Front Shocks for 250x

[tim-g]

I broke my front shock after jumping the quad higher than it should have and i snaped the front shock off. I'm going to a atv salvage yard this weekend to get some shocks is there any off of any other atv that will work good if not better than the stockers?

[bradley300]

300ex shocks are the same

[tim-g]

Originally posted by bradley300
300ex shocks are the same

I think everybody knows that. I'm talking about any other atvs shocks that will work hasnt anybody else had to do this the place doesnt have any 250x 300ex or any other hoda sport atv, they do have warrior and blasters and banshees and crap like that tho.

[tim-g]

Bump!

[enduro400rider]

400ex front shocks work, you will need 400 a-arms, tie-rods, and a shock remount bracket, its a good suspention upgrade and the arms will give you some more width, its a pretty common upgrade. if you want a rear shock a raptor 660 rear will fit the 300ex as long as the shock is off a 01 raptor. as for any other shocks fitting i doubt it, your best bet is to do the 400 front end or look for a set on the forums or ebay

[sammy5x]

300EX front shocks have a 10% stiffer spring rate and more rebound to match the spring.

[svahle]

If shocks are all you want, you can use 400ex shocks with a shock relocator. You do not need the 400ex a-arms, etc. However, as stated above the 400 ex a-arms do add width. You can get a shock relocator on ebay for under $50.00 (atleast I did).

[enduro400rider]

Originally posted by svahle
If shocks are all you want, you can use 400ex shocks with a shock relocator. You do not need the 400ex a-arms, etc. However, as stated above the 400 ex a-arms do add width. You can get a shock relocator on ebay for under $50.00 (atleast I did).

to get the right geometry you need 400 a-arms ;)

[svahle]

Originally posted by enduro400rider
to get the right geometry you need 400 a-arms ;)

Not to quarrel with you, but I understood that the relocator could be designed in such a fashion to maintain the correct geometry when using 400ex shocks. Is this not possible? Again, I am not trying to start a disagreement. Rather, I am just interested in the issue. Thanks.

[bradley300]

the steering geometry is off with 400ex a-arms on a 300ex, the shock geometry is off with 400ex shocks on a 300ex w/ or w/o the locator. the best bet is 300ex a-arms, with a relocator bracket, and custom shocks for the set up. neither way using stock parts is right

[300exOH]

I agree with bradley... I have tried both the front end conversion w/custom length works shocks and 300ex aftermarket a arms w/relocator bracket/custom 400ex length elkas and there is a huge difference. It can be pricey but if you look around you can pick up used parts and have a nice front end for relatively little cash.

[enduro400rider]

Originally posted by svahle
Not to quarrel with you, but I understood that the relocator could be designed in such a fashion to maintain the correct geometry when using 400ex shocks. Is this not possible? Again, I am not trying to start a disagreement. Rather, I am just interested in the issue. Thanks.

basically from what i understand, even with the 400 arms the geometry will be off, but the 400 arms should straighten it up a bit. i personally have not heard of anyone just running the shocks and braket on stock arms, im not saying it cant be done, im sure it can but why not take advantage off cheap avalible width. i would think the a-arm shock mounts on the 400 arms would be spaced further from the frame than the 300 arms. basically the 300 arms would cause the shock to mount almost straight up and down, and the 400 arms would have more of and angle. thats just my general understanding, the place i bought my relocator from said on the box that i would need 400ex or 250R a-arms and tie-rods, but hey who knows i just did it there way to be safe. basically the front end conversion is just a cheap up grade that is probably better than the stock set up. aftermarket designed for the 300 is obvously going to perform better, but this way is just the poor mans solution

Originally posted by enduro400rider
400ex front shocks work, you will need 400 a-arms, tie-rods, and a shock remount bracket, its a good suspention upgrade and the arms will give you some more width, its a pretty common upgrade. if you want a rear shock a raptor 660 rear will fit the 300ex as long as the shock is off a 01 raptor. as for any other shocks fitting i doubt it, your best bet is to do the 400 front end or look for a set on the forums or ebay

With that bracket you dont need 400ex A-arms. You can buy the shock bracket and run 400ex/450r/yfz450/ shocks on the quad.

