sprocket

[30ex-man]

y do people make the front bigger instead of making the back smaller and reducing rotating weight and ground clearens

[duke416ex]

Front sprockets are cheaper, and sometimes it is hard to find the size you want on the back to make up for the same teeth on the front. I believe it is something like 1 tooth in the front equals 4 in the rear. Rotating mass isn't as big a deal on quads as it is bikes, or atleast I don't hear the arguement much.

[30ex-man]

but u cant run case savers with the bigger one in the front

[duke416ex]

Just always check the chain, or run bigger tires, then you get the speed and ground clearence.

[Quad Dude]

you can run the case saver with one up and you'll never need any more than that anyway.

gear it down more fun anyway

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by 30ex-man
but u cant run case savers with the bigger one in the front

You just can't run the stock case-saver. You can buy an aftermarket case-saver for 1 or 2 teeth larger, and even then you can modify them for even larger sprockets.

You probably won't gain any ground clearance with a smaller rear sprocket. First of all, most people run a skidplate, so the sprocket diameter isn't what determines the ground clearance. True, in theory you could raise the skidplate with a smaller rear sprocket, but the difference in diameter between a stock 38t and a smaller 35t is only about 1/4 inch. It would take a lot of custom work to raise the skidplate, it's simply not worth the effort for such little gain.

Also, a larger front sprocket reduces chain wear.

[30ex-man]

why would it give less wear

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by 30ex-man
why would it give less wear

Why does a chain wear in the first place?

If you nailed the end of a chain to a wall, and then hung a brick on the chain, would the brick stretch or wear the chain? No, of course not, it would last for a thousand years (with the exception of rust). So the thing that wears a chain is MOVEMENT.

Now, think of a sprocket, and how the chain fits around a sprocket. The individual links pivot and bend to fit around the sprocket. The smaller the sprocket, the more they have to bend to fit around it. Imagine if your front sprocket was only about 1 inch diameter, each link would have to bend nearly 90 degrees to fit around that small sprocket.

So what do you think will cause more wear, bending 15 degrees 10,000 times, or bending 20 degrees 10,000 times?