck, run 35" or 38" tires underneath instead of the stock 31", you'll have to change the gearing from the 3.07's, to something more around a 3.73 or even 4.10's-maybe lower, depending on your specfic application.
I think you'll notice the best gains from the pipe, jetkit and filter. I believe MikeSlaby had this exact setup, which seemed to work pretty well if I remember right. Another trick you might do is talk to Niteowl or BadCat about their "muffler mod". I think it was those guys who did the trick, but it's been so long I can't remember. Anyway, if you remove the last 3" or so from your stock muffler, then weld the end cap back on, and stick about a 1"-1 1/4" exhaust port in it, you will get substantial gains in your low to mid range, with I think they said about a 5 mph top speed increase. Boner might remember for sure, I haven't seen those guys in a while, hopefully he'll know. From what they were saying, it wasn't that much louder either.
Anyway, hope that gives you a couple cheaper alternatives if you really didn't want to spend the cash on new wheels. Best of luck with whatever you come up with, let me know what you try and what works, I'm still considering a muffler mod/swap myself.
Mike
Posted by: ttaylor
I think both white bros and supertrap both make a pipe AC. This along with the filter either K&N or UNI ought to give you a good boost in power. You may also need to rejet. You can also go for the aluminum rims. It is worth the extra money for the reinforced rims, unless you get the new rims with the rolled edges. otherwise get the reinforcing rings on both sides.
Posted by: dakotart
You can buy the racing pipe and change out the core to the quiet series. Internally they are all the same. I looked into it for my 500 manual cat.
Dakota R/T
Posted by: 4x4king
A Rubicon has the power to turn them.
Posted by: YankeeAutoCat
I just installed 26" Titan 589 MT's on the beast (awesome bite in the goo!!). Problem is I noticed quite a bit of power loss due to the increased weight of the tires from stock. Anyone seen air filters or pipes out yet for Arctic Cats? I looked around and all I found was a jet kit from K&N. Will that get me some power back? Can't believe companies haven't tried to cash in on all us AC owners wanting to get more juice out of the motors! Only thing I can think to do is to open the wallet wide and get 4 aluminum billet wheels to reduce the weight. Any suggestions??
Posted by: YankeeAutoCat
Too bad it will only turn one at a time.
Posted by: YankeeAutoCat
braveheart98,
Thanks for the link. I checked it out. Everything looks exactly like what I need, except the pipe is a racing pipe and not a quiet series pipe. I think I'll wait until I find a pipe that is quiet. The next thing I buy from them has to be a lift kit. It did answer my question of whether I can find a K&N filter. They must make one separate if it comes in a kit. Did you notice a difference in power when you switched to aluminum rims? I think for now, I'll go with the aluminum rims and a K&N filter.
Anyone know for sure whether I'd have to re-jet after adding a K&N filter?
Posted by: YankeeAutoCat
Don't know how much each weighs, but it is A LOT! Just to pick them up and compare them with the stock tires you can notice a huge difference. They aren't rated 6-ply for nothing! Even though they are 26" and not 27" I even notice a little bit less power in low range as well as high, but only in deep mud. Low-range power loss is minimal, but I lost just enough power in high range to make me want to do something about it. It runs OK as long as I don't have to go slow through mud or up a steep hill, but if I do and I don't want to go into low or wind it out, it bogs a little when trying to "crawl" if you know what I mean. That is surprising that the stock rims don't weigh considerably more than a set of chrome or aluminum ones. It is a lot of money, so without more people recommending the switch, I won't do it. I agree that most of the problem is in the heigth, not weight. Thanks for the great advise.
I have to say that you guys in here are partly why I got an AC 500. You tell it straight and don't hide the bad, like those other red colored 4x4 lovers do. I think I'll pay off some of the loan on the new bike and wait on the power kit or pipe. I need time to think some more and check out lower priced options like you suggested. Truth to tell, I don't even need the 589s. Right from the start the AC did better than any other 4x4's I rode with - stock. It was a great feeling to pull out three others on my first ride and not even begin to get stuck in the same spots!
One more thing. Last week I was out riding and I came across a deep (and I mean deep - seat high) logging rut. I went in and had no problem until I bottomed out on a huge rock under my left footrest. It totally high sided and the only two tires touching anything while my muffler was under water was the right rear wheel. I gave 'er some gas and the left front started spinning. I rocked it and never came close to hooking up a tire good enough to pull out. It so happens that I was just at the dealers that day and spoke to the mechanic who did the 100-mile checkup for me. He told me it was great how you can just grab the hand brake lever when the wrong front wheel is spinning and the other one will kick in. I remembered the conversation and tried it out. As soon as I grabbed the front brake and stopped the wheels from spinning and then goosed it a gain, the right front grabbed and I climbed over and out of the rut. It was awesome! I'm glad I own an AC because we don't need no stinkin' front diff locker!
Posted by: braveheart98
Go to High Lifter.com and check out their online catalog. They have a performance package that they sell for your Cat. They claim up to a 20% gain in power. If that's not enough for you take it to bore your motor out and have the heads ported and polished by a professional.
Posted by: braveheart98
I'm running ITP chrome & black steel wheels even if I was running aluminum I don't have anything to compare them to. I order my wheeler set up they way I wanted it. Right away I ordered all the goodies on it.
You might have to re-jet your carb after installing the K&N filter but the best way to tell is install it and keep a eye on your spark plug. Put a new one in or just clean off the one your running now. go for a ride and check the color. If it's black it's to rich. If it's white it's to lean. If it's tan it's running pretty good. Also remember to run a pre filter with that K&N. The filter will let more air in, but it will also let in more dirt partials. The pre filter will help lesson the chance of getting foreign matter into your motor but yet still giving you the air flow that you want.
High Lifter also has a real informative ATV forum that might be able to answer some of your tech questions. Or come up with some alternatives in boosting your HP.