[300exOH]

Originally posted by enduro400rider
basically from what i understand, even with the 400 arms the geometry will be off, but the 400 arms should straighten it up a bit. i personally have not heard of anyone just running the shocks and braket on stock arms, im not saying it cant be done, im sure it can but why not take advantage off cheap avalible width. i would think the a-arm shock mounts on the 400 arms would be spaced further from the frame than the 300 arms. basically the 300 arms would cause the shock to mount almost straight up and down, and the 400 arms would have more of and angle. thats just my general understanding, the place i bought my relocator from said on the box that i would need 400ex or 250R a-arms and tie-rods, but hey who knows i just did it there way to be safe. basically the front end conversion is just a cheap up grade that is probably better than the stock set up. aftermarket designed for the 300 is obvously going to perform better, but this way is just the poor mans solution

The shockmount does make the shocks much more upright but with properly built aftermarket shocks it can work well. The shockmount and 400ex length shocks will work with stock OR aftermarket 300ex a arms. You don't HAVE to have the 400ex/250r a arms. The relocator does not correct the geometry though. The geometry problem isn't with the upright shocks but with the relationship between the steering flag on the stem and the point where it connects to the spindle.

I can see why everyone wants to build a better front end on a budget. That's why I tried the conversion myself. I have found that if you look around you can get a set of used a arms and used 400ex works shocks for around $400 which isn't a lot more than buying 400ex/250r a arms and aftermarket shocks. You might even be able to save a few bucks by using the newer style Z400 shocks or 450R shocks that are rebuildable and have them set up for the conversion.

[enduro400rider]

[i]


I can see why everyone wants to build a better front end on a budget. That's why I tried the conversion myself. I have found that if you look around you can get a set of used a arms and used 400ex works shocks for around $400 which isn't a lot more than buying 400ex/250r a arms and aftermarket shocks. You might even be able to save a few bucks by using the newer style Z400 shocks or 450R shocks that are rebuildable and have them set up for the conversion. [/B]

since you have used the conversion, mabe you can tell what you thought of it. i mean i know the geometery is off but do you think its better than stock? i just finished my bikes front end and i havent ridden it yet so im interested in hearing how it performs, im not a racer and i dont plane to race, i just trail ride and mess around on some jumps... nothing crazy so i thought it would be a decent upgrade. also back to the geometery issue, i have heard if you use 250r or 400ex spindles with the set up it will help with the geometery, probably not fix it but help improve it

[300exOH]

Originally posted by enduro400rider
since you have used the conversion, mabe you can tell what you thought of it. i mean i know the geometery is off but do you think its better than stock? i just finished my bikes front end and i havent ridden it yet so im interested in hearing how it performs, im not a racer and i dont plane to race, i just trail ride and mess around on some jumps... nothing crazy so i thought it would be a decent upgrade. also back to the geometery issue, i have heard if you use 250r or 400ex spindles with the set up it will help with the geometery, probably not fix it but help improve it

Better than stock?... yes and no... I liked the added width and stability but I didn't like the twitchy feeling at higher speeds and the fact that it just seemed to tire my arms out more verses the stock or 300ex aftermarket front end. I'm no racer either but I do like to ride somewhat fast at times. :devil: For the trails the conversion wasn't too bad but my arms would get sore after more than a short trail ride. Maybe with more time I would have gotten used to it but one season with the conversion was enough for me. Since switching to the aftermarket 300ex front end I noticed I don't tire as easily. The 400ex spindles did help but I noticed a pretty big loss in turning radius with them. It seemed like the wheels just didn't turn as far as with the stock spindles. The 400ex spindles did help with the high speed twitchy feeling and tie rod positioning though so it's a bit of a trade off. If you ride super tight trails you may want to stick with the 300 spindles. Over all I would say the conversion was an improvement over stock but still not ideal.

[bradley300]

you guys are missing the point a little. the 300ex a-arms and relocator set up requires custom shocks, (new they wont cost any more from works, elka than normal shocks) yes, they are 40ex length, but the valving is different and i'm sure the stroke is different, so even tho they use 400ex length shocks, that dosent mean 400ex shocks will work corecct

[300exOH]

Originally posted by bradley300
you guys are missing the point a little. the 300ex a-arms and relocator set up requires custom shocks, (new they wont cost any more from works, elka than normal shocks) yes, they are 40ex length, but the valving is different and i'm sure the stroke is different, so even tho they use 400ex length shocks, that dosent mean 400ex shocks will work corecct

Correct. I kind of forgot that little detail. :o My elkas were custom ordered for my setup as were the works shocks I had with the 250r/400ex conversion. I had to fill out a build sheet for them which required taking a few measurements with the front end on the quad (minus shocks). The price was still the same as standard "off the shelf" 300ex or 400ex shocks.